Mack Hardwick was one of 25 educators to participate in the fifth cohort of the Connect Newton Teacher Externship this past summer. He spent a week shadowing Takeda’s operation. 

Recently, Hardwick decided to take the externship a step further. 

He invited representatives from Takeda — a biopharmaceutical company — to his Advanced Placement chemistry lab at Alcovy High School on Tuesday, Sept. 26. 

Hardwick believes the visit was valuable to his students. 

“We wanted to make sure that we didn’t just do the externship for the sake of saying we did something, but to make sure to bring meaning behind it,” Hardwick said. “They said, ‘Hey, whenever you want us to come out, just let us know.’ We set a date in which we had a lesson that was geared toward what they do inside the plant and the rest was magic.” 

Dr. Ebony Remus, Mia Harris and Hannah Steele were the three people to participate from Takeda. 

Alcovy students conducted precipitation reactions, oxidation-reduction reactions, neutralization reactions — neutralization reactions with gas formations as well — and titration.

Remus, in particular, enjoyed the visit with Alcovy High students. 

“It was an honor to interact with students performing precipitation and titration reactions, which we use extensively at Takeda to deliver life-transforming plasma-derived therapies,” Remus said. “Being able to reassure the students that the work they are performing in class is translatable to a career was rewarding for me and my colleagues.” 

After the chemistry labs concluded, Remus and her colleagues shared how the current students could use their science skills to start their future plans.

“It was equally valuable to talk with the students about how they can start and grow a successful career at our Takeda Covington Site whether they choose to enter the workforce directly after graduating high school or after continuing their education,” Remus said.

The idea of Takeda’s visit originated before the summer externship ended. Hardwick made the proposition and Takeda was on board from the start. 

Both parties were on the same page about why they jumped at the opportunity. In fact, it goes back to the whole purpose why the Connect Newton teacher externship program started five years ago. 

“One of the biggest things teachers can sometimes struggle with is the students asking, ‘When am I ever going to see this again? When am I ever going to use this? Why is this necessary for me to learn it?’” Hardwick said. “It is completely beneficial to Newton County. All students can gain a lot of the experience in the real world through the Connect Newton externship.” 

Hardwick has been an educator for 13 overall years with a near decade invested at Alcovy High. 

Previously, Hardwick said he has worked with colleges to assist his students in their education, but the relationship with Takeda took it up a notch. 

That is why Hardwick stressed how surreal it was to watch his students’ interactions with Takeda. 

“Seeing my students conduct their lab while conversing with Takeda professionals was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as a teacher,” Hardwick said, “to see them connect what we do in the classroom to real world application.”