CERRO GORDO – Sometimes, parents can spot a good thing quicker than their children.
That was certainly the case for Jennifer Thoms of Decatur, who didn't give her son a choice about enrolling in a new Transfer Academy at Richland Community College during his senior year at Cerro Gordo High School.
Kybric Lamb, now 20 and a junior at Millikin University, was simply going to do it.
“A lot of times, high school students don't have any idea what to expect from college classes, so this seemed like a good way to get him ready,” Thoms said. “His dad and I also saved a lot of money on each class he took.”
And that's not all.
Lamb, who is majoring in accounting, said he saved time on general education requirements he otherwise would have had to satisfy after enrolling at Millikin.
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“I was able to take business classes a lot quicker,” he said. “It's a really good program.”
Cerro Gordo Superintendent Brett Robinson also thought so when Richland approached area school superintendents about starting the academy with the 2012-13 academic year.
Marcy Bialeschi, high school guidance counselor, said 19 students have taken advantage of the opportunity so far, including 11 juniors and seniors currently enrolled.
“It's like jumping from your sophomore year in high school to your freshman year in college, so we've gotten more particular about which juniors we accept,” Bialeschi said. “Because we don't have advanced placement or honors classes, it's a great chance for students to get a head start on college.”
Cathy Sebok, director of admissions and recruitment at Richland, said Cerro Gordo High School was one of three schools that enrolled students during the Transfer Academy's first year and has been one of its strongest partners.
Among nine high schools to use the academy so far, Cerro Gordo is also one of the smallest that feeds into Richland.
Other high schools with students currently enrolled are Argenta-Oreana, Central A&M, Decatur public schools, Lutheran School Association and Mount Zion.
“Students spend half their day at Richland, taking three courses worth between nine and 11 credit hours,” Sebok said. “Then they spend the other half-day at their high school.”
Among current students is Lamb's sister Kerrigan Thoms, 17, a Cerro Gordo senior who after four semesters of dual credit will come close to earning an associate degree before graduating high school.
“It opened up a wider variety of classes, and as far as I know, all of them are going to transfer,” Kerrigan said.
She, like her brother, plans to go directly to Millikin but will enroll this fall as a sophomore. She plans to study nursing.
“The professors at Richland are helpful with transfer students, so the classes were something I could handle,” Kerrigan said.
