Past Spotlights
WILL PEACOCK
Will Peacock is a senior who is in his third term of the School-to-Work program. He has been a steadfast volunteer for Patricia Gibbons’ 4th grade classroom at the Village School in North Bennington. He has become a fixture in the classroom and an asset and mentor to the students there who look forward to seeing him each day. Will works with students both one-on-one and in small group settings to give them the additional support they need. He also acts as a teacher’s aide and provides her with whatever support she needs in the classroom. In the fall, Will plans to enroll in the Physical Therapy program Franklin Pierce University.
“This has been a very fun experience for me, full of excitement and learning because I am truly able to understand how much work goes into being a teacher and how rewarding it is to put your all into a student. I have learned that I love working with kids and how rewarding it is to teach someone something. Going to my site everyday was [great] because I was able to build relationships and really connect with the students.
When you go to your job site, you cannot look at the job placement as just a way to get out of school for a block, but you have to treat it like a job and be very professional to get the most out of the experience. If you are not going into this class to build social development amongst many different people and you are not going to take it seriously, then I would not recommend this class. If you do go into this class to help you decide what you want to do [in the future] and help develop your skills, then I would highly recommend this class as it has helped me tremendously.”
On her experience of having Will in her classroom, Patricia says, “Will is a talented person and the best role model I could possibly imagine for this Community Service program…The students think the world of him…He chooses to eat lunch in the cafeteria with them and he is uplifting to them all…I believe there are students in my fourth grade who will choose to be a part of the Community Service program when they are at MAUHS as a result of Will Peacock. It has been a rewarding experience for many.”
SOPHIA PRANDINI
Sophia is a senior and will pursue a pre-vet med program in college. She completed her field study at West Mountain Animal Hospital where she explored the field of Veterinary Medicine. This is what she had to say about the Field Study program.
"I would absolutely recommend the Field Study class to other students. It’s given me a really great hands-on experience with vets and I’m able to do things that I wouldn’t normally be able to do until college or vet school.
I’m able to talk to people in the field and they give me a lot of great advice about what to do and not to do in planning for my future...It’s really great being able to do what I love to do for a class.
I’m more sure than ever that I want to be a vet. Getting this experience will make things a lot easier later. Watching surgeries, for example, was a good experience for me so now I’m really comfortable with that. And seeing the really negative ... aspects ahead of time and still knowing I’m comfortable with it and not going to change my mind later makes me feel confident in my career decisions.
I do love New England and would love to come back here. I think it depends on where I go to vet school and on the networks I develop while there. But if I had the chance to practice anywhere, it would be New England."