Post by Avenging Eagle on Jan 19, 2007 13:17:43 GMT -6
From my inbox today:
204 E-News: Frontier Campus
The following is Superintendent Howard Crouse's column from today's
Daily Herald. To view the Frontier Campus video, visit
www.ipsd.org/frontier.asp
"Dist. 204, COD Partnership has Proven a Success"
As second semester begins, I’d like to highlight the growing excitement
among our students about our Frontier Campus on 95th Street in
Naperville.
This program is truly a partnership between Indian Prairie and College
of DuPage. We share space, costs and opportunities in a unique business
office setting. Frontier Campus caters to seniors from both Neuqua
Valley and Waubonsie Valley High Schools, providing a combination of high
school and college classes. Our goal is to give students a unique
opportunity to gain college credit before high school graduation.
Our target audience is students who are ready to try a different
calendar, school day, and environment. Many of the students want a smaller,
more independent atmosphere than our large high schools offer. Classes
are offered in 90-minute blocks on alternate days, similar to many of
COD’s classes. Fridays are independent work days, available for academic
support, make-up classes, and research.
Last fall, about 130 students enrolled, primarily in high school
classes required for graduation such as English, government, and consumer
education. Other classes were offered, such as anatomy and physiology,
which provide both high school and COD credit.
Our intent of providing an environment more like a college campus seems
to be happening. These first-year students signed on to a concept and
became trailblazers and ambassadors for Frontier Campus.
When you ask students enrolled in the program about their experience,
you hear many of the same words -- "challenging," "responsibility," and
"freedom." Many of their reactions acknowledge having more control of,
and responsibility for, their personal schedules. Students consistently
will tell you that they feel better prepared for college because of
their experience at Frontier.
I invite you to see for yourself the students' enthusiasm for this
program. A video about Frontier Campus is on our web site at
www.ipsd.org/frontier.asp
Some seniors at Frontier decided not to graduate early but rather stay
and take full advantage of the COD partnership. Second semester,
students will average two COD classes plus the dual credit high school
classes. The COD courses offered include humanities, speech, English,
geography, and philosophy. Each course has been qualified as a part of the
state’s Illinois Articulation Initiative and will transfer to any Illinois
state school and many of the state’s private schools. This means that
most Frontier students will have 9 to 12 hours of college credit when
they graduate.
We are quite pleased with the students’ reaction to Frontier. Interest
in the program has more than doubled from this time last year. Word of
mouth from our current students has been the most effective
communication about the program, but it is generating the response we hoped to
have when we first began working with COD more than a year ago. Without
COD’s willingness to try something different, this would not have been
possible.
Finally, I would like to highlight Dave Scheidecker, who was the
Academic Dean at Frontier Campus. Dave worked tirelessly to create Frontier,
working with our staff and COD. He brought his passion for learning,
his analysis of teaching, his compassion for students, and his gregarious
nature to the project. He made it succeed. Dave passed away on December
13. He was a great friend to our students and staff and will be greatly
missed.
Howard Crouse
Superintendent
Indian Prairie School District 204
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
School District 204
www.ipsd.org
780 Shoreline Drive
Aurora, IL 60504
USA
204 E-News: Frontier Campus
The following is Superintendent Howard Crouse's column from today's
Daily Herald. To view the Frontier Campus video, visit
www.ipsd.org/frontier.asp
"Dist. 204, COD Partnership has Proven a Success"
As second semester begins, I’d like to highlight the growing excitement
among our students about our Frontier Campus on 95th Street in
Naperville.
This program is truly a partnership between Indian Prairie and College
of DuPage. We share space, costs and opportunities in a unique business
office setting. Frontier Campus caters to seniors from both Neuqua
Valley and Waubonsie Valley High Schools, providing a combination of high
school and college classes. Our goal is to give students a unique
opportunity to gain college credit before high school graduation.
Our target audience is students who are ready to try a different
calendar, school day, and environment. Many of the students want a smaller,
more independent atmosphere than our large high schools offer. Classes
are offered in 90-minute blocks on alternate days, similar to many of
COD’s classes. Fridays are independent work days, available for academic
support, make-up classes, and research.
Last fall, about 130 students enrolled, primarily in high school
classes required for graduation such as English, government, and consumer
education. Other classes were offered, such as anatomy and physiology,
which provide both high school and COD credit.
Our intent of providing an environment more like a college campus seems
to be happening. These first-year students signed on to a concept and
became trailblazers and ambassadors for Frontier Campus.
When you ask students enrolled in the program about their experience,
you hear many of the same words -- "challenging," "responsibility," and
"freedom." Many of their reactions acknowledge having more control of,
and responsibility for, their personal schedules. Students consistently
will tell you that they feel better prepared for college because of
their experience at Frontier.
I invite you to see for yourself the students' enthusiasm for this
program. A video about Frontier Campus is on our web site at
www.ipsd.org/frontier.asp
Some seniors at Frontier decided not to graduate early but rather stay
and take full advantage of the COD partnership. Second semester,
students will average two COD classes plus the dual credit high school
classes. The COD courses offered include humanities, speech, English,
geography, and philosophy. Each course has been qualified as a part of the
state’s Illinois Articulation Initiative and will transfer to any Illinois
state school and many of the state’s private schools. This means that
most Frontier students will have 9 to 12 hours of college credit when
they graduate.
We are quite pleased with the students’ reaction to Frontier. Interest
in the program has more than doubled from this time last year. Word of
mouth from our current students has been the most effective
communication about the program, but it is generating the response we hoped to
have when we first began working with COD more than a year ago. Without
COD’s willingness to try something different, this would not have been
possible.
Finally, I would like to highlight Dave Scheidecker, who was the
Academic Dean at Frontier Campus. Dave worked tirelessly to create Frontier,
working with our staff and COD. He brought his passion for learning,
his analysis of teaching, his compassion for students, and his gregarious
nature to the project. He made it succeed. Dave passed away on December
13. He was a great friend to our students and staff and will be greatly
missed.
Howard Crouse
Superintendent
Indian Prairie School District 204
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
School District 204
www.ipsd.org
780 Shoreline Drive
Aurora, IL 60504
USA
