Since 2006, Fairfield Ludlowe High School has sent most of its seniors out of school in the weeks following AP exams, allowing them to enter internships for the final school weeks in order to gain real-world experience in various fields of work. By choosing to participate in the senior experience, seniors take their final exams early, choose an activity or internship to enter, and upon their experience being approved, do not attend school until graduation.
However, the experience isn’t an excuse for seniors to slack off at the end of the school year, as they are required to commit a certain amount of hours to their experience during this period, and athletes are required to continue their commitment to their sports through the end of the season. Additionally, after finishing their experience, seniors are expected to present their experiences to the school, highlighting what exactly they did and the lessons that they learned from the experience.
Members of the senior class are entering many different fields this year. For example, many seniors are getting involved with the town itself, such as Claire Fuchs, who will be working at the Town Planning and Zoning Department, helping to plan district zones and various other affairs regarding property.
Others, such as Owen Hourihan and Katie Caldwell, are getting involved with the town in other ways, with Hourihan interning at Roger Ludlowe Middle School in order to gain teaching experience and Caldwell coaching younger children in lacrosse.
However, just as many students are getting involved with private affairs, as seen with Annie Feeney, who will be interning at a law firm, or Jack Nolan, who will be teaching his peers how to golf. Overall, there are a variety of fields and activities being explored by the senior class this year, all of which will give students various life skills and opportunities for new learning outside of a traditional educational environment. Despite the variety of fields being entered, one general sentiment is shared among the seniors: an anticipation of getting out of the classroom and out into the world.
