High school students earning college credit just got a lot easier to do in Lenoir County.
For the past several years, students could earn college credit through Lenoir Community College online.
This year, LCC professors are inside high school classrooms teaching courses and offering face to face instruction.
Students say while they’re only a few days into the year, it’s already making a difference.
“It definitely makes my schedule a lot more challenging. It limits my free time after school,” said South Lenoir senior, Erin Jones. “But if I can go ahead right now and learn what it will be like in college, it will make the transition a lot easier when I actually go.”
The partnership with the public schools and the community college offers nearly a dozen new face-to-face classes through the North Carolina initiative Career and College Promise program. It’s open to juniors and seniors. The courses offered through the high school and college partnership are free. The students don’t even need to pay for the cost of books. This year the district paid about $50,000 countywide for text books. Administrators say that money was budgeted using local tax dollars.
Dr. Grimes is the Vice President of Academic and Student Services for Lenoir Community College. She says having professors in the high school gives students an opportunity to take college courses who otherwise might not be interested.
“When you can get a student who feels successful and wants to do more, then you know you’ve done the right thing,” said Dr. Grimes.
“When you’re a senior, you’re wondering about next year. You’re wondering what your classes will be like, what your teachers will be like,” said Jones. “This helps you get an understanding of it and helps you make the adjustment into college a lot easier. I definitely feel better now that I’m taking them.”
