DERBY — Seniors at Derby High School are making the grade by getting a head start on their college careers.
Despite the challenges of learning during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, DHS students have been earning college credits this year thanks to an ongoing partnership with Southern Connecticut State University.
SCSU launched its “Early College” program back in 2015 with a goal to help high school students prepare for the next chapter of their lives, gain access to curriculum not already offered at their school, and to earn credits now to help reduce college tuition costs later.
DHS Assistant Principal Roy Coplin said SCSU Associate Professor and researcher Dr. Olcay Yavuz reached out to school districts across the state in 2019 to let them know about a grant that was available to high poverty public high schools to develop comprehensive programs to better promote college and career readiness.
Coplin said Superintendent of Schools Matthew Conway accepted the invitation “and so began the collaborative partnership to improve the college access for underprivileged students within the district.”
And being grant funded, Coplin said Yavuz’s services come at no cost to the district.
Since the beginning of the 2020 – 2021 school year, Yavuz has been teaching a group of DHS seniors an online course called “Career and College Readiness.”
“The SCSU and (DHS) partnership helps high school students explore the world of college curricula prior to their high school graduation,” Yavuz said. “Since students earn college credits, early college experience and dual enrollment courses can be considered as a real money saver. And it provides students with a head start on the college experience.”
Some of the topics Yavuz covered ranged from filling out college applications and how to nail college admission essays to finding scholarships and navigating how to pay for college. On the job readiness end, Yavuz helped students match their interests and skills with potential careers, write the perfect resume to stand out in a crowd and how to market themselves.
“This course helped high school students explore their strengths, interests, values, abilities and skills to determine their best fit post-secondary education, training and career path,” Yavuz said.
DHS Senior Jake Cook really enjoyed taking the college prep course.
“It has been a great experience getting to work with Dr. Yavuz, a college professor, and seeing firsthand what it is like taking a college course,” Jake said. “The assignments were based around what I want to do in life, and helped prepare me for real-world experiences.”
DHS students later this month will have another opportunity to take an SCSU course entitled “Introduction to Creative Writing.”
In addition to partnering with SCSU, DHS has also teamed up with UCONN, Post University and Housatonic Community College to offer even more college courses.
Coplin said preparing students for the next chapter of their lives is critical.
“Post-secondary planning is important for all students to understand and discuss as it helps prepare them for life after DHS,” said Coplin. “Our dual-credit offerings help students better understand themselves, specifically their interests and personal qualities. As school counselors, it is our mission to help students educate themselves, research and discuss the various options available to them after they graduate from DHS.”
DHS Principal Jen Olson said in addition to the college course offerings, DHS counselors have been regularly meeting with students and their parents to discuss academic progress and career interests and goals, planning for additional Advanced Placement (AP) courses, as well as planning a career fair this spring. Olson said any local business leaders interested in being part of the career fair can contact the school.
Olson was also excited to announce that DHS held “a very successful” instant decision week last month where all 19 seniors who participated received one or more acceptances to the college of their choice, with several students offered renewable Merit Scholarships ranging from $15,000 to $24,000 on the spot.
To further boast about students’ achievements, Olson said the electronic signboard at the end of DHS’ driveway is updated every time one of the seniors receives a college acceptance.
“We want to celebrate and recognize the opportunities our students have to attend great schools across the country,” Olson said.
