New program allows 5 Central students to pursue associate degrees while in high school

Five students at Central High School in Cape Girardeau are already working toward a degree at Southeast Missouri State University, thanks to financial and personnel support from the school district.

The Accelerated College Experience, or ACE, program at Central aims to support select students through enough college credits to either earn an associate of arts degree or complete the 42-hour CORE 42 classes toward a bachelor’s degree, through Southeast and Three Rivers College.

Deputy superintendent of secondary education Tony Robinson said the program is modeled after initiatives in St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, that allow early college study while students are in high school.

Guidance counselor Angela Mueller said the students in the program are in a different situation from what dual-enrollment offers. With the ACE program, students take college classes, which are counted toward their high-school diplomas; with dual enrollment, high-school classes count toward college credits.

Robinson said the program is district-funded — the district pays tuition and students pay for books and student fees.

“The district has made a commitment to college and career readiness, and this is one way to reach that goal,” Robinson said.

Two participating Central students, Maria Enderle and Megan Smart, are both juniors pursuing associate degrees at Southeast.

Enderle said all five students in the pilot program have jobs, extracurricular activities and a full load of college courses.

“It’s a lot,” Enderle said.

Smart added there isn’t much downtime, but she appreciates the different environment at Southeast, as opposed to high school.

The class sizes are smaller, she said, noting there are fewer than 10 students in her music class.

Enderle said the mindset is different, too. It’s quieter on the university’s campus, for one, and the instructors are less likely to put up with nonsense.

Mueller is coordinating the program, and said the students were chosen for several reasons — not just academic ability, but emotional maturity and readiness to take on a full load of college courses rather than staying the course for high school.

Smart said she’s a first-generation college attendee, and Enderle said her mother has a bachelor’s degree, but both said they have strong encouragement from family, and are excited to have the financial support from the district.

If not for the program, “I’d be knee-deep in debt just for the first two years,” Smart said.

Enderle said she’s happy she’ll have earned an associate degree the same month as her high-school diploma, noting it will give her a strong head start.

Robinson said students went through an application process, starting with an informational meeting for parents and students, including an essay and strict academic requirements.

There’s a high level of expectation on the school’s end, Robinson said.

“It is difficult,” he said. “You (as a student) have to be focused and motivated. We have to provide the support.”

Robinson said Mueller does “an incredible job” communicating with the students, seeing what support they need.

“That’s been a huge part of it,” he said.

The success of the program, too, has come from a strong partnership with Southeast and with the Cape College Center.

The program came together in just seven months, Robinson said, and was ready to roll out in August.

And this fall, another batch of students will be brought on board, Robinson said.

“We’re looking forward to expanding the group to grow,” Robinson said.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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