SCC Dual Credit Clinton County High School Students Shine in engaging community projects and inspiring TED-Ed Student Talks

Published on Apr 17, 2024

Dual credit courses in high schools are an excellent way for students to earn college credits while still in high school. Clinton County High School offers Dual Credit English 101 and 102 courses through Somerset Community College's (SCC) program, taught by Angela Sloan. This program provides college-level English education and offers a unique learning opportunity for high school students.

Dual credit students in high school typically take ENG 101 and then move their knowledge to the next-level course, ENG 102, with juniors and seniors in the classes. Now, taking ENG 102, Sloan's dual credit students are impacting their community with their class projects, which have turned into a newfound passion for some.

As students navigate learning to write on a college level, Sloan uses her 24 years of teaching experience to make the class applicable to real-life skills.

Sloan planned school projects for the high school juniors last year. Students had to use their writing skills to take on a community project. Students were free to choose a topic they were passionate about, but it could not be a project that already existed.

The annotative bibliography portion of the class was adapted for the letters sent to varying officials and included in some of the students' projects.

"The students blew me away with their response and dedication to the projects," Sloan stated. These projects are not simulations; they are real. There is something about when it is real; it becomes more important to the students."

Ivy Moon used her writing skills to contact the Kentucky Department of Transportation about a dangerous local intersection. Cannon Young also used their writing skills to compose a letter to the city and county government addressing the issue of fire lanes not being observed in their community.

Saylor Burchett found themselves writing to the local County Judge Executive about the state of their local animal shelter and a plan to improve it.

"Not only do I take SCC dual credit classes to earn college credits, but I also take them to challenge myself," Dual credit student Saylor Burchett said.

Though some of the students have yet to receive responses from their local leaders, they continue to be aware of the local issues in their community.

Sydnee Muse collected items and created enough baskets for an elderly and handicapped residential apartment complex. Emily Sawyers created a cooking class for young children. Kellie Brown organized a community blood drive through the Red Cross. Nick Poore directed his energy to clean up Mt. View Recreational Park and raise $8,500 for a pickleball court project due to be underway in the summer.

These are just a few student projects that budded into reality in the English 101 class.

"I have had overwhelming support from my community and businesses," dual credit student Poore said. "I learned that it is important to always give back to your community because the community will give back to you. Also, if other people see your passion for something, they will help you achieve your goals."

Now that those projects have been graded and completed, the next class in English 102 moved on to hosting their own TED-Ed Student Talks about advice they think is valuable and recently had the opportunity to be a proper storyteller and have the chance to be published by the TED-Ed platform.

Topics that the students presented were Koger Guffey's "If you are going to do something, do it right." Carlee Albertson's "Don't Dwell in the Past - lesson from the study of Hamlet." Alex Beasley's "Stop Asking What If?" And Valerie Latham's "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." -Ferris Bueller.

As the date for the TED-Ed Student Talks got closer, student Sydnee Muse shared how she and her classmates were feeling before the big event.

"I feel as the Ted-Ed Student Talks get closer, I can speak on behalf of everyone and say we all feel a mix of excitement, anticipation and nerves," Muse said. "It's like a rollercoaster of emotions. I think we all just need to remember to take deep breaths, trust our preparation and believe in our ability to deliver these talks."

Dual credit course experiences are unique, with each instructor leading the class. However, according to Sloan, the advantages of high school students taking college courses are manifold. One such advantage is that students are presented with challenging college-level coursework while still in a familiar environment and can rely on a supportive network when faced with difficulties. This can make a significant difference in their academic success and overall experience.

"This is the building block for when they go to college alone," Sloan said. "Then they can confidently say, 'I have done this already, I will keep going.' When they face these similar challenges away from home."

The Clinton County High School Dual Credit students' TED-Ed Student talks, which were held on Saturday, April 13, are being edited by their media crew. Once that process is complete, the presentations will be sent to the folks at TED-Ed to decide whether their TED-Ed Student Talks will be published on the well-known platform.

SCC McCreary and Clinton Center Director Jill Lawson attended the Ted-Ed Student Talks event to support the Dual Credit students.

"To stand alone on a stage in a darkened auditorium is intimidating in itself, but sharing their personal stories of dealing with anxiety, overcoming difficulties, struggling with finding their own identity, and giving everything they have to succeed took great courage and maturity for these students," Lawson said. "They each have a very bright future ahead and participating in these TED-Ed Student Talks will propel them by leaps and bounds towards reaching their personal and educational goals. Well done, students!"