Schools celebrate early college

ALPENA -- Alpena Public Schools and Alpena Community College celebrated 10 years of successful collaboration through the schools' early college program and signed a new memorandum of understanding on Tuesday.

The memorandum of understanding outlines the school district's and the college's roles in the early college program. The memorandum signed Tuesday essentially continues the program as-is.

APS Superintendent David Rabbideau and ACC President Don MacMaster both spoke at a signing ceremony on Tuesday about the success of the early college program, through which students commit to a fifth year in high school and earn college credits before graduating.

Students begin with one college course during each semester of their junior year in high school. Each subsequent year, students add more college courses to their schedule as they complete their high school graduation requirements.

The early college program was developed with the heavy involvement of ACC Director of Admissions Mike Kollien and MacMaster and was championed by APS staff including Joyce McCoy, Matt Poli, Max Lindsay, and Kristin Berles.

Over 10 years and seven graduating classes, Alpena's early college program has seen 288 completers earn 14,797.5 credits through ACC. Currently, 162 11th-, 12th-, and 13th-year students are actively taking classes.

"When you look at the 14,000-plus credits achieved, that's remarkable," said Rabbideau. "It did not happen through one or two people. That happened through a big collaboration."

"The benefit to students is enormous," said MacMaster. "One year out of high school, they have an associate's degree, and it costs the family nothing."

In addition to its agreement with the APS, the ACC also has early college programs through Hillman, Atlanta, Alcona, Oscoda, and Tawas school districts.

MacMaster has expressed interest in further expanding the program to reach even more schools in the future.

"The trick for us would be to expand this outside the area we normally serve," said MacMaster. "There are opportunities for that."