East Heights School teacher Kitsy Gray has new appreciation for the challenges of running a McDonald’s restaurant.

“It’s more than hamburgers, drinks and fries,” said Gray, who last week completed a summer internship with McDonald’s in Lawrence. “It’s about relationships.”

East Heights teacher Kitsy Gray gets firsthand experience at McDonald's, 1309 W. Sixth St. Gray was one of 31 Lawrence educators who participated in one-week summer internships sponsored by the Lawrence Business/Education Partnership, a program designed to strengthen educators' connections between the classroom and life outside of school.

Gray was among 31 Lawrence public school teachers and counselors to complete one-week summer internships sponsored by the Lawrence Business/Education Partnership. The goal of the program is to strengthen educators’ connections between the classroom and the “real world,” and help teachers adjust curriculum to make their summer experiences meaningful to students.

Teachers earn $500 during the internship.

On Tuesday, the district will bring in the director of the Institute for Workforce Education to offer guidance to the interns as they try to integrate their work into lesson plans.

Susie Cox, director of the institute at Central Missouri State University, said there was a growing national movement to offer teachers hands-on experiences like those embraced by these Lawrence teachers.

“It helps put the need-to-know-it in the context of reality,” she said.

Teachers in the district teamed up with a diverse collection of local companies and organizations. The list included Community Mercantile, Gould Evans Associates, Heinz Pet Products, Lawrence Journal-World, Stephens Real Estate, Lawrence Police Department, Independence Inc., Kelly Services and Sauer-Danfoss.

Vickie McCauley, a health teacher at West Junior High School, took on the task of working in June with all 110 employees of Sauer-Danfoss, a manufacturer of hydrostatic pumps and motors in East Hills Business Park.

Her objective was to design a 10-minute exercise routine that employees do together before the start of both shifts.

“The concern was they were having some injuries on the line, repetitive types to the wrist or shoulder,” McCauley said.

She toured the plant, researched exercise options and presented the plan to employees.

“Hopefully, it made some difference,” she said.

In return, McCauley said she believed time at Sauer-Danfoss reinforced in her mind the importance of including students in school projects that promote teamwork.

Gray, the East Heights teacher, did everything from cooking fries at the McDonald’s on Sixth Street to attending a regional marketing meeting of McDonald’s executives in the Kansas City area.

“Personally, I really have an understanding of what McDonald’s is all about,” she said. “I’d recommend this experience to anybody.”

She said managers of the local McDonald’s restaurants demonstrated values respect for people, commitment to quality work that students need to learn.

“I’d take that back to the classroom,” she said.

Patrick Manning, marketing director for the local McDonald’s restaurants, said the internship program added a layer to the chain’s relationship with the school district.

In the past, McDonald’s focused on partnerships with South Junior High School and Southwest Junior High School.

“It’s nice to have somebody not from those schools come in. It’s possible we can now get more involved with elementary kids,” Manning said.