Sophomores enrolled at Manning High School for the 2014-15 school year have an exciting opportunity headed their way.
The Clarendon School District 2 Board of Trustees approved Tuesday night a request from Central Carolina Technical College President Dr. Tim Hardee to implement a new dual-enrollment program that would see eligible students from this year's sophomore class graduate in 2017 not only with a high school diploma, but also with an associate's degree.
What Hardee called the "early college concept" would see students chosen for the 2015-16 school year - their junior year technically - spend the morning at F.E. DuBose in college courses and then returning to the high school in the afternoon for core classes.
"They would do this both semesters of junior and senior year," Hardee said. "This will be a rigorous program of study, different from the dual enrollment we currently offer now where students take classes at the college for credit. This would ultimately see our students graduate with an associate's in art degree at the end of their senior year."
Hardee said the program will be offered "at no cost" to the parents or the students.
"And through the district working with us, like you have with dual-enrollment in the past, we'd be able to provide the textbooks to these students as well," Hardee said.
Hardee said the four-county area in which CCTC works currently has 10 public high schools and four private high schools whose students currently take some form of college credit courses with the school.
"But you are the only district that we're working with on this proposal," Hardee said. "In our entire four-county area, we came to you because we have had such a good, successful relationship in the past."
Hardee, in fact, was director of the F.E. DuBose Center 15 years ago when he worked with the district to start classes at the F.E. DuBose Career Center.
"We began then offering classes that students could take for credit in high school and also for a college degree," Hardee said. "At that time, we had just one class in the fall and one in the spring they could take. We have a long history of working with Clarendon 2 on these types of new and exciting programs, and that's why we want to pursue this with you."
District 2 Superintendent John Tindal said the program will make Manning High School students "even more competitive in the work force and college world after they graduate high school."
"Not only do they have an opportunity to get a jump on college, but this will make them career-ready as well. This puts us at the forefront," Tindal said. "And think of this: Those students who don't continue their education after high school, but who participate in this program, they will already have an associate's degree. When they're 18."
Tindal said those who do continue their education will have "two years of college for free."
"Those students can then go to a four-year university for two years and graduate with a baccalaureate degree when they're 20," Tindal said. "If they go on, they can have a master's degree at 22. It's an amazing opportunity for these students."
Tindal said he is hopeful that the district can get a "cohort of at least 15 students" for the program's first year.
"Like Dr. Hardee said, this will be a rigorous program," Tindal said.
Asked by board member Dory Corbett how the program would differ from the current plan where students attend the F.E. DuBose Center for college credit, Hardee said there would be more classes and more difficulty.
"Right now, you have kids that graduate with maybe a semester or two of credit," he said. "These kids would be taking even more credits, and they would be going toward that associate's degree. It will not be just for those students who want to take a class here or there."
Hardee said, however, that students who initially participate in the more challenging program and change their minds won't be penalized or left behind.
"Those students could scale back and not be made the worse for it," Hardee said. "They just wouldn't get that degree at the end of their senior year, and just get the diploma. They would still keep any college credits they've completed."
Tindal said the program - which the board approved unanimously - will mean some readjustment for teachers at the high school.
"I've spoke with (Principal) Neshunda Walters, and there are classes we currently offer in the morning that we'd need to have instruction for in the afternoon, since the students would be at the college in the morning," Tindal said. Right now, students taking classes at F.E. DuBose attend in the afternoon, he noted.
"So this would be a change from that, but I think we can manage it to give these kids this fine opportunity," Tindal said.
While the board approved Hardee moving forward with the program, Tindal said the next step will be Hardee meeting with parents and students to talk about options for the program.
"And like I said before, we will need to test students for eligibility," he said.
"I"m just excited about this," Tindal said. "You couldn't beat the value of this as a parent: Two years of college already paid for."
