Chattooga High School seniors Charles Hubbard, left, and Trevor Pledger are working on equipment in CISCO IV, a class taught through Dual Enrollment with Northwestern Technical College. Click to enlarge.
Earn High School degree, college certification
Eight seniors at Chattooga High School in Summerville are counting the opportunities they’ll have from earning a high school diploma, as well as a college education.
Northwestern Technical College professor Abigail Carter teaches CISCO IV at Chattooga High School Monday through Friday from 1:30-3:05 p.m. “They are receiving technical credit for their high school diploma and credit towards a college certificate at the same time,” said Ms. Carter. “So many kids are already very proficient when it comes to computers. This program just helps them to be motivated to further their opportunities with something they are doing all the time, anyway.”
The CISCO program is four semesters long. CISCO is a computer hardware/software manufacturer which works with routers, switchers, and security accessories for all aspects of computer and internet technology.
The Northwestern Technical College CISCO program replaces the A+ Certification class Chattooga High School previously offered. “This is my first graduating class within the CISCO program at Chattooga High School. They had a similar program that they couldn’t maintain,” said Ms. Carter. “So, Northwestern has put it under their realm. That’s where I came in. Everyone here has been just wonderful.” CISCO is taught as part of NTC’s Dual Enrollment program.
Graduation at Chattooga High School is May 26. Graduation at Northwestern Technical College is June 16. Nathan Jones of Trion is one of the eight ready to walk in two different graduations in the next two months. “About twenty or so people tried out to be in the program,” said Mr. Jones. “A lot of them didn’t pass the entry test. We have eight left. It’s probably one of the hardest classes I’ve ever been a part of.”
The Job Placement office at Northwestern Technical College is helping Mr. Jones find a job near Atlanta which will match his new education. “I’m going to go to college outside of Atlanta,” said Mr. Jones. “But, I’ll probably be able to find a really good paying job while I’m in school because of the CISCO program with Northwestern.”
Mr. Jones spent two years working in a computer repair shop. “I love anything to do with computers,” said Mr. Jones. “The last math class I had was trigonometry and it was tough. But this class is a lot tougher in a lot of ways. We don’t get to use calculators in here. We use a lot of mental math. I mean, we are working with 40-digit numbers in here.”
Among those in Ms. Carter’s CISCO program are Adam Blackwell Klien Borgschulze, David Brown, Charles Hubbard, Mr. Jones, Bob Patterson, Russell Pierce, and Trevor Pledger. “We have fun in here, but there is a ton of work for these students to do,” said Ms. Carter, the Dual Enrollment instructor from Northwestern Technical College.
“These students are taking great strides to take care of their future,” said Ms. Carter, who takes great strides herself every day. Ms. Carter drives from her Dalton home to teach morning classes at Northwestern Technical College in Rock Spring, then drives south to Summerville to teach the CISCO classes, then makes the return trip home to Dalton every day.
“They have to do a lot of homework in this class,” said Ms. Carter. “Most of them aren’t used to this amount of work. I’m getting them ready to learn and work in a competitive world. If they decide to enter the work force after graduation, they already have a big advantage. They have a college education.” The HOPE Program has helped each of the students completely pay for their college education.
Jim Dean is the Career Technical and Agricultural Supervisor at Chattooga High School. “More than half of the student body takes part in at least one class within my program,” said Mr. Dean. “The CISCO program that Northwestern has brought into our school is a big part of that program. They pretty much adopted us and the relationship has been going great ever since.”
Mr. Dean says Chattooga High School has also been considering working on a law enforcement program through dual enrollment with Northwestern Technical College.
For more information on Dual Enrollment or any of the programs offered through NTC, call the admissions office at (706) 764-3510.