MANTEO, N.C. — The class of 2029 is now set for the Dare Early College, with its 57 students representing the first class in the program's history.
On Wednesday, a meet-and-greet was held at College of the Albemarle's campus in Manteo. It was the first time principal Kassie Mount had the chance to meet the students and their families.
"We're going to be together for the next four years, and so this is just the start of something awesome," said Mount.
The standalone school is the first of its kind in Dare County and gives students the opportunity to earn an associate's degree, college credits and career credentials on top of their high school diploma.
"The other piece to the early college model that makes it so different than just a traditional high school, there are lots of supports in place for students, and they also build those college and career readiness skills, along with earning credits towards a degree," said Denise Fallon, director of secondary education for Dare County Schools.
Fallon and Mount feel this has been a long time coming in Dare County and will be a gamechanger for education.
"It's exciting to give students another opportunity. It's more personalized to what they are hoping to achieve. I love the idea of joining arms with students and families and saying, 'College is attainable for you, and we're going to walk with you every single step of the way to make it feel more realistic for you,'" said Mount.
"It's not just for students who are going off to a four-year university after high school. It could be students who earn a career credential and they go straight to the workforce after high school; it could be a student that wants to join the military. We want what they want, but when they leave us, we want to make sure that they not just have a high school diploma and a degree or credential, but they have confidence as well," said Fallon.
Incoming freshman Hampton Gilreath says he's excited to be a part of the first class.
“You’re getting your degree early. You get a kick start when you go to college and just get more of an advantage when you go off to the real world," said Gilreath.
The 57 students are the first in the program, but the Dare Early College will grow each year until every grade level is filled, with up to 350 students across all four grade levels. They will be using the COA Dare Campus while the Dare Early College building is being built on the same campus.
"For now, we'll be using some spaces that COA is graciously lending us. Students will complete all of their high school coursework in Dare Early College and then come over here, right on the same campus for COA to complete their college coursework," said Mount.
Dare Early College is a standalone school and will have many of the activities traditional high schools have like prom, driver's education, student government and more. Students will be able to participate in athletics at their home high schools as well, if they choose to do so.
"We didn't want an eighth grader to have to decide between, 'Do I want this on the academic side, or do I want to define myself as a student athlete?' They can really have it both ways," said Fallon.
