Students earn extra in CGCHS program

As high school graduates across the country receive their diplomas, four students at Cape Girardeau Central High School will also have earned something extra — an associate certification.

These students are the first group to graduate from Cape Central with the Accelerated College Experience (ACE) program, which allows students to take college classes that also apply toward high school credit. Students take 15 to 18 hours of college classes from Three Rivers College and Southeast Missouri State University, according to a press release from the university.

Introduced in fall 2018, this is the second year Cape Central has hosted this program. A third group will join the ACE program this fall.

Two of these students, Megan Smart and Maria Enderle, said the program completely changed their high school experience. Through the program, students are able to take college classes at Cape College Center, allowing them to take a more independent approach to learning.

Taking fifteen hours of college classes a week, Smart said she experienced a heavier workload than high school, which further developed her organizational skills. As college students may be expected to work more independently, Smart said she found herself being even more on top of deadlines, test dates and emails than before. She said she feels like a more mature person and more prepared for the structure of college.

Enderle, who balanced 40 hours a week as a server with a full class schedule, said the flexibility of the program also allowed her greater freedom to tackle more responsibilities. This year, she said she moved to her own apartment where she now lives with her fiance.

“This helped me to have a lot more flexible schedule with work and my college program to be able to support myself,” Enderle said. She said having a full-time work schedule may not have been possible with the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. structure of high school classes.

Smart said she also appreciated the flexibility and support of Southeast staff while taking classes. In March, she said she was having difficulty completing homework for a class due to technology issues. By coordinating with Cape College Center advisor Tinea Ortega, Smart was able to borrow a laptop from Southeast to complete classes. Both said Cape Central guidance counselor Angela Mueller was also helpful in coordinating between their high school and the college program.

Both students will be entering Missouri universities this fall to pursue bachelor’s degrees in their respective fields.

Smart has been accepted at Missouri University of Science and Technology, where she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering.

In the fall, Enderle will enter the pre-veterinarian program at Southeast Missouri State University, later attending medical school to complete her veterinary education.