Lewis Cass set to offer Indiana College Core credits through IUK
The Indiana College Core consists of 30 credit hours of general education, college-level coursework that is guaranteed to transfer to public colleges and universities in Indiana.
The program allows for students to work toward college credits while finishing up high school.
Logansport High School, Pioneer Junior/Senior High School and Caston High School offer similar courses via Ivy Tech. In May, 82 LHS seniors graduated from Ivy Tech before their high school graduation after successfully completing the Indiana College Core credits. Twenty-four for those students did extra work to earn an associate degree.
Lewis Cass counselor Heather Adams hopes that an associate degree will be available for students who enter the IUK program but the school is taking it one step at a time.
'Getting those 30 credit hours out of the way is huge and gives students a good start (in college) right off the bat,' she said.
Adams said that Lewis Cass was already offering many dual credit classes in partnership with IU-Bloomington so when it came time to launch Indiana College Core credits it made sense to work with IUK.
'I think, too, that it is a good thing for the kids if they want to get their core classes out of the way for college while they are still in high school to save some money,' said counsellor Joyce Bangel. 'That's also beneficial for the kids.'
Starting an Indiana College Core program had been a goal for some time. Adams said she waited for a few months for new superintendent Chris Daughtry to get acclimated to his job before approaching him about the program.
Adams said that the ICC will most likely benefit students who are starting their junior year of high school. Due to the workload and the lack of time to plan, it would be difficult for the Class of 2026 to complete the goals.
'(Classes) are going to be rigorous so they are going to be better prepared in the long run for college,' she said. 'These are college level courses and the ones they do online are taught by college professors. I do think it gives them a step up in that way. I think the rigor won't be as overwhelming when they do get to college.'
Bangel added it also gives students some extra time in college if they want to pursue a double major.
'It's a labor of love but we are really excited about it,' said Adams.
Those who would like to learn more about the Indiana College Core can visit mycollegecore.org. Students may also reach out to their school counsellors with questions. Adams works with students with last names from A-K and Bangel with students with last names from L-Z.
A pioneer at Pioneer
While 82 LHS students were getting their Ivy Tech Indiana College Core certificates on May 9, Makenna Strycker was the lone Pioneer Junior/ Senior High School student in line who completed the ICC.
Pioneer principal Jeff Brooke said after the ceremony that he believed Strycker was the first student at the school to take advantage of the Ivy Tech partnership.
For Strycker, completing the Indiana College Core was about being as efficient with her time as possible when looking ahead to college. She will attend Wittenburg University in Ohio to study law and continue her basketball career.
Strycker learned about the opportunity when she received an email about Ivy Tech classes at the beginning of her junior year.
She said that she would take two extra classes per semester, doing the work online at home after school.
'It took a lot of extra time,' she said. 'It was a lot but it was worth it, I think.'
'Ivy Tech does a great job of getting kids connected,' said Principal Brooke. 'I credit Makenna for taking advantage. … I couldn't be more proud of a young lady who works hard and perseveres. She's exactly what a Pioneer Panther is.'
Strycker said she was a bit surprised that she might be the first to complete the ICC at the school.
'It's definitely a lot of extra work,' she said. 'I definitely think it's going to be worth it for me in college. Looking at it from an aspect of the short term, it's going to be extra work for one but later on it's definitely going to be helpful.'
Despite the extra work, she encouraged other students to sign up for Indiana College Classes if they wanted a cost-efficient college experience.
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