Professor Margie Bacarella teaches a Political Science 151 course at Monroe High School
The college’s experiment offering classes at Monroe High School has officially begun.
The classes started on the second day of school, meeting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
“The students love being treated maturely and independently,” said Valerie Orr, Monroe High School principal.
Orr said that the student and parent feedback has been positive.
The classes being offered are English 151, Psychology 151, Political Science 151, and CIS 130.
Classes are being taught by Rich Hoover, Patrick Wise, Margie Bacarella, and Brenda Mccormick.
According to Grace Yackee, Vice President of Instruction at MCCC, the teachers either volunteered or accepted the position when asked.
“The response from the community has been positive, but the on-campus response has been mixed,” Yackee said in an email.
Yackee also wrote that there have been some challenges.
According to Orr, school officials met with parents of students enrolled in the classes to explain that the curriculum is unchanged from college courses. The teachers are still college professors, teaching a college-level class.
“The students are taking the classes very seriously,” Orr said.
Monroe High School is giving the students extra time to work on the college classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
According to Orr, this is so that the students will not fall behind in the college classes, as well as being able to keep up on their high school classes.
Orr also said the classes are a nice choice for students as opposed to the middle college. Students in the Middle College program are going into the medical field.
According to Orr, the classes being offered at the high school are not tied to one pathway. Anyone can use them to contribute to their major.
With the students remaining on the high school campus, they do not have to worry about transportation to MCCC, she added.
