CLEARLAKE— This June, Konocti Unified School District (KUSD) celebrates its first Middle College graduates: Rafael Contreras, Domminic Mayer, and Viviana Ramos. The Middle College Program allows high school students who attend the Konocti Education Center (KEC) to take college courses in lieu of high school electives through a partnership with the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College. The program started in the fall of 2017, making the class of 2021 the first graduating class.
Students usually take two college courses per semester, enabling them to earn 48 college credits by the time they graduate high school. Contreras, Mayer, and Ramos completed enough additional courses to earn their Associate of Science degrees in Natural Science and Mathematics.
Konocti Unified Superintendent Becky Salato said, “These students maintained exceptional grade point averages at both the high school and college level. I am confident their tremendous work ethics and determination will continue to serve them as they pursue bright futures.”
Contreras and Ramos will share the distinction of being co-valedictorians for KEC and have earned silver cords signifying academic achievement at Woodland Community College, while Mayer was recently named KEC High School Student of the Year by KEC staff.
Contreras said, “The Middle College High School program has been such an amazing experience and great opportunity for me. It has allowed me to not only save money on books and tuition costs, but also enter a four-year college as a junior instead of a freshman. The lessons I’ve learned from this program are invaluable and I truly wish from the bottom of my heart that this program continues long after I graduate.”
Mayer echoed many of Contreras’s sentiments, explaining that he chose the middle college program because it was an opportunity for enhanced learning. He said, “It allowed me to pursue my learning passion and achieve my goals of graduating high school with my high school diploma and college degree. In the fall of 2021, I will be attending the University of Nevada, Reno majoring in Computer Science and Engineering. Thanks to everyone involved for this amazing opportunity.”
Ramos, who also participated in the Si Se Puede graduation ceremony honoring Latinx students and was selected to speak at the Woodland Community College, Lake County Campus commencement ceremony, said “It was definitely a crazy experience but the good kind of crazy. You learn so much and get exposed to a variety of people and learn skills that are always going to be useful.”
The unique, collaborative model of a high school located on and integrated into the community college environment was brought to California in 1988 to lower high school dropout rates among high-ability, at-risk youth, according to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Currently, California offers the program at only 14 locations statewide.
The Middle College program offered by the Yuba Community College District and Konocti Unified is designed to provide KEC students with an opportunity to reduce the high school dropout rate by providing students with built-in support systems that reinforce college-going behaviors, academic skills, and self-esteem.
Sheila Faulkner-Loser, Director of Special Programs at the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College said, “For parents, [the Middle College program] eliminates most if not all of the cost associated with the first two years of college. Our Middle College High School program was originally designed to focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curricula to encourage health and science career certificate and degree completions. All three of these amazing students are continuing their education in a STEM career pathway.”
KEC Principal Ami Barker said, “We are so proud of these three students. They’ve gone above and beyond expectations.”
The Middle School program at KEC is open to students throughout Lake County. Superintendent Salato said, “We invite anyone interested in this program to get in touch. We know that with the right kind of support, so many students have what it takes to attend college.”
Families interested in learning more about the Middle College program can contact Principal Barker at (707) 994-6447 ext. 2914 or via email at ami.barker@konoctiusd.org.
