Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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JULY 29 - AUGUST 4, 2015 UCW 15 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Tim Peppers is the department chair for Architectural Technology at Fayetteville Technical Community College, and he is an enthusiastic High School Connections advocate. Every time he talks with a group of high school students — whether during a campus tour or at a local career fair — he cheerfully presents the benefits of a program that offers unique opportunities for tuition-free college credit. Students who enroll in Tim's Green Sustainable Architecture program through High School Connections take a handful of classes that will earn them a college certificate and the right to graduate from FTCC — before they even complete high school. These classes then seamlessly transfer into the Architectural Technology Associate Degree program at FTCC, giving students a head start both academically and financially. If this all sounds a little far-fetched, don't be alarmed. Many people in Cumberland County and the surrounding area may be unaware of this great opportunity. The High School Connections program is part of the North Carolina Career and College Promise legislation, which essentially offers free college courses to qualifying high school students. Students in the program must be enrolled in a North Carolina high school as a junior or senior and performing well in their high school classes before they are given the opportunity to participate at the college level. Once qualified for the program, HSC students need to determine what their focus will be; often, this decision is made with input from their par- ents/guardians and high school guidance coun- selor. A student's plans for life after graduation should be taken into account when selecting the specific courses that they will complete. Whether they are fully committed to a career path or simply wanting to explore their options, HSC offers ways for students to get ahead while saving a bundle on tuition costs. As one option, many students decide to start chipping away at their general education require- ments for college, such as courses in English, math, foreign language, social science, history, and so on. The classes offered through the HSC College- Transfer Pathways do just what the name suggests and are one-hundred-percent guaranteed to trans- fer, credit for credit, within the University of North Carolina system. Some of these classes even count as graduation requirements on the high school side as well, giving students a double-bonus academi- cally and saving them valuable time. The second option for students is to enroll in a Career and Technical Education pathway through High School Connections. Classes in this area are designed to give a student early exposure to a par- ticular career field, and there are approximately thirty different programs to choose from, including Tim Peppers' Green Sustainable Architecture. Some of the other CTE programs include Introduction to Building Construction, Basic Horticulture, and Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology, just to name a few. A full listing of HSC pathways can be found on FTCC's website. Students and parents can visit www.faytechcc.edu, click on "High School Connections" at the top, and then select the "Pathways and Class Schedule" option to see what's still available for the 2015-2016 school year. It's not too late to enroll for this fall, and interested students should contact their high school guidance counselors or me at schmidm@faytechcc.edu or 678-8542. FTCC Connects High School Students to College Courses by MARY SCHMID MARY SCHMID, FTCC Assistant Director of Admissions, High School Outreach, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200 General Admission Adults $7.00 - Children $6.00 Military & Senior Discounts Available JULY 29 Alzheimer's Night Bringing Memories Home Safe presented by the Fayetteville Walk to End Alzheimer's Purple Jersey Silent Auction August 1 Fan Appreciation Night! Final Fireworks Night! FTCC's High School Connections Program offers high school students a chance to earn college credits.