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High school-college hybrid intrigues federal educators

A TV show about getting to college will show a slice of life from St. Petersburg Collegiate High School.

By RITA FARLOW
Published December 14, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Erik Scott hopes to go to medical school someday. This semester he's taking anatomy, ethics and Western humanities at St. Petersburg College/Gibbs Campus.

But he's only 18, a senior at St. Petersburg Collegiate High School.

The Pinellas County charter school, a partnership with SPC, allows students to earn a high school diploma and an associate's degree without paying tuition. Just two days after his high school graduation, Scott will walk with SPC students at Tropicana Field to receive his associate's diploma.

"I want to be a doctor, so this is getting two years out of the way," he said.

The unique program, which pairs the last two years of high school and the first two years of college, has caught the attention of U.S. Department of Education officials in Washington, D.C.

The department produces a monthly cable access program, Education News Parents Can Use, which is broadcast nationally on education, government or public access channels, PBS and other cable stations. It informs the public about education issues.

"The mission is to explain to parents and other people in the general public what the Department of Education is doing, ways that schools need to change, and also the things that parents and people in the local schools can do to help that change," said John McGrath, deputy assistant secretary of the DOE's Office of Communications and Outreach.

Todd May, director of the Department of Education's creative services team, and a local two-person video crew provided by WEDU-Ch. 3 spent a day last week at the charter school, which is on SPC's campus. They filmed interviews with educators, parents and students for a four- to five-minute segment, scheduled to air Jan. 17 on Channel 19.

May said the department featured the collegiate school because it is a perfect model for the show's January theme, Improving Access to College: Preparing for Education Beyond High School. The high school-college model lets highly motivated students thrive, May said. It also cuts costs for parents and taxpayers.

"Only having to pay for two years (of college) is so important when you look at the skyrocketing cost of education. It makes good financial sense and good academic sense," May said.

Principal Linda Benware said she hopes the TV program will promote greater access to college.

"Granted, this program is not for all students. But it should be an option for any student who wants to participate. I am hoping this national attention to our program will create an interest that will result in more students having the privilege of an early college education," she said.

The charter school is the brainchild of former state Sen. Don Sullivan, who had been impressed with a similar program at Okaloosa-Walton Community College in the Panhandle. The SPC board and the School Board approved the partnership in 2003. The school was formed in 2004.

Some SPC faculty were initially concerned about the maturity level of high school students taking college classes, but the students are integrating well into the college atmosphere, Sullivan and others have said.

"They are surprisingly well prepared," said Keith Goree, director of the SPC Applied Ethics Institute.

Goree, who was interviewed for the TV show, said high school students bring energy to college classes. "They tend to be an idealistic bunch. They come to us seeing the world as something they can improve," he said.

Students say they relish the freedoms that come with taking college classes.

"That's what requires the discipline, because we're not in class all day. They trust us like we're adults," said Shakela Swinton, 17.

Being around other adults who are interested in learning helps make that transition easier, her classmates said.

"In college, it seems like you're around more people who want to advance their education. I like the challenge. I feel like it's preparing me for the real world," said Margaux Allen, 17.

The charter school earned an A its inaugural year and had the second highest scores in the county on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, making it one of the top 10 secondary schools in the state. The school enrolls about 150 students in grades 10-12. Sophomores take high school classes and get college prep lessons, while juniors and seniors attend college classes with SPC students.

Students can participate in college intramural sports and some student clubs. The high school has a literary magazine and student government association. The students attended a homecoming dance in November. Plans are being made for the prom and a senior celebration at the end of the school year.

"It gives you a taste of different worlds. It's exciting. It gives you the good part of college, but doesn't take away from the high school experience," said Andrea Hall, 17.

St. Petersburg Collegiate High School will be featured on Improving Access to College: Preparing for Education Beyond High School, scheduled to air at 8 p.m. Jan. 17 on Channel 19. For information, visit the U.S. Department of Education Web site: www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/index.html

[Last modified December 14, 2005, 00:14:15]