Features

SCUCISD Internship Programs Brings New Opportunities for Students

By: Jaime Cline

It’s a program that has been years in the making. High school students from Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD are now able to participate in a newlycreated intern program where they are working in paid positions within various departments across the district — Child Nutrition, Summer Learning, Technology, Custodial, Grounds, and Maintenance. “We’ve wanted to create a program like this for a few years. We have always had a strong college and military prep program but really challenged ourselves to think about how we could not only offer employment but employment skills training to our students. We (SCUCISD) are the largest employer in Guadalupe County and in that role, we really had a huge opportunity not only for our students but also for the district,” shares Dr. Damon Edwards, Deputy Superintendent.

As with most organizations, COVID had an impact on the district. This past summer, they found themselves short-staffed in several areas and the help that the interns were able to provide in these newly-created roles was invaluable. “The impact of the labor market and the subsequent staffing shortages we were seeing due to the pandemic definitely accelerated the launch of the program," shares Dr. Edwards. "The contributions that the students were able to provide was a huge lift — there were several teams, like the Child Nutrition Program, that wouldn’t have been able to meet their responsibilities without them."

The program focuses on creating not only career opportunities for students but also teaching them valuable job skills, and helping them grow in areas such as interview prep and resume creation. “We had students show up for their interviews in suits and ties. They took the whole process and their new roles very seriously. We had extremely positive feedback from the department leaders that worked with our intern group. They shared that several of the kids stepped up and took on leadership roles — keeping others on task and asking for extra responsibility. The kids had to learn to be on time, to manage their own work schedules, show initiative, and ensure that the tasks that they were assigned were completed in a timely manner,” explains Dr. Edwards.

The interns were integrated into a myriad of roles within the district. They helped with the early morning preparation of snack bags and meals for the Child Nutrition department — organizing and ensuring everything was in stock, and meeting not only the daily time deadlines but also ensuring the accurate number of snack bags were created based on the need.

They were vital in the Technical Department — wiping down devices daily to ensure compliance with health and safety guidelines, setting devices back to factory settings, and also performing needed device maintenance on the roughly 5,000 Chromebooks the district purchased at the start of the pandemic.

If you happened to walk into any of the campuses that were open for Summer Learning Academy, you probably interacted with one of the interns there too — they filled several roles within the front offices. Answering phones, directing traffic, filing

We had extremely positive feedback from the department leaders that worked with our intern group. They shared that several of the kids stepped up and took on leadership roles.

continued on page 34 continued on page 32

continued from page 33

paperwork, and running messages were all some of the tasks that they assisted with in the district. “The students also gained hands-on experience within our Maintenance, Grounds, and Custodial departments. These are teams that we really utilized all summer long whether it was checking, cleaning, and maintaining the HVAC systems or working with our small equipment on the school grounds. They gained so much insight into the daily maintenance that it takes to keep the schools up and running,” explains Dr. Edwards.

As the program enters its second year, Dr. Edwards is already looking at ways in which they can grow and expand it. “We have a lot of the same opportunities currently and are looking to expand — students could potentially stay on campus and work in intern roles during the evening hours. We are very conscious of being flexible with the student’s schedules," says Dr. Edwards. "The kids have their schoolwork to manage, and some participate in our extra-curricular program so we want to create roles where they can work two to three hours, four to five days a week during the school year as well. It really would be a perfect opportunity for some of our seniors that have early release. We would love to expand it to the teaching program as well; potentially creating intern roles as teachers aids and assistants in our summer learning program.”

The intern program is a stepping stone for students — teaching them how to build a network, how to establish references for their resume, and how to create a positive impact in the workplace. The program leads are exploring bringing in guest speakers for the interns to share best practices in the workplace, how to dress for success, and to host workshops on soft skills. “We are just so pleased with this program and excited for its continued growth for many reasons. It’s providing something for the students to make them more marketable and they also were such a valuable resource for us last summer. I’m excited to see where we take this program next,” shares Dr. Edwards.

Supporting Victims. Building Trust. Restoring Hope.

By: Kira Villarreal

Krista Chandler has made a career of helping people navigate difficult and stressful times. As the Regional Crime Victim Liaison for the Schertz Police Department, she helps area crime victims understand their rights and the resources available to assist them, as well as their role in the investigative and criminal justice process. Chandler has been in this role for less than a year but has spent 25 years in the field of victim services. Prior to coming to Texas, she spent 19 years as the director of a victim witness program in Virginia, and she also has eight years of experience as a first responder, working as a volunteer EMT. She is nationally certified as an advanced crisis responder and has assisted victims in several mass casualty events throughout her career.

The Regional Crime Victim Liaison role was first established as part of the Schertz Police Department in 2015. In this position, Chandler works with victims in both Schertz and Cibolo, primarily with victims of family violence and sexual assault. One of her most important responsibilities is taking the time to speak with the victims and explain how the investigative process works, as well as serving as a resource and contact person that they can call if they have questions. Chandler notes that this is particularly important because few people know what to expect or what to do next after a crime has been reported. “There’s a lot of misunderstanding around how the investigative process works, and most of what people think they know about it comes from what they’ve seen on television,” she said. “I can explain how it actually works and give them a good idea of what to expect during the process.”

Another important service she provides is making victims aware of community resources that are available to assist them. This includes things like counseling services to help them process the trauma that they’ve experienced, as well as needs like food, emergency shelter, and legal aid. Chandler has a network of

The conversations I have are not always easy, but I do this because I care about people and I want to make a positive difference in their lives.

service providers throughout the local area and can connect the victims with agencies that can meet their needs.

One resource that many victims are not aware of is the Texas Crime Victims Compensation Fund, which provides funding to assist qualifying victims with covering expenses that occur as a result of the crime. These may include things such as counseling services, funeral expenses, or travel to court hearings. Operated by the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Texas, the fund has its own application process and any crime victim in the state may apply, as long as they have reported the crime. Some individuals choose to apply on their own, but Chandler says she can help walk them through the application process, if needed.

If the victim is under the age of 18, Chandler works with the Child Advocacy Center, a non-profit organization that conducts forensic interviews with child victims. The center has specially trained interviewers that are experts in working with children. The goal of this process is to minimize the trauma and discomfort of the investigative process for the young victims. This prevents them from having to go to the police station and it also prevents them from having to tell their story multiple times, as the interview recordings can be shared with investigators, attorneys, and others involved in the case. At any given time, Chandler says she’s usually working on multiple cases – sometimes more than 30 at a time. Each day, she gets notified of all the new

continued on page 38

continued from page 37

cases and she reviews them and starts contacting the victims individually. Her contact information is also provided in the victims’ referral packet that police officers provide to victims at the crime scene. Chandler says that she always starts by reaching out by phone but will also follow up with an email that has information and a link to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund, Crime Victim Rights, as well as other helpful information and resources. She likes to be able to spend quality time with each client, as she understands that they’ve gone through a significant life event, and that sometimes they just need to know that someone is available to support them.

One of the specific challenges she has seen in recent years deals with communication among the teens younger victims she works with. “They are so used to social media now and less comfortable with verbal communication, so it’s tough for them to articulate their feelings in these situations,” she said.

Other challenges include the need to help the victims understand that the legal and investigative process can be lengthy and that they may need to be patient, since the case could take a long time to be resolved.

Overall, Chandler acknowledges that her job can be difficult, but she is grateful for the opportunity to help others through some of their most difficult times. “The conversations I have are not always easy, but I do this because I care about people and I want to make a positive difference in their lives,” she said. “It’s about treating them with compassion and respect and trying to be a light in a dark situation.” April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month and National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and April 24-30 is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. During this time, agencies throughout the country will bring awareness and recognition to the efforts to achieve justice for all victims of these crimes.

RESOURCES & INFORMATION

For more information about resources and assistance for Schertz and Cibolo area crime victims, please call the Schertz Police Department at (210) 619-1200 or visit the following websites:

Guadalupe Valley Family Violence Services

830-372-2780 www.safeseguin.org

Texas Crime Victims’ Compensation Program

www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/crime-victims/ crime-victims-compensation-program/ overview-crime-victims-compensation-program

Texas Vine Link

vinelink.vineapps.com/state/TX