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Student Summer Work Program Leads to a Cleaner Beach in Westbrook

The COVID pandemic has made so many things tenuous, it’s no surprise that in Westbrook, a student summer work program was up in the air this year. But thanks to the enthusiasm and hard work of members of the community, 10 Westbrook High School (WHS) students have jobs this summer, including four who clean and rake West Beach three days a week.

That’s around one third of the students who usually participate locally in the Workforce Alliance program, which is funded by the Connecticut Department of Labor and administered through the organization of the same name, based in New Haven.

Chet Bialicki, the WHS teacher and transition services coordinator who oversees and administers Westbrook’s summer work program, didn’t want to give up on the endeavor, although he knew the situation presented particular challenges this year.

“This is a great opportunity and I wasn’t going to pass it up,” he said. “We were kind of in a tough situation because we weren’t in school [in the spring] and our superintendent [Patricia A. Ciccone] just retired at the end of June. Funds didn’t come available until July 1.”

Interim Superintendent of Schools Patricia Charles is a former Westbrook district superintendent who agreed, at the request of the Board of Education, to fill in temporarily.

She also agreed to approve the summer work opportunity.

“She knew the program,” said Bialicki. “It’s scary for a new person to say ‘Yes’ to things they’re not familiar with.”

But Charles recognized the program’s value.

“It’s beneficial to get youth in job situations over the summer, making money and getting job training, leading to constructive situations for them,” Bialicki explained. “This summer, for instance, there weren’t many towns that took advantage of the program...Many of them bypassed this summer’s funding.”

Participating youth must be between the ages of 15 and 21 and must work at least 15 hours a week for at least four weeks, said Bialicki. There are strict guidelines all around. Employers have to sign agreements stating that conditions are safe, students are supervised, and state Department of Labor regulations are being followed.

Workforce Alliance requires that at least 70 percent of the funds are spent on student wages; in Westbrook, it’s around 85 percent. Overhead is kept low by Bialicki doing all the paperwork himself; the district’s business offices does the payroll, then is reimbursed. Students earn minimum wage, which is $11 per hour in Connecticut.

The four boys at West Beach are supervised by Council of Beaches (COB) President Pat Marcarelli and all four worked with him at the beach last summer. When the program was first set up, the COB and the West Beach Association bought equipment for the students and the Westbrook Elks made a shed available to store it in, according to Marcarelli.

Marcarelli meets them at the beach and “makes sure they’re all set up,” Bialicki said. “Then he goes back home, and says, ‘Call me if you need me.’

“He’s a retired fireman and I couldn’t ask for a better person,” Bialicki continued. “He has taken into consideration more safety situations than I would have ever thought of,” including plans for lightning, rain, and intense heat.

If one of the kids rides his bike to work and it starts to rain, Marcarelli will “throw the bike in the back of the pickup truck so they don’t have to ride home in the rain,” Bialicki said.

“These boys come to work at 6:30 a.m.,” Marcarelli said. “Mr. B. told them, ‘How are you going to do that? You guys can’t make it to school on time.’”

The boys responded that they’re not paid to go to school.

“There’s a lot of joking,” Marcarelli said. “The boys get along great.”

That doesn’t mean the work isn’t taken seriously.

“We treat it like a classroom,” he said. “You’re here to learn a working skill. You’re here to learn the regiment, what needs to be done in order to get that paycheck.

“These are skills that we’re trying to get into these kids’ heads,” he continued. “We want to instill some pride in their work.”

It seems to be effective.

“These four at the beach, they’re just unbelievable,” Bialicki said.

The 6:30 a.m. arrival time was their choice.

“They love it,” he continued. “They said they love watching the sun rise; they love no one else being around. I can’t think of a safer place” for them to work, as each focuses on a different part of the beach.

The program is a win-win for everyone, Marcarelli said.

“We like to feel as though we’re helping the community,” he said. “It’s neighbors helping neighbors.”

With only 10 students working over the summer, the program will have funds that can be used during the academic year, Bialicki said, and he hopes some local businesses get in touch with him with opportunities for students.

Interested employers can email Chet Bialicki at cbialicki@westbrookctschools.org or call him at 860-399-3189.