Hillcrest students are thriving in their Career Practicum Class.  All students are heavily involved in a variety of internships. Some these internships are work-based, while others are classroom based.

Some students participate in individual Work-based learning experiences in professional settings when they meet the hours required for full time course equivalent. These experiences include registered apprenticeships, cooperative education (co-op), and internships.

Other students are immersed in a classroom-based experience where they learn through targeted industry involvement that may take the form of industry-driven project-based learning,

School-based enterprise, and virtual enterprise. This model incorporates industry engagement through activities like tours, informational interviewing, job shadows, community service projects, and technical mentoring to achieve learning standards at professional-level expectations.

Upon completion of the practicum, students will be prepared for postsecondary and career opportunities aligned with their interests and demonstrate professional-quality employability skills relevant to their chosen career paths.

Currently, Hillcrest has students participating in: online classes through South Suburban College, the EMR Program, a Welding Class, aide-work with a Social Worker and with a Assistant Principal.

Several students are taking advantage of the welding program being offered at Oak Forest High School. As student Devin Turner mentions: “We learn about the fundamentals of Welding.  The first 6 weeks are comprised of safety and OSHA training which the most important aspect of welding.  Devin continues to say the three highest paying fields of welding are military support welders, underwater welding and nuclear welding.”

Working in the IMC as part of the iPad Tech Team is Ahnia Ricks who writes of her experience: “My first couple of weeks were used helping teachers reset and backup photos onto ICloud.  This process has helped me develop better customer service skills.  Right now, I’m working on researching apps for the Business and Industrial Arts classes, and starting a program called ‘Hour of Code.’  The apps would be used to help develop skills of students enrolled in those classes, while the ‘Hour of Code’ will expose students to computer science and different computer languages.  We would start off with the foundations of Computer Science such as Pseudo coding, developing algorithms, and other basic ideas behind the logic of coding.”

Another student, Phillip Robinson is one of Hillcrest’s top football players; however, Phillip has his hands in every aspect of the class. Phillip writes for the school newspaper, researches the medical field while taking a Medical Terminology Class on-line thru South Suburban. Another student taking credit of the free waiver offered by South Suburban College. Phillip states, “I am taking Online South Suburban class on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. The South Suburban Class I am taking is Introduction to Medical Terminology. I log into my South Suburban Account and listen and watch the lecture of the professor. Assignments have deadlines that must be met.  The class has been very cooperative to me and it’s a good class for me to start off my college career. My main goal is to become a Physical Therapist.”

These are just some of the exciting highlights going on 3rd hour at Hillcrest High School.  Students are required to write journals about their experience and will develop a portfolio of their internship to end the semester.

For additional information on the career practicum students, please contact teacher Mr. Dave Braden [email protected].