Carterville High School and John A. Logan Community College, also located in Carterville, IL, work together to make it possible for CHS students to earn college credit while still in high school. By providing cohort as well as dual credit classes, on and off-campus, upperclassmen can gain college credit for little to no price at all. Students have expressed their gratitude towards this program, and senior Owen Anderson says, “It has been really good to be able to earn credits for college in high school without paying as much for tuition as I would in college.” These classes are often held during the school day and are built into a student’s schedule for convenience. 

Typically, dual credit on-campus classes are the most popular for students at CHS. There are numerous classes to choose from and each course will earn a student three college credits. One option, that was new to the program this year, was the opportunity for juniors to take English Composition 101 and 102 with CHS teacher, Mrs. Neally. When asked what her favorite part about teaching the class was, Mrs. Neally responded: 

Apart from working day in and day out with wonderful students, my favorite part is that the courses are unique to the high school English curriculum. The most unique aspects stem from the style analyses and rhetorical studies of the composition that we produce in class. Students are experimenting with the study of writing, the transfer of communication across multimodal genres, and the production of written work through multimedia platforms. Unlike literature courses, composition courses focus less on what classic authors have to say and more on what students have to say.

Additionally, there are several other classes offered such as Music Appreciation and Medical Terminology that may be super helpful for students who are wanting to pursue a career in one of those areas. Averi Busby (11) says, ¨I’m hoping to be in the medical field in the future, so when I saw I could take the course medical terminology and earn college credit, I knew I had to do it. It was really interesting to be able to learn about the different systems of the human body. Medical terminology is one of my all time favorite classes!¨

Furthermore, several of the off-campus and before school programs such as Cohort and the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program are also popular among students at CHS. The Cohort program is for seniors and it takes place before school at 7:30 am in the library. During this time, students are able to take several prerequisite classes that they would otherwise take their freshman year of college. Olivia Cecil (12) recommends this program by saying, “It doesn’t really take up that much more time to do the work, and it is really worth it!” The CNA program, on the other hand, takes place during a student’s first and second hour classes and is at the John A. Logan campus. When asked about the best part of the program, Deidra Rogers (11) responded, “It comes from the emotional satisfaction of the work I perform with the patients. I have an opportunity to affect people’s lives on the basis of care I offer.” This program is very beneficial for those interested in the medical field as the students undergo real clinical experiences at several local nursing homes. 

Overall CHS, with the help of John A. Logan Community College, provides many opportunities for students that can be beneficial for their future. If you are interested in one of the classes mentioned or would like to learn about other classes offered, visit the Course Description book at www.cartervillelions.org/o/chs or talk to your guidance counselor.