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At a reception on January 26, the Health Sciences Acceleration Academy (HSAA) welcomed 30 KCMSD 10th graders and their families. The Academy is a partnership between PREP-KC, Penn Valley Community College and KCMSD, and is designed to prepare students for post-secondary education and careers in health sciences.
This unique program provides students from Health Sciences Small Learning Communities at East and Northeast high schools with the opportunity to take classes at the Penn Valley Community College Health Institute. Through early college scholarships, provided by PREP-KC, these students will learn about career pathways in health sciences and will earn college credit while completing high school.
The 30 students participating in the HSAA were selected from 120 applications received for the pilot program, and they are already buzzing with enthusiasm. Student phone calls to administrators on the first day of the program began at 5:45 a.m., many calling to confirm the schedule for the day and sharing their excitement about starting their college careers.
Principal Thomas Herrera, East High School, noted this program is not only benefiting the 30 students, it is also creating a stronger schoolwide interest in attending college. “Students are coming up to me every day asking, ‘How do I get into the Health Sciences Academy?’ This program has created a drive among our students. They see their friends beginning college careers and they want that too. This is the beginning of a tremendous increase in college access and college-going for our students. The idea of college now becomes a reality, for the high school students and for their families, friends, and neighbors.”
Note: PREP-KC has created a similar Acceleration Academy in partnership with KCKPS and Kansas City Kansas Community College (Engineering Acceleration Academy) and is exploring other opportunities to expand this model to additional career areas, including Biotechnology. |
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