BHS Honors 54 Senior Interns In Showcase
Dozens of friends, family members, mentors and community members gathered at Bourne High School on May 21 to celebrate and hear from the 54 members of the Class of 2024 who completed internships this year.
The library at the high school was packed by 4:15 PM as the welcome reception shifted over to the official “Salute to the Senior Interns” and other programming. Superintendent Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou kicked off the ceremony and did not hold back on sharing how proud she was of this year’s crop of interns.
“I don’t know of a single school—whether it be on the Cape, the South Coast or even in Massachusetts—that has strived to have a senior internship for every senior in their graduating class, which is where we will be next year,” she said. “We’re very excited about that. Last year’s class was some of our pioneers; this year we at least doubled in size, and tonight we’ll be honoring 54 senior interns—that’s a pretty big deal.”
The high school partnered with more than 15 community organizations, Dr. Zhou said, each of which answered the call “to work with our seniors, to share their experiences and to really help us reengage with the community and our students to engage in their fields.”
A wide range of industries were represented at the event, with students showcasing internships in real estate, nursing, law, education, communications, art, business and more.
Seniors Delaeni Bearce, who interned at The Bourne Enterprise, and Trevor Billard, who completed an internship at Falmouth Hospital, worked in very different fields, but shared almost identical takeaways: the experience of being on the ground in their chosen fields gave them a boost in confidence. For Delaeni, the benefit was in her communication skills, both professionally and interpersonally; for Trevor, it was the exposure to the environment.
“I got used to being more comfortable in the healthcare aspect,” he said. “I feel like health care and the hospital is such a scary environment for so many people and me being able to put myself in there and just help for anything at any time—I thought it was perfect. I’m super thankful to be able to have that opportunity.”
Cora McDonough, on the other hand, learned a different lesson through her experience as an intern for the Bourne Police Department.
“I do not want to work in an office,” she said, “I want to be out doing action.”
The best parts of the experience, Cora said, were the hands-on parts—the simulators, training scenarios and the ride along stood out the most.
“And now I understand why getting pulled over takes so long,” she said.
The Senior Showcase also featured a future educator signing, where six students pursuing degrees in education—Madison Doyle, Carolyn Moorhouse, Ella Keefe, Marissa Zacchini, Kendra Mahoney and Cassidy Bonzagne—signed letters of intent. Students also heard words of advice from Dr. Zhou and guest speaker LaToya Tavernier, an educational specialist/CCTE Pathways liaison at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
“This is truly a calling, it’s not necessarily a job that gets paid like a basketball player—even though I feel like the experiences and the impact that teachers and educators have is as big as winning a World Series or a championship,” Dr. Tavernier told the future educators. “It’s important to remember what you wanted from your own teachers that made you feel safe and in a place where you can learn and try to provide that for other students.”
In addition to their internship, senior interns were partnered with Bournedale Elementary School’s 2nd grade students to help them learn about different college, career and post-graduation paths and possibilities.
“It was a really beautiful collaboration,” Dr. Zhou said. “It really warms your heart, but it also shows that thinking about college and careers for Canalmen starts really young.”
In her address to the senior interns, BHS’s School-to-Career and intern coordinator Ann-Marie Strode imparted some words of wisdom that, she said, stood out to her when looking through motivational stickers before the event: “Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd—’a little bit more.’ They did all that was expected of them and ‘a little bit more.’”
“This year, you have done that little bit more,” Ms. Strode told her students. “You took on challenges and worked through them. You worked with grade 2 students and, as we saw today, you made a lasting impact on them. I am proud of the dedication and commitment you showed to your placement, to your school, but most importantly, to yourselves. I am confident you will take these experiences and be successful individuals as you start the next part of life’s journey.”
“I am honored to be your teacher,” an emotional Ms. Strode said, just before the room erupted in whoops and applause from the students crowded in the back of the room.