Westwood Student Lands Internship at Sheriff's Office

A high school student from Westwood hasn't been attending class on Thursdays, but he's still getting a full education that meets state requirements.

Sam Zitomer, a senior at Barnstable Academy in Oakland, has been spending one day each week at his internship with the Bergen County Sheriff's Office, where he gets real-world law enforcement experience.

"I've always wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement and I'm very grateful to the administration at Barnstable for helping make this happen," Zitomer said in a press release. "Given the timing, I'm not sure I would have been able to do this if I were in public school."

Barnstable Academy is a private college prep school for grades five through 12. School officials said they expected the internship experience would help put Zitomer ahead of other applicants when pursuing college law enforcement programs or jobs.

"Our goal is always to foster the personal growth of our students and help them achieve their maximum potential. Creating individualized academic schedules to accommodate the goals of a student like Sam is part of what makes Barnstable Academy such a unique school," Lizanne Coyne, the school's executive director, said.