UD INTERNS

BY KAYLA MARTELL, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

Tower Hill continues to make history by expanding our network beyond the campus. Two future educators, and current students from the University of Delaware, are gaining real classroom experience this year at Tower Hill in the Kaleidoscope program.

Never before has a partnership like this existed, where University of Delaware students served in a paid internship within an after school program. This remarkable residency program is “one-of-a-kind” says Cindy Sardo, Director of Auxiliary Programs and Associate Director of Preschool Admissions at Tower Hill. “Usually teachers do not have internships like other majors; they only get to student teach,” she said. This residency program is a new way of introducing future educators to the many facets of the school environment.

In the fall of 2022, the College of Education & Human Development at the University of Delaware announced this paid residency program was open to all students pursuing careers in education. The program was so successful that it was later announced that the University of Delaware planned to continue this partnership with Tower Hill’s Kaleidoscope program offering either paid internships or college credits into the winter semester and beyond.

Candidates interested in this opportunity submitted applications and letters of recommendation before participating in traditional job interviews. After careful consideration, two Elementary Education majors were selected. Sarah Price and Allison Watson were both pleased and excited to accept the offers.

Watson is a junior who started with the Kaleidoscope program in September. She is currently teaching some lessons as part of her coursework before student teaching next year. This is the first internship for Watson and her first experience with afterschool programming.

“I really like that Cindy gave me the opportunity to observe in the classroom before Kaleidoscope started. So I have had the opportunity to see many different ages in their classrooms. In Kaleidoscope I am with the third and fourth graders, which is where I knew I wanted to be in the future. So it is the perfect fit!” says Watson.

“I want to learn how to relate to students in a classroom setting. I wanted to get the feeling that this is the right path for me. This experience has solidified that this is the career for me,” Watson shared.

Sarah Price was excited to gain classroom experience and consider what grade she may ultimately want to teach. “I can tell the students respect the staff here. For the most part, the kids are really respectful and they seem to know what is expected of them,” Price said. The future educator shared that she had been studying classroom management this semester and had wondered how educators are able to transition students from one activity to another, such as from play to homework. Her main objective was to learn how to keep her students focused. The Kaleidoscope staff have been tremendous mentors for her.

Both women look forward to careers in elementary education and mentioned they would love to work for Tower Hill or a similar school. Cindy Sardo says this partnership is only the beginning of many wonderful opportunities to come to Tower Hill that will connect us with the greater educational community.