Local high school students can earn college credits on campus this spring under an expanded partnership program between Saddleback College and the Saddleback Unified School District.
At Tuesday’s SVUSD school board meeting, Saddleback Community College President Tod Burnett discussed the first course in the program: Applied Psychology 140.
Mission Viejo High School already hosts the class, but three other SVUSD high schools will add the course as an elective next semester: El Toro, Silverado and Trabuco Hills. Laguna Hills High will begin the class later.
The course will also be offered during summer, officials said.
“We are very excited about the program," SVUSD school board President Dolores Winchell said.
Other news from Tuesday's meeting...
Model United Nations
Mission Viejo High School will host its 30th Annual Model United Nations Conference, “New Beginnings,” on Jan. 19 and 20.
With more than 1,000 delegates, the MVHS Model U.N. is billed as one of the biggest on the West Coast. MVHS hopes to raise $2,000 through delegate donations to build wells in Africa.
Student Board Member James Moeller said the conference would involve students from 24 schools, including El Toro, Laguna Hills and Trabuco Hills high schools.
New fitness center at Silverado High
Silverado High School announced a newly furnished fitness center that uses equipment donated by 24 Hour Fitness.
The fitness center will also be home to a Best Buddies program in which Silverado students will be working on fitness with special education students ages 18-22, who attend the campus daily. The special ed students were also given passes by Crunch gym to exercise outside of school.
Go-kart dance
Mission Viejo High School students will celebrate their winter formal dance at K1 Speed, an indoor go-kart track. Yes, students in formal attire will dance in the center of a racetrack as their classmates zoom by in go-karts.
Anti-bullying program
Trabuco Hills’ Off the Wall Theater Company hosted a two-day teaching program for middle-school students to learn about bullying.
From observing many of my close friend's college graduate children I too am starting to really question the value of a college education.
The reality is, as Justus alludes, that college ( whether 2- or 4-yr ) is not a viable option for the greater portion of the student body. There is no single public school in this county that can attest to being dedicated to "college prep." Will bringing college courses down to the high school change that position?
The europeans have understood how stupid such a concept that was for nearly a century. And their populations are MUCH more intelligent than ours. In europe it is truly a PRIVILEGE to get accepted into college. Kids really work hard to get there. Most kids go to trade school. Here, college is an entitlement. As long as you have a pulse and are breathing they will give you a seat as long as you can pay the tuition and books or have the government pay it for you! heh. And what's the outcome? Kids with $70000-$100000 in student debt working $12/hr jobs as debt slaves. heh. Sorry. Again, it's the truth!
And when Johnny graduates he punches a cash register for $12/hr with $70,000 in student debt hanging over his head. And that's reality, Tiny!
Why do you think I am so passionate about this stuff? What we see today is disgraceful and flies in the face of what it once meant to be an American citizen. They seemingly want to educate kids - but keep them totally in the dark over how they're being played financially by the system. Trust none of them, Tiny. They are undeserving.
Now The Dumb and the Willfully Ignorant are unemployable so they spend their days comment on the Patch. Even when the article deals with topics they know nothing of; they live to spew their ignorance and hatred. They don't use their real names because they claim speaking your mind can be dangerous. Tell that to Martin Luther King, Jr. Malcolm X, Nathan Hale, Thomas Paine... They are cowards and like all cowards they bully if you point out their complete lack of logic. They ruin online communication and any chance we may have had to learn from each other. They will continue to do so until we stand up and shout them down.