About the InspirED Program

The Herald & Review highlighted our program on January 26, 2017!  Check out the article by CLICKING HERE!

Decatur Public Schools and its business and industry partners recognize the need for our high school students to be provided meaningful real life work experiences in the real world prior to high school graduation. Thus, following several meetings, it was determined that Decatur Public Schools would pilot the Decatur Pathways to Prosperity Internship Program in the spring of 2015.

This past year, twenty-two DPS #61 students served as student interns at Decatur businesses, such as ADM, Caterpillar, Decatur Public School, Macon Resources, St. Mary’s Hospital, and Decatur Memorial Hospital. Each of these businesses decided the scope of the problem or project and managed the successful completion of the project by the students. The student interns were placed in a range of departments, including Information Technology, Human Resources, Supply Chain Management, Transportation, Quality Assurance, Safety, Athletic Training and more.

The goal of the internship is provide the students with the opportunity to increase their problem-solving skills. Each participating partner present their student interns with real life problem/project that challenges their business and the student interns are tasked with brainstorming and researching possible solutions. While the scope of the projects within the internship is up to the businesses, the expectation has been set that each of the projects must have the students fully engaged and involved in hands-on experiences.

InspirED Futures formerly known as the Decatur Pathways to Prosperity Internship this past school year began on January 21, 2015, and concluded on April 22, 2015, for a total of fourteen Wednesdays during school hours (8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.). Instead of reporting to school, the student interns reported to their assigned businesses on these Wednesdays.
Moving forward the internship is expected to begin January 9, 2017—May 4, 2017 in the Spring of 2017. The student interns will be enrolled in a Career Preparation class Monday thru Friday and then the student interns will report to their assigned businesses on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons from 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. After the successful completion of the internship, the student interns will receive 1.5 credits towards graduation and receive a letter grade for the class portion.

The recruitment of employers to host interns, identification of students, and the application process are underway. This is not a paid internship, however, the exposure and experience the students will receive is priceless. Each student will be required to maintain a project journal and update it on a weekly basis. The student interns will be evaluated by their business partner mentor, as well as be given the opportunity to evaluate their internship experience upon completion. The student interns are accountable for maintaining their 2.5 grade point average and remaining professional and respectful at all times during the Internship.

Student application criteria are as follows:

 Junior & Senior status and on track to graduate
 2.5 GPA or higher
 Submit application
 3 Letters of Recommendations (2-teacher & 1-other)
 Complete Career Cruising Career Interest Inventory
 Participate in a Mock Interview with potential employer