Max Rosenow referees a Buddy Basketball game with player Madden Cesarone. (Photo by Lynne Conner / for Chronicle Media)

Whether terrifying or terrific, awesome or awful, everyone remembers their first summer job and the life lessons it taught. Finding summer employment is an adolescent rite of passage that provides a taste of grown-up freedom while providing financial incentives and teaching accountability.  

With the school year ending soon, teens looking for work should consider applying to the Rockford Park District (RPD), the largest employer of youth ages 16-24 in the greater Rockford area. 

“All of RPD’s job openings are posted online at www.rockfordparkdistrict.org/careers,” said Max Rosenow, RPD talent acquisition specialist. “Once a teen fills out the online application, it is sent to hiring managers who set up interviews. This is a great time to apply for summer work, and the park district provides training for those who get hired.” 

To qualify for most of RPD’s summer jobs, teens must be 16 or older, but there are a few positions for 15-year-olds. Applicants who wish to work in the park district’s outdoor maintenance jobs must be 18 years and older. RPD jobs offer competitive pay starting at $15 an hour and increasing for maintenance jobs. 

“There are a wide variety of positions with RPD in the summer, and our hiring managers evaluate an applicant’s skills, experiences and interests during the hiring process,” Rosenow said. “If a teen has a special talent in sports like swimming, horseback riding, golf, track & field, football, cheerleading, or basketball, we try to match those skills to jobs like lifeguarding or helping out with our kids’ summer sports and camp programs.” 

If a teen employee isn’t into sports, RPD has other jobs like golf course maintenance, outdoor education group leader, indoor food and beverage vendors and guest services positions at park district facilities.  

Teen workers interested in teaching, physical therapy, or special education could be considered for a position on one of the community recreation teams or therapeutic recreation teams.  

“One of our most rewarding summer jobs is working with kids in one of the community or therapeutic recreation day camps,” Rosenow said. “Teens can be group leaders for children aged 5-12 at one of our community day camp programs and guide the campers through daily activities. We also hire teens to assist at our therapeutic day camps and help children with disabilities experience adaptive sports and other camp projects.” 

Because the Rockford Park District is the leading employer of youth in the community and offers a wide variety of job experiences, it’s not surprising that RPD has a high employee retention rate.  

“We had around 150 employees return to work in 2023, and many of our high school employees work year-round,” Rosenow said.  

Megan Larson, a junior at Boylan High School and Madilyn Johnson, a senior at Guilford High School, both work for the Rockford Park District and started as summer employees. The girls work in the therapeutic recreation department and help with Buddy Basketball and Buddy Cheerleading at Loves Park City Hall during the school year.  

“I started working for the park district last summer at one of the inclusion day camps,” Larson said. “I love working with children with disabilities and helping them experience all the activities at camp.”  

Larson currently works year-round for RPD and plans to work again at one of the therapeutic recreation day camps this summer. “I think my work experience with the park district could help me in any career I may pursue.” 

“This will be my third summer working for RPD,” Johnson said. I started in the therapeutic recreation program, and this year, I will be working at one of the teen summer day camps. I love the park district’s supportive work environment; it’s like having a work family. I would tell any high school student to apply for a job with RPD; the experience you receive and the relationships you build are fantastic.” 

Many of the park district’s current employees began their careers as teen summer workers.  

Most notably are Rockford Park District Executive Director Jay Sandine, RPD Board of Commissioners President Martesha Brown, Superintendent of Operations Danielle Potter and Communications Manager Laura Gibbs-Green. 

Rosenow noted that RPD job opportunities extend beyond high school.  

“There are internships available for college students who are home for the summer,” he said. “If a college employee is majoring in business, accounting, or human resources, we can tailor internships to coincide with their course of study.” 

A summer or part-time teen job may not be your life’s vocation, but working teens gain a valuable understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, how to build business relationships and which career path they will ultimately pursue.