Whitehall Township and Whitehall-Coplay School District have forged an alliance that benefits its students, such as Student Government Day when high school seniors run the township for a day in mock proceedings and now a summer intern program.

Jessica Ammous, Adrian Anatalio, Michael Chekeit and Evan Ehst are spending six weeks this summer doing internships at the Whitehall Township Municipal Building and recreation sites. The program ends Aug. 11.

More valuable to the interns, who will be seniors at Whitehall High School, than earning a paycheck is the experience they garnered, providing real work, a benefit to the township and themselves.

“These young men and women at the high school are our future,” Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr. said.

Hozza said this is the first time the township had high school interns, a program initiated by Communities in Schools of the Lehigh Valley. The interns are selected by their high school guidance counselors.

One of the projects given to the interns was to scan thousands of records in hundreds of boxes, so the paperwork could be destroyed according to state regulations and guidelines and free up valuable space.

Students attended meetings at which department heads and ranking appointed personnel gave their reports to the mayor of what was to take place in the coming week, what transpired the previous week and discussion of forefront issues and possible recommendations.

Commenting on what the internship meant, Ehst said, “This job opportunity has given me the chance to expand my work environment and has taught me responsibilities with time management.”

“This internship was a great experience for me because I have learned a lot of new things that I didn’t know before. I’ve met new people who have great personalities, and I learned from their experience,” Ammous reflected.

Anatalio said, “During my experience with Communities in Schools, I have gained valuable skills and developed my professional background. I believe the aspect that makes this program more enhancing is the fact that I was assigned to the Whitehall Township Municipal Building to work for the mayor. My time at this internship has made my summer vacation more productive, which makes me truly grateful for this opportunity.”

“Working here at the municipal building with Mayor Hozza and staff,” Chekeit said, “has been a fantastic experience. I learned that working here can be challenging and stressful, but overall I am grateful for [being] given this opportunity.”