SOUTH AMBOY – Two South Amboy High School students were acknowledged by the South Amboy Council for completing the newly implemented co-op program that gives students real-life experiences.
The co-op program allows students to split time between attending regular classes and gaining real-world experience by working at offices in City Hall.
Students Matthew Coyle and Andrew Rogan were acknowledged during the Jan. 31 council meeting for completing the course.
Councilman Tom Reilly brought up the idea to the township and reached out to the Board of Education. After working out the details, the school conducted a screening process and selected Coyle and Rogan to participate in the pilot program. One student worked in the tax department and the other worked in code/buildings and grounds.
“It worked out well for both sides,” Reilly said. “The students gained valuable knowledge and real-life experience. They assisted with some of the duties at City Hall. All reviews for the students from their mentors were great and it turned out to be a win-win on both sides. It also establishes a working relationship between the Board of Education and the City of South Amboy, which is a great thing.”
In addition to the students’ families, Superintendent of Schools Jorge Diaz; High School Principal Patrick McCabe; and Board of Education President Tyler Simko, Vice President Lynn Kasics and board members Anthony Conrad, Amy McLaughlin, Ray Perez, Patrick Walsh and former board member Janet Kern attended the event.
“The idea was to offer an opportunity for our students to gain real-world work experience as part of their regular classwork,” Simko said. “It took a great deal of cooperation between the Board of Education and City Hall, but everyone was pleased with the results.”
“We’re going to continue this next semester. We are going to extend it to more students and we’ll reach out to more programs in South Amboy and it’s going to get bigger and better,” Reilly said. “We look forward to an ongoing relationship with the Board of Education and with these students and getting them prepared for life outside of high school.”
Contact Peter Elacqua at pelacqua@newspapermediagroup.com.
