John Michael Long and Alex Campbell participate in a time trial as assembly line workers in an imaginary factory at Calhoun Community College.

Dual enrollment program gives HHS students step up on careers

A dual enrollment program offered by Calhoun Community College is enabling 12 Hartselle High School students to earn credits toward an applied technology degree while taking core courses needed to earn their high school diploma at the same time.
These students are attending an industrial safety and introduction to manufacturing class on the Calhoun campus from 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. Monday through Thursday.  Bus transportation, tuition, books and classroom supplies are provided at no cost to them. They also have the option of taking a Distant Learning computer science course for college credit when they arrive back on the high school campus.  Successful completion of all three courses will result in nine semester hours of college credit.
The program is offered to juniors and seniors who have met all non-core class requirements for graduation.  Two years in the program make it possible for a student to earn 36 semester hours of college credit while attending high school. He or she could enroll at Calhoun needing only 40 semester hours to earn an associate degree in aerospace technology.
Funding for the program is provided by the Alabama Office of Workforce Development.
“It’s a win-win for everyone—students, parents, both schools and the workforce,” Hartselle High School Principal Jeff Hyche said. “This is something we had going at the high school I left and Shelton State Community College, and it’s something I wanted us to be able to offer our students here.”
“Any one of a number of things could’ve prevented us from getting the program started but we were determined not to let that happen,” Hyche said. “For that we owe a debt of gratitude to the administration at Calhoun Community College as well as our own superintendent, Dr. Mike Reed, director of instruction, Dr. Nancy Horton, and the students and their parents.
“This is a great opportunity for the student who wants to get a head start in preparing himself or herself for todays highly technical workforce,” Hyche stated.. “We expect the program to grow rapidly as ninth and 10th grade students become aware of its benefits and plan ahead to take advantage of it when they become juniors.”
HHS students enrolled the program are David Breeding, Alexander Campbell, Michael Edmondson, Jonah Epling, Trevor Knight, Alex Lagunas, Matt Lawrence, John Michael Long, “Nic” Moore, Caleb Morris, Gordon Sporluck and Matt Willerton.
None of them expressed second thoughts about enrolling in the program after the first two weeks of class.
“It’s going good,” said Sporluck, who is interested in becoming a machine tool technician.  “After I complete this course and graduate from high school, I‘m going to enroll at Wallace State and complete a two-year degree.  At some point after that I’ll go back to school and earn another degree in collision repair. This is definitely going to pay off in the long run.”
Nic Moore, a future auto mechanic, was equally impressed.
“I look at this as an opportunity to get a head start on college,” he said. “We’re already doing things like operating a fork lift and being exposed to some of the high tech equipment that’s being used in the workplace.  I’m convinced it’s going to benefit me in the future.”
Students split their time in a classroom and in a laboratory that mimics a real factory, according to instructor Dennis Holmes.
“We’re using a hands-on approach to hold the attention of the students and facilitate the learning process,” Holmes said. “On the first day of class we set up an imaginary factory and assigned each student with a specific job.  They apply the lessons of the textbook to the production of components parts for an imaginary manufacturer of wire harnesses. They work as a team to meet specific goals each class period, with exercises aimed at improving production efficiency and maintaining a safe working environment.”
Calhoun currently has more than 600 high school students enrolled in dual enrollment programs; however, Hartselle High is the first school to send a class of students for studies leading to a degree in applied technology, according to Gwen Baker, dual enrollment coordinator. .
“Any time we’ve offered a program like this, parents quickly see the benefits and it grows,” she said.

Members of Hartselle High School’s dual enrollment class at Calhoun Community College are (L-R) Blake Breeding, Trevor Knight, Nic Morris, Jonah Epling, Matt Willerton, Gordon Sporluck, Matt Lawrence, John Michael Long, Alex Campbell, Michael Edmondson, Caleb Morris, Alex Lagunas and Dennis Holmes, instructor.