Greensboro, NC-- Future healthcare workers are getting a head start thanks to Guilford County Schools (GCS) and the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG).
Starting Wednesday, 50 ninth-graders will become the first students at The Middle College at UNCG, a public high school option for students interested in exploring health sciences.
Interest in the new school was strong. More than 150 students applied for the school's first class, which will have the potential of earning up to two years of college credit by the time they graduate, according to a news release.
The Middle College at UNCG becomes the eighth early or middle college high school in GCS, which is a national leader in providing specialized schools. The school's launch also marks the first time high school students have attended classes full time on the UNCG campus in more than 40 years, since the Curry School closed in 1969.
Students will spend the next four years taking both high school and college classes and participating in internship experiences designed to expose them to a variety of health careers in the human services and medical fields. The school is starting small with 50 students and six staff members. In subsequent years, the school will add additional grade levels and staff as it grows. The small size will provide students with an individualized and personal experience.
The Middle College at UNCG is a part of the North Carolina New Schools Project. The program emphasizes innovation in education, an important part of the GCS Strategic Plan, which includes strategies for expanding school choice options.
Funding for the school will be provided by the district's Race to the Top and GCS Title I dropout prevention dollars along with a donation from Businesses for Excellence in Education. Moses Cone and High Point Regional health systems have also pledged their support for the program.
The majority of classes for The Middle College at UNCG will be held in the Health and Human Performance (HHP) Building on campus. Dr. Celia Hooper, dean of the School of Health and Human Sciences at UNCG, says she looks forward to the way the college campus will impact high school students' futures.
GCS created the first early/middle colleges in the state in 2001, and the model has been replicated across North Carolina. The district's commitment to developing early/middle colleges has contributed to both lowering the dropout rate and raising the graduation rate. In 2011, eight GCS high schools -- six of them early/middle colleges -- achieved 100 percent graduation rates.
GCS/WFMY News 2