SCHool Magazine Features

What begins as a month-long internship in May often evolves into a career, a calling, or—as one alumnus found—a lifelong partnership.

Each May, when exams are over, SCH Academy seniors leave the Wissahickon Inn to gain work experience, a new perspective, and, sometimes, a dose of grit. From building boats at the Dorchester Shipyard to conducting research at the Philadelphia Art Museum, thousands over the years have set out after their final English essay or calculus exam to become interns for one month, driven only by their interests. Thanks in large part to alumni, parents, and community members who serve as sponsors or mentors, students develop new skills and, more importantly, begin to understand the world of work and the possibilities ahead.

The Collective
 

"I think we proposed it," Lindsey Lang ’69 recalls how important it felt, the weight of the world on their shoulders, to contribute to society in the late ’60s during the Civil Rights Movement and the height of the Vietnam War. Woodstock would go on in mere months. "It was an era when school seemed irrelevant to the world we were about to enter as graduates of high school." While the faculty provided the structure, it was the students’ own desire for relevance that sparked the program’s start at Springside, which ebbed and flowed over the years there and at neighboring Chestnut Hill Academy (CHA), whose students also experienced “senior work projects” in 1969.

"It was a rite of passage," said Peggy Klein Mandell ’69 and Ellen Reath ’69, who were some of the first Springside School alumnae to embark on the senior experience. "The world of work and social justice were part of our collective conscience, and we were future-focused. Aware that we were about to transition beyond the cocoon of school and our Chestnut Hill neighborhood, we were chomping at the bit to 'try on' professions and believe that in some small way we could make a real-world contribution in some workplace or organization."

Though senior internships and projects didn’t necessarily become official or annual until later, members of the Springside Class of 1969 agree that the interest and movement began during their high school years. The world was drawing them toward something greater, they said. They didn't just want work experience; they needed it.

"I remember being really intense about getting us out of the private school world and into the blood and tears of the rest of society," said Susan Clark ’69.

 

Paving the Way
 

That intensity sparked a legacy. What began as a push for social relevance in 1969 eventually became
a cornerstone of the SCH curriculum, inspiring generations of students to
explore professions before they head to college.

The women helped pave the way for students such as Anne Eisenhower Turnbull ’05, who interned with WHYY and went on to work closely in media, and Alexia Lindsay ’19, who interned in the Neurology Intensive Care Unit at Abington Hospital and is now a neuro ICU nurse in Washington, D.C.

"This senior project was instrumental in solidifying my decision to pursue a career in nursing," said Lindsay. "I gained early exposure to clinical neurology that I later applied throughout my nursing education. Beyond informing my academic path, this experience significantly influenced my post-graduate career decision. It has been especially meaningful to start my professional nursing journey in the same specialty that first confirmed my interest in medicine and nursing—a true full-circle experience for which I am deeply grateful."

For Peggy Klein Mandell ’69, the impact came full circle as she watched the next generation take the leap. "I loved watching my daughter, Lydia, present her project in 2003," she said. "It was a rite of passage."
 

Experiential Learning at its Best

The success of these projects isn't accidental; it is rooted in the school’s core philosophy of experiential learning. By moving the classroom into the clinic, the shipyard, or the studio, SCH “bridges the gap between the theoretical and the professional. It allows students to test-drive their curiosities, turning ‘what if’ into ‘what’s next,’” said SCH Head of Upper School Matt Norcini.

This "extension of the classroom" unlocks specific, tangible skills. As the most recent few classes demonstrated in their final project reports, the lessons learned on-site are often as much about character and perspective as about career.

“Welding at Dorchester Shipyard taught me how to stay focused and take pride in my work,” said Xavier Artis during his senior year in 2025. “It’s intense, but seeing something you helped build come together—that’s a powerful feeling.”

Some students went beyond the confines of Philadelphia, including CHA alumnus Zachary Franklin '03, who commuted every
weekday to Brooklyn to intern at Elemental Magazine, a now-defunct hip-hop/rap monthly publication. "With a then readership of more than 75,000, I followed every aspect of putting together a full issue of the magazine, including sitting in on interviews, photo sessions, advertising calls, pagination, and publication," he said. "I went on to major in journalism at the University of Southern California. The experience of working at a magazine was foundational in introducing me to journalism before studying in college, and subsequently working in news reporting in China after graduating from USC."

For many, the senior project wasn't just a month-long detour—it was the first chapter of a lifelong career. Richard Bauder ’73 is a living testament to how a few weeks in May can define a decade of work.

"My 1973 senior project at Sound Service of Flourtown was what started me on my path to my current occupation," said Bauder. "I wound up buying that first company from its owners in 1984 and ran it until 1990, along with starting Bauder Audio Systems in 1980."

Early exposure led to long-term clarity for many, including Matt Weiss ’94, now deputy physician-in-chief and director of the surgical oncology program at Northwell Cancer Institute. His project offered a multi-dimensional look at a future in
medicine. As a senior, he followed five medical specialists each day: a radiologist, an orthopedic surgeon, a neurosurgeon, a primary care internist, and a cardiologist. "The senior project had a profound impact on my desire to become a physician," said Weiss, whose mentors guided him later when he was deciding on a pre-medical program. "I saw that these doctors' jobs, at their core, were helping people... It also started me thinking about whether my medical career would involve doing procedures or non-
interventional specialties."

From Rube Goldberg to Real Life

Though decades have passed since the first seniors left the “cocoon” of Chestnut Hill, the spirit of those early adopters lives on through a singular, enduring goal: shaping citizens who leave a positive mark on the world. For some, that mark is professional; for others, it is deeply personal. Take Stewart Greenleaf '96, who spent his senior spring assisting with educational programs at The Franklin Institute.

“My senior project at The Franklin Institute had absolutely no impact on my career as an attorney,” said Greenleaf. “However,
I did meet a pretty girl next to the Rube Goldberg machine. Thirty years later, we are married and about to watch our two SCH Upper Schoolers embark on their own senior projects.”

The experience, it seems, has come full circle.

CLASS OF 2025 INTERNSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
Arts & Media: Rain Dance
Studio, Philadelphia Art
Museum, URBN, Stateside
Brands
Law & Public Service: Philly
District Attorney’s Office,
State Representative’s Office,
Hatboro Police Department
Healthcare & Science:
Jefferson Torresdale Hospital,
eClose Institute, Academy of
Natural Sciences
Finance & Real Estate: UBS,
PayPal, Tri-State Commercial
Real Estate, Compass
Maritime & Trade:
Dorchester Shipyard, Empire
Timber Framing, Criniti
Construction, Seaport
Museum
Community & Non-
Profit: YMCA, Leukemia
& Lymphoma Society,
Holocaust Awareness
Museum