Academy Connections Spotlights the Power of Community Partnerships

Albany Academy's Connections program was recently featured on CBS6, sharing a story about what's possible when a school and a local institution partner together.

In its second summer, the Academy Connections program paired students with Academy alumnae, alumni, parents, and community organizations for internships, and this summer, that meant a partnership with Albany Institute of History & Art.

Academy senior James Thoma spent his summer interning at the Institute, working with Megan Brown, the Institute's

Director of Education. James and Megan joined the CBS6 morning show together to talk about the internship and, more broadly, about what community partnerships like this make possible for students and community partners alike. 

During his internship, some of James's duties included prepping and hosting three separate art-centered programs open to the public. This went beyond his initial internship expectations. James shared,

"Going in my expectations were that I would be doing more of the 'grunt work' when it came to setting up the programs; that I would be doing nothing more than prepping the materials. However, after I spent my first few days prepping said materials, I got to actually run the programs with the aid of a docent or a volunteer and on select occasions, solo. This let me build so many valuable skills when it comes to communication and salesmanship, vis-á-vis roping in people of all different kinds to do an art related activity or craft."

Encouraging Others to Apply

After his experience, James encourages other Academy students to pursue a Connections internship of their own. "I would very adamantly encourage Academy students to apply to any of the internships that the Academy Connections program offers," he said. "An internship in high school is something that is very rare but a tremendous experience." 

View the CBS6 segment