Real Life Learning on Shadow Day

Radio show host, police officer and baker were just a few of the professions juniors at got to sample as part of the school’s annual Shadow Day on Thursday. 

Doug Monsell, the school’s business teacher, said the School-to-Business Partnership program was created four years ago with the help of Principal Timothy Hearney.

“I think business in high school is one of the most important things,” Monsell said. “Why are you in high school? Because you’re going to go to college, vocational school or you’re going to go to work. What better way to find out what you want to do than to go out and shadow a profession to see what actually goes on in the real world?”

Students gathered in the auditorium before embarking as Hearney urged students to ask questions to their “pretend” employers.

“The thing I will stress is to ask questions today,” Hearney said. “Ask questions that are going to help you pursue the career and help you make your decision. Seize your opportunity to pick someone’s brain.”

Currently the program provides about 30 different businesses for students to go to. Some include the Suffolk County Police Dept., Family Pet Clinic of Bayport, WALK Radio, Brookhaven Memorial Hospital and Jamie Rosner, Attorney at Law.

CJ Furchert picked local radio station WALK 97.5 as his dream profession and said he was excited seeing how the radio business works.

“I want to start out as a radio reporter and then move on to TV,” he said. “I am really interested in going into broadcast and communications.”

Other students had more modest aspirations like Gina Clemente, who wants to go into speech therapy or physical therapy. Clemente said that’s why she chose to shadow employees at Little Angels in Blue Point.

“I want to help kids that are mentally handicapped and help them learn to speak,” she said. “I want to help them relax and show them how to use their muscles.”

Employers in the area, such as Michelle Gillette from , agreed that they think this Shadow Day program is just what kids need to get experience.

“It gives them true experience,” Gillette said. “It gets them out of the classroom and into the real world, which really helps when they are trying to decide a career path.” 

The high school holds a Shadow Day twice each year for juniors and seniors. The next event will be held on Groundhog Day.