The Rapid City Area School District has a growing career-connected and work-based learning program that provides relevant and hands-on learning opportunities for students K-12. Our focus is to provide students with career exposure, exploration, and experiences that will help them to identify their interests so that they are able to develop a plan that leads to a successful transition beyond high school.

What is a Capstone?

Capstone experiences allow students the opportunity to consolidate and apply the learning from their high school coursework into a meaningful and relevant career-connected experience. This student-driven experience is based on the student’s chosen pathway and is designed to help guide the student’s college, career, and life readiness plan.

What are the benefits of a Capstone?

Capstone opportunities allow students to gain authentic, real-world experience with a business, organization, or industry. Students’ interests, strengths, and chosen career pathway(s) determine the  capstone experience and, based on the capstone experience, students will gain insight into their plan for college, career, and life beyond high school.

Within the RCAS Academies & Pathways, Capstone and other Specialized Pathway courses offer learning opportunities that are aligned to guide further career exploration and preparation for life beyond high school.

Capstone Experiences Options

During high school, RCAS Capstone Coordinators collaborate with students to identify their career interests and gain valuable exposure and experience through the five capstone opportunities: Youth Internship, Entrepreneurship Experience, Youth Apprenticeship, Service Learning, and Senior Experience. These opportunities involve learners partnering with community partners who recognize the significance of career-connected and work-based learning experiences. They enable students to acquire authentic, hands-on experiences in the realms of business and industry.

Capstone Coordinators

Career Preparation Resources

Cover Letter

“The cover letter is one of the most challenging documents you may ever write: you must write about yourself without sounding selfish and self-centered. The solution to this is to explain how your values and goals align with the prospective organization’s and to discuss how your experience will fulfill the job requirements.” – Purdue OWL

Résumé

“A résumé (also spelled resume) is a brief document that summarizes your education, employment history, and experiences that are relevant to your qualifications for a particular job for which you are applying. The purpose of a résumé (along with your cover letter) is to get an interview. Research has shown that it takes an average of ten (10) interviews to receive one (1) job offer, so your résumé needs to be persuasive and perfect” – Purdue OWL

Job Interview

A job interview is a conversation between a job applicant and a representative, or group of representatives, of an employer which is conducted to assess whether the applicant should be hired.

If your business or organization is interested in partnering to offer work-based or service learning opportunities for RCAS students, click here.