In efforts to increase academic rigor next year, the campus will implement an early college within the traditional high school environment. This will hopefully better prepare students for the rigor they will expect with collegiate academics.

This will not only boost our academic rating, but will give our students an opportunity they may not have previously gotten.

“Our students can get free college,” assistant principal Marco Garcia said.

This will not only prep students for what college is like, but will also teach kids how to manage their time.

“This will expose students to what life would look like in terms of academics way before they get thrust into their own college life,” Principal Jesus Hernandez said. “So, it kind of previews what to expect when they get to college.”

Both Garcia and Hernandez would love to have this campus wide. However, with everything new come challenges. The TSI test is something that is required by all public universities. It dictates if someone is put in a remedial college class or not. The campus is pushing for students to take the test.

“We want everyone to be a part of it,” Garcia said. “The only thing is the state says in order to be a part of [early college,] students have to make a certain score on the TSI test,” Garcia said.

The school is working very hard to make sure students are better prepared and more equipped with the skills that will be needed in college. Some may think this is a waste of time. However, all the benefits of this program will be in everyone’s best interest. Students will be leaving high school with more than just your high school diploma.

“The highest possibility would be an associate realistically,” Garcia said.

The school is currently looking at having 150 students in the program. However, it is looking at expanding to greater numbers.

“We will be looking at servicing 600 kids in that program or more if we can.” Hernandez said.

The program is going to give student more opportunities than ever imagined, aside from the programs the school already has.

It would benefit them they would not only have that preview nu also have some of those hours in their back pocket and you could walk into a college and your already almost a sophomore in some situations ideally you’d be a junior if it works the way we plan it out.