In today’s society, it is essential to have an education past high school. A college degree, originally reserved for those few lucky enough to go on their parents money, is now almost required to get most middle class jobs. However, college can be expensive and require four to five years start to finish, a prohibitive factor for many potential degree seekers. However, here at AHS students have the opportunity to start their college education early by enrolling in dual credit classes.
Dual credit classes are courses taken through Western Nebraska Community College that count as college classes, but fulfill high school graduation credit requirements as well. These classes can be taken at the WNCC off-site campus attached to the Alliance Public Library, by WNCC faculty members or they may be taken online, or right here in AHS as a regular part of the school day. Other than the unique forms some of these classes take, they are not all that different from high school classes. Classes such as college English and college math require the student to go to the WNCC site twice a week in a traditional college schedule. College English is a hybrid class that takes place at the college Monday and Friday, but also requires journals, discussions, and other work to be done solely online. College math meets Monday through Thursday for one semester; the next semester it meets Tuesday through Thursday.
Other classes meet in the high school, and are taught by AHS teachers such as Mr. Michael Spargo and Mrs. Pat Jones. These high school teachers educate students using college level material. These classes meet at the high school and seem to be just another course in a student’s daily itinerary, but because of the more strenuous course work, are considered college level classes. Mr. Spargo’s Health and Wellness class which meets daily at AHS, has written exams, as opposed to the online tests. His college weights class consists of solely weight lifting, but still counts as a college elective class and can eliminate the need for a student to later enroll in a P.E. class in college.
The final type of dual credit class available at Alliance High School is a purely online class. These classes give the students the ability to take a class without ever truly meeting their instructor or having a actual traditional class to attend. The class requires homework and tests, they are just opened via the internet. This format can be beneficial for people with tight schedules and those students who are responsible enough to do homework without seeing a teacher.
Hannah Wood, a senior in Alliance High School, said, “I think it’s a good quality education, it is an easy way to get some credits out of the way before you get college.” Hannah Wood is taking College English, Math, Weights, and Health and Wellness through WNCC. Hannah Kesterson, another senior enrolled in dual credit classes through WNCC, says, “I would suggest it to other students because you’re guaranteed credit. It’s more work than high school classes, but it is not necessarily harder.”
These classes can be a tremendous benefit to almost any high school student. The number of classes available as dual courses is constantly expanding and they offer an inexpensive way to meet college credit requirements and high school requirements at the same time. The cost of one of these classes is half of what it would cost to enroll in them as a student of WNCC, which, for a high school dual credit student, is approximately $46 per credit hour for tuition and fees, plus the cost of books, which can often be found at discounted prices. The program is a great expansion to Alliance High School, and any student planning to attend college after high school should strongly consider them to give themselves a jumps-start to a successful future. Interested students or parents contact Travis Hawk at the high school.
