Video: Early College High School Update

[syndicaster id=’6161131′]

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss.(WCBI)–Students and faculty at The Golden Triangle Early College High School on the campus of EMCC in Lowndes County are trailblazers. The first of it’s kind, students at the regional school have reached a small milestone in academics. They have completed their first semester and are going into the second.

These specially hand picked students from Clay, Lowndes, Oktibbeha, and Noxubee Counties had a lot of ground to cover when they began their academics in August of last year. Being a model, the first of it’s kind in the state, the program remains under an academic microscope.

“We got to know these students really well and that we began very early developing an individualized pathway for each one of these students,” said Jill Savely/GTECHS Director.

“And so we just hit it right off the bat. Right at the beginning of the school year. It was a different design, its more collaborative learning, critical thinking,” said Melissa Knippers/GTECHS Teacher.

“I’m doing good in every class, I struggle a little bit in biology but still got a good grade in there,” said Nakia Cannon/GTECHS Student.

The goal is not earning just a high school diploma, but either earning an associates degree or a great deal of transferable college credits. Learning by asking questions and by using critical thinking, students like Nakia Cannon of West Point seems to be growing academically and socially.

“Everyone here has a like warm heart, like they all are nice and talkative and everybody just bond well. Like a big family here,” said Nakia Cannon.

“They’ve completed their first college class, all of our students I’m happy to say, all 61 have three hours of college credit at this point. They are beginning their second college class this semester and they are very excited about that,” said Jill Savely.

Charting out on new waters, it looks like being the first in the state is setting a solid framework for others to follow.

“What we hope is that it spreads out across the state so that more and more students have this opportunity,” said Jill Savely.

Early College High School organizers are already preparing for another class recruitment in communities and at middle schools. New student applications for the regional high school are due February 19th.