DACC Middle College Graduates 14 Students in December

In March 2009, Danville Area Community College premiered a new program for “at risk” high school students called Middle College. Middle College is a prevention program whose goal is to take students who are at-risk of dropping out and support them on their way to high school completion. 

The program has grown steadily in each of its now-14 years. Annual enrollment in the program has been between 40 to 50 students, but this year it was 56. While traditional graduation is in May, there are anywhere from 10 to 30 students who graduate mid-year. This year, DACC is celebrating 14 mid-year graduates. About a third of the graduates are planning to enroll in college classes as soon as January.

December 2022 Middle College Graduates:

Front L-R: Pandora Jerome, Essence Coe, Ajia Johnson, Anneliese Roberts, Reyna Amay

Back L-R:  Ian Dukes, Trinity Wheeler, Rhiley Flak, Antonio Decorie, Kaleb Jacobsen-McQueen

 Not in the photo: Lucas Huchel, Nate Jones, Trent Stark, Ricardo Townsend

There have been 367 students who have completed the program with either a high school diploma (345), or GED/HiSet (22). This is an 80 percent success rate. Approximately 30 percent of those completers have gone on to enroll in college classes after graduating. As an extra incentive, the DACC Foundation offers $1,000 scholarships to any Middle College graduate who wishes to continue their education at DACC.

Middle College students are unique in how they acquire dual credit. The students take all of their classes at DACC, but remain a student of their home high school. Once enrolled, the students take entrance tests like any other college student, and then their classes are chosen based on the credits they need to graduate. Though every student has their own class schedule, they meet once a day as a group for a core class.

Intensive case management and intervention are accomplished with a caring team of staff members who take a holistic, wrap-around approach to keeping the students engaged and on track to graduation. Members of the team are Terry Goodwin, Dean of Adult Education; Kathy Leary, Middle College Supervisor; Autymne Huerta, Middle College Case Manager & Advisor; JR Scruggs, Middle College Instructor & Lab Monitor; and Rhonda Royce, Middle College Instructor.

As the program has grown, so too has the need for Administrative oversight, so a new Director of Middle College has been added to the team. Judy Bowie will begin in this position in early January. Wesley Brown, who retired from his role as Middle College Case Manager at the end of the Spring ’22 semester, came back to lend a hand for the fall semester while the team searched a director.

All students who wish to enter the Middle College program must be referred by their home high school and then must apply for admission. The Middle College team interviews the applicants to determine if they are a good fit for the program. To be accepted, a student’s parent or legal guardian must also commit to the program. Behavior issues are not tolerated.

The news release initially announcing the Middle College program in 2009 began with this paragraph, “Failure to complete high school has been called the "Million Dollar Mistake." It costs the individual $600,000 in lost lifetime earnings, but it costs the community $400,000 in increased social service and health care costs. We all know kids who are struggling in school, not because they aren't capable but because they have barriers to success. If their learning style, home situation, or life choices endanger their ability to complete high school, it is in the community's best interest to help overcome them.”

DACC is very proud of the Middle College program and the work it has done to combat the “Million Dollar Mistake” for these students and our community.

Anyone who wishes to learn more about the opportunities available to high school students through the Middle College program at DACC should contact the Adult Education department at 217.443.8782.

DACC Nursing Hosts Winter Pinning Ceremony

Graduates Pictured, Left to Right:

Stephanie Peck, Clinton, IL; Agnes Broughton, Rantoul, IL; Maria Washburn, Champaign, IL; Katrina Gray, Urbana, IL; Veronica Eades, Danville, IL; LaTosha Grayned, Rantoul, IL; Christina Hill, Oakwood, IL; Takeisha Johnson, Rantoul, IL; Brittany Austin, Champaign, IL

Nine women currently working as Licensed Practical Nurses were celebrated Thursday, December 15, for completing the Associate Degree of Nursing with a pinning ceremony. The graduates also are invited to walk in the College Commencement Ceremony in May, 2023.

The Danville Area Community College Nurse Pinning Ceremony concluded a four-semester part-time program designed for working LPNs. This group started their program in Fall 2021 and continued coursework through summer to complete in December 2022. The graduates are now eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN to become Registered Nurses.

Professor Shannon Childers was the guest speaker with the Class Response presented by LaTosha Grayned. Family and friends were treated to refreshments at the conclusion of the ceremony.

While their diplomas will signify the degree they have earned, Nursing Professor Erica Johnson shared the significance of the pinning ceremony. “The history of this rite of passage can be traced all the way back to the Crusades of the 12 th century. During this time, the Knights of the Order of the Hospital of St. John the Baptist tended to injured and infirmed Crusaders. When new monks were initiated into the order…they were given a Maltese cross,” She continued, “In the 1860’s, Florence Nightingale, known as the Lady of the Lamp, was awarded the Red Cross of St. George…Florence Nightingale awarded medals to her hardest working nursing graduates to acknowledge a job well done.”

The current nursing pin features a lamp, and the ceremony includes a lamp-lighting ceremony while the new nurses recite the Nightingale Pledge. When the pinning ceremony was initiated in the 1860s, the lamp symbolized of the care and devotion nurses administer to the sick and injured in the practice of nursing. The candle lighting and extinguishing of the flame also symbolizes the transfer of knowledge from the faculty to the newly graduated nurse.

DACC Notes: October 2022 -- Making College Affordable

 

When I graduated from Purdue University in 1989, my bill for tuition, fees, room, and board was between $5,000 and $6,000 per year. My family was distinctly “underprivileged,” so I received maximum state and federal financial aid benefits that covered the entire bill, without a loan. I was eligible for work study, and my 20-hour per week on-campus job paid my incidentals and bought my books. I got an internship my senior year and didn’t work, so I took one loan for $5,000 and had it paid off within three years. Good times!

Unfortunately, prices have gone up, financial aid benefits have changed very little, and student loans have skyrocketed. No matter how you feel about student loan forgiveness, everyone must agree that we have a crushing financial crisis that our younger citizens can’t pull themselves out by their bootstraps.

That’s where Danville Area Community College and the DACC Foundation can be the most effective.

 

 

On September 16th more than 600 people gathered with the DACC Foundation to celebrate scholarship donors and recipients at the Annual Honors Program in Mary Miller Gym. The brief program featured remarks by Dr. Carl Bridges, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and a testimonial by Hailey Hill, a nursing student who received one of 11 Lowell and Florence Crawford scholarships. The Crawford Scholarship provides full tuition, fees, and books for one full academic year. It is the largest financial scholarship awarded by the DACC Foundation.

 

At the DACC Board of Trustees meeting the following week, Tonya Hill, Executive Director of the Foundation, informed the Board that the Foundation awarded 658 scholarships worth $945,450 for this academic year. Also, 100% of qualified applicants who were attending DACC received a scholarship this year...the second year in a row for that phenomenon.

 

She declared that her goal is to reach $1 million for scholarships next year. “I know we can do it,” she asserted, “this community is the most generous and involved anyone could hope for.”

 

Ms. Hill was accompanied by two Presidential Scholars. Presidential Scholarships are awarded to students in the top 15 percent of their high school graduating class. Each scholarship provides full tuition for two years at DACC. This scholarship is the highest academic scholarship honor awarded.

First-year Presidential Scholar Naomi Dolan told the Trustees that attending DACC had been her dream since she first enrolled in College for Kids in 2012. Naomi, who is the reigning Vermilion County Fair Queen, is a member of the DACC Pep Band and the All Star Jaguars. Though the Presidential Scholarship is typically a two-year award, Naomi earned 29 dual credits in high school so she is planning to be at DACC only one year. “I want to make the most of it while I’m here,” she stated.   

 

Second-year Presidential Scholar Autumn Lange told the Board that she had earned enough dual credit in high school to complete her degree in one year, also. She was very excited to learn that she could use the second year of her scholarship while taking courses toward a bachelor’s degree through DACC’S 3 + 1 program. Autumn received her Associate degree in May and now is taking a third year of DACC courses before finishing her bachelor’s degree in business online through Franklin University. Between dual credit, her scholarships, and the money she will save on her bachelor’s degree, she will graduate in three years with no student debt.

 

Registration for spring classes began October 31^st. The scholarship application will open online for the next year on January 3^rd, and the FAFSA is available online right now. Let DACC help you make sound financial decisions for your future.

 

DACC Notes: November 2022 -- Find Gratitude

Though gratitude is something we should show all year, many of us wait until November to express it. I’m guilty of this oversight, but I’d like to list my work-related gratitude for you here.

First and foremost, I’m thankful for my co-workers. The past two years have been rough, personally and professionally, for many people, but the faculty and staff at Danville Area Community College have been supportive and understanding of students and co-workers alike. I appreciate that I get to come to a workplace filled with people I genuinely like to see on a daily basis and who seem genuinely happy to see me. I understand this is a rare gift. 

I’m relieved – as are many others, I’m sure – that our campus is fully open, our halls and classrooms are full, and we’re holding events again. Basketball season is in full swing and we welcome everyone to the Mary Miller Gym to take in a Men’s or Women’s game. 

We had a special event on campus today, the Fall Flair Art Show and Sale. Our Art students had their work on display for enjoyment and to hopefully fulfill a few holiday shopping lists. The Phi Theta Kappa Honor students hosted a Bake Sale table full of delicious, homemade goodies, Dr. Jonathon Wade opened his Coffee Cart, and in true Coffee House fashion there was music provided by the talented duo Fletcher and Baird. 

I’m grateful for our students. Since becoming the sponsor of the All Star Jaguars I’ve been much more involved in student life and I thoroughly enjoy it. My group of students is diverse, clever, creative, bright, and entertaining. It is a privilege to interact with them and to know that they aren’t unique among the student body. They simply offer me a glimpse into the lives of all our students. 

I’m thankful for an administration and Board of Trustees who see that economic times are tight for our community and are willing to offer an enrollment incentive to current and prospective students to alleviate the sting of education expenses. Anyone who enrolls for a full-time schedule for spring prior to December 23rd will receive a $600 break on their tuition cost. 

Another incentive is in place for anyone who lives outside of our college district – say for instance, in Indiana – but works full time within the district. These folks, along with all dependents in their households, qualify for in-district tuition. That represents a significant savings over out-of-district and/or out-of-state tuition. 

Finally, area high school students can take advantage of dual credit opportunities for reduced – or sometimes $0 – tuition and get a head start on their college education. Dual credit makes so much more sense than Advanced Placement classes because every dual credit student who passes a class will receive college credit for that class. Only 35 percent of students who enroll in an AP class will ever take the test, and then only 61 percent of those who take the test will pass it with a score sufficient to earn college credit – and that test isn’t cheap! 

Thank you to the Commercial News for the opportunity to bring you information about DACC each month, and thank you, Dear Readers, for giving me five or ten minutes of your attention. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

DACC Launches Online Application

https://daccallstarjags.blogspot.com/2022/11/dacclaunches-online-application.html

Giving Tuesday at DACC

https://daccallstarjags.blogspot.com/2022/12/giving-tuesday-at-dacc.html

Enroll Now for Winter Term at DACC

https://daccallstarjags.blogspot.com/2022/12/winter-term-at-dacc-begins-december-19.html