Mountain Valley High School junior David participated in an ELO with ND Paper in Rumford. Read more about David in the ME Career Connected Learning ELO Profiles of Student Success.
Since launching in the fall of 2024, the Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) Program at Mountain Valley High School in RSU 10 has provided students with meaningful, real-world learning experiences that connect classroom instruction to careers, higher education, and long-term success. Led by Christopher Brennick, Mountain Valley High School ELO Coordinator, the program has quickly become a model for how authentic, community-connected learning can raise student aspirations and expand access to opportunity, particularly in rural western Maine.
Through internships, work studies, job shadows, college tours, and immersive simulations, the program allows students to engage directly with professionals across healthcare, education, engineering, manufacturing, finance, skilled trades, and public service. To date, the program has supported 21 internships, two work studies, eight paid work studies, one unpaid internship, and 20 experiential trips to 18 sites, reaching 351 student participants, with many students participating in multiple experiences.
The program includes semester-long internships in healthcare, education, construction, engineering, finance, counseling, and skilled trades; work studies focused on building essential workplace skills; job shadowing with organizations such as the National Weather Service and the Rumford Police Department; and extensive college and employer tours across Maine and New England. Students have also participated in immersive simulations such as YMCA Youth and Government and the Maine Motor Transport Association’s “Go Your Way, Maine” career exploration experience.
Mountain Valley High School Principal Thomas Danylik emphasized the transformative impact of the program, particularly for students in a rural region.
“As a principal taking on a new initiative, you never truly know what sort of impact a program will have on students, but I can assure you that we are a better school because of the work being done by Mr. Brennick and our ELO program,” Danylik said. “Living in a rural part of Maine can make it difficult for students to see what opportunities exist outside of their everyday life. A major focus for us has been ensuring our students are exposed not only to opportunities within their own community but also to what lies beyond the River Valley.”
Danylik noted that through the program, every student has the opportunity to step onto a college campus or visit a major employer, while smaller groups participate in immersive learning experiences across the state.
“Individual students are gaining firsthand experience in career fields with some of the most respected businesses in Maine,” Danylik added. “To say this program has had a positive impact on our school is a gross understatement. Mr. Brennick’s ability to think outside the box and help students discover their passions is admirable, and Mountain Valley is fortunate to benefit from such an outstanding ELO program.”
The impact of these opportunities is evident in the relationships students build and the pathways that emerge. One student completing a pharmacy ELO at Rumford Hospital was able to observe procedures in the operating room, engage in conversations with hospital leadership, and explore collaboration between the pharmacy and emergency department. Another student’s semester-long furnace technician work study led directly to a paid summer position and continued employment while pursuing postsecondary training in the field. These experiences benefit students while also providing community partners with motivated, high-quality talent.
Students are also developing empathy, professionalism, and problem-solving skills through authentic workplace challenges. Their reflections highlight the depth of learning that occurs when students engage in real-world environments.
“Another struggle I experienced this week was frustration,” one student wrote, reflecting on her hospital placement. “There’s a patient who has been here since last Christmas. She asks every day when she can go home. I want to be able to watch her go home to her family.”
Families have noticed the impact on their students, as well.
“I am so grateful for this program,” Amber Durant, parent of an ELO student, said. “My son has explored job experiences in both finance and engineering, working alongside professionals he aspires to be. These experiences have helped him make more informed decisions as he applies to colleges.”
The program has been made possible through a combination of funding sources, including the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) grant, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) ELO Expansion 2.0 grant, and the Sunshine Mini Grant. Together, these investments have expanded access to career exploration and postsecondary exposure for students in rural communities. Mountain Valley High School’s efforts demonstrate how innovative, community-connected learning can deepen student engagement, support informed postsecondary decisions, and help students envision futures rooted in real experience, meaningful relationships, and opportunity.
For further information about ELOs and Maine’s efforts to expand career exploration for Maine students, please visit the Maine DOE ELO webpage or contact Maine DOE Extended Learning Coordinator Lana Sawyer at Lana.Sawyer@maine.gov. You can also read more about Maine student ELOs in “Career-Connected Learning: Maine ELO Profiles of Success.”
This story was written in collaboration with Mountain Valley High School. To submit a good news story to the Maine DOE, please fill out the good news submission form.
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