Students from Eagle County Schools take on new challenges at Colorado Mountain College
Eagle, CO — A wise man once said that you can have everything in this world if you sacrifice everything for it, but what he meant was nothing comes without a price. Eagle County Schools (ECS) and Colorado Mountain College (CMC) are out to prove him wrong, evident in their recent efforts to help high school rising seniors get going on their post-secondary education with a $0 price tag.
Each year, the Colorado legislature funds the Accelerating Students through Concurrent Enrollment (ASCENT) program, which is designed to help rising seniors to complete a year of college tuition-free. Through an intricate formula, the State Concurrent Enrollment Board then selects the districts and number of students that will be supported through the ASCENT program. Funds are limited each year to what the legislature feels the State can support, but the potential opportunities for students are significant.
Each participating school district must select a college or university to partner with in this endeavor. “In this case our local public school system could think of no better fit than Colorado Mountain College,” stated Mike Gass, director of student services, innovative programs and technology for Eagle County Schools.
Students who wish to enroll in the ASCENT program must have fulfilled high school graduation requirements; completed or be set to complete 12 credit hours of transcripted college course work; be identified as an ASCENT program candidate on an academic plan recorded within the school district; be no more than 21 years old; and meet the college’s requirements for each course. The student must obtain a “C” or better in all the classes to stay in good academic standing for the entire year. At the end of the year, these students will get their high school diploma and also a CMC transcript.
“Eagle County Schools should be commended for being proactive with six of their students this year,” said Debbie Crawford, public information officer for Colorado Mountain College. “The school district decided to only use CMC as their ASCENT college. This is an honor, as the program allows the student to attend any college in Colorado.”
The following students are taking advantage of the ASCENT program this year: Luis Garcia, Lluviay Zapata and Moose Jimenez from Battle Mountain High School, and Faith Calvo, Kimberly Parra and Ani Pavlova from Eagle Valley High School. “We wish them the best of luck in their endeavors and commend them for taking on the ASCENT challenge,” said Macke.
For more information on the ASCENT program, go to www.cde.state.co.us.