By Barry H. Hendrix
Approximately 73 students at Thomasville High School are registered in Dual Enrollment with the Thomasville campus of Coastal Alabama Community College for the fall semester. This is one of the largest number of students to take advantage of the college opportunity.
Dual Enrollment allows THS students to take courses at Coastal and earn college credit while still attending high school. The students attend Coastal at no cost for tuition, said Joyce Figgers, THS Counselor. Textbooks are also free, however, there can be costs for supplies in courses such as Cosmetology.
Students are transported by a school district bus from THS each school morning. They leave at 7:40 a.m. and return at 9:40 a.m. The early classes at Coastal are better for THS student athletes, who have practice in the afternoon. The officials at Coastal cooperate well with the high school on scheduling, she said.
Twenty-five of the students are taking academic courses such as English, history, science and math, while the rest take technical courses such as welding, industrial maintenance and pipefitting, Figgers said.
Child Development classes are popular. “They earn their certificate, where they can go straight to the workforce.” Often those students are looking to an Education career.
A representative from Coastal visits THS each month to help students with any issues they have, Figgers said. “They have been very helpful.”
Jeff McCutcheon, a welding instructor at Coastal, comes to THS in the spring and recruits ninth grade students for his program. Prospective Dual Enrollment students are also taken on a tour in the spring to the Coastal campus to review the many courses the college has to offer.
High school students, who are taking Dual Enrollment courses, are looking to the future, Figgers said. “These kids are really thinking ahead.” Welding students, in particular, are planning to go straight into the workforce after high school graduation.
The students can use just one Dual Enrollment course credit to satisfy the College and Career Ready (CCR) requirement for high school graduation.
THS students will sign up for the spring semester of Dual Enrollment in November, she said.