Four SHS seniors earn Associates degrees from EMCC [Pictured left to right: Dr. Watress Harris, SHS principal; Kaitlyn Cox; Daisha Pierce; Joseph Coleman; Hasini Yamagowni; Susan Weaver, SHS Counselor]
Four Starkville High School seniors will graduate from East Mississippi Community College in early May with an Associates of the Arts (AA) degree. Just weeks before they walk to receive their SHS graduation diplomas, Joseph Harper Coleman, Kaitlyn Ashley Cox, Daisha Gail Pierce, and Hasini Yamagowni will also receive an AA diploma from EMCC. The accomplishment comes through the dual credit / dual enrollment options available as part of the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District's partnership with the community college.
"To my knowledge, this will be a first for Starkville High," said SHS Counselor, Susan Weaver, in putting the student accomplishments in perspective. "These students have worked so hard, and I am extremely proud of them."
"To receive two diplomas in the same month –– one from high school and one from community college –– is a real testament to the hard work and dedication these students have put in over the last two years," said SHS Principal, Dr. Watress Harris. "They have taken full advantage of our dual credit options and will be able to enroll at a four-year university with a two-year degree already under their belts."
The Associates degree from a community college is a common path for students planning to pursue a bachelor's degree at a four-year university because it provides a way for them to meet most general education requirements that apply to many majors, usually with less costs. What is unusual is achieving this AA degree while still in high school.
EMCC's Associates degree requires that students complete a minimum of 60 semester credit hours. The four SHS Class of 2025 graduates who will also receive their AA degree were able to earn these hours by choosing from more than fifty dual credit/dual enrollment courses available to SHS students. From general core classes like English Composition, Biology and College Algebra to electives like Spanish, Music Appreciation and various CTE options, students can build an Associates degree while still in high school and jumpstart their four-year college education.
Dual credit/dual enrollment courses are available to 11th and 12th graders at Starkville High and adhere to the same requirements for ACT scores in math and English needed for post K-12 enrollment at EMCC. SHS students have multiple opportunities during their 10th, 11th and 12th grade years to take the ACT college entrance exam for free during regular school hours. These opportunities along with ACT "bootcamps" offered during the district's Jacket Thrive Intersession periods help students earn the scores needed to qualify for dual enrollment. While several of the SHS dual enrollment courses are taught by district teachers right on the SHS campus, students may also take classes on-site at EMCC and through the district's virtual options.
"This accomplishment speaks volumes about the ways our high school staff is supporting students in achieving their individual goals," said SOCSD Superintendent Dr. Tony McGee. "We are thankful for the district's partnership with EMCC that provides this dual enrollment path for hard-working students to earn a college diploma while still in high school."