For the first time ever, Omaha Public Schools is offering a paid summer internship for high school students to work in elementary schools during summer school. This decision occurred due to Covid-19 and the number of students that will be participating in summer school this year. The internship opportunity is completely new to OPS and is seeming like it will be a success if everything goes according to plan.  

Elementary age students were most affected by Covid-19 when it came to virtual learning and related restrictions. Elementary school is the time for students to develop social skills and be interactive with their classmates and the teacher, but because so much of this was put on hold, summer school is an option that most families will choose simply to keep their children on the right track. With the overwhelming number of students already signed up for summer school, help is going to be needed in classrooms across the district. This is where the high school summer internship opportunity comes in to alleviate this problem.  

For elementary students, this new addition to summer schools means having more one–on–one time with a tutor and more outside activities that will be led by high schoolers. For the high schoolers, the internship will provide experience working with children if that is the career path they are choosing, as well as a job for the summer which can be difficult to find due to the pandemic. For teachers, this means having more assistance in the classroom and a person to provide help when needed. Overall, the internship will be helpful for everyone involved and create learning and growth opportunities not only for the students in summer school, but the interns as well.  

This job experience is quite unique because students will be hired by and work for OPS. The job is open to students aged 16 and up from any school district. If a high school student were to have an internship with the largest school district in the state on their resume, they will be a step ahead of other students.