• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




First ORHS Middle College class at Roane State about to graduate

Posted at 11:43 pm January 16, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge High School Roane State Community College Middle College 2020
Pictured is the first class of Roane State Middle College students from Oak Ridge High School. Seated from left are Aamariah Crow, Isabella Kelly, Chloe Mallett, Savannah Shropshire, Selena Sterling, and Christina Thomas. Standing from left are Caroline Webb, Katie Swigert, Haley Snyder, Jacob Wright, Shaelyn Deal, and Cameille Schubert. Not pictured: Cameron Malone and Marissa Colvais. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

One wants to be a doctor. Another, a lawyer involved in immigration cases. Two plan to become engineers, another wants to be involved in mission work, and one intends to work as an ultrasound technician.

They are among 14 Oak Ridge High School students who are members of the first Roane State Community College Middle College class, and they’re getting ready to graduate this spring, both from high school and college.

Although they have varying career goals, they have several things in common. They all say they have enjoyed their Middle College experiences, they’ve all been accepted to colleges and universities to continue their educations, and they’re fans of their advisor and English instructor, Assistant Roane State Professor Margaret “Maggie” Bouldin.

The students spoke almost in unison in expressing their positive feelings about Bouldin.

“She taught us very valuable life lessons,” student Caroline Webb said. “She’s very welcoming,” added Chloe Mallett.

Advertisement

Middle College is the innovative Roane State program where high-achieving high school juniors are invited to take two years of college classes in the mornings and return to their respective high schools in the afternoons.

Their reasons for participating vary. Caroline Webb, for instance, said she’s on an educational fast track to get into law school and become a lawyer specializing in immigration issues. With her Roane State degree, she can start a four-year college or university as a junior.

Middle College required her to learn how to manage her time, and it instilled self-discipline, Caroline said. “It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.”

Shaelyn Deal said it’s “financially a better path” when it comes to offsetting the cost of higher education, and it has offered “more of a mature environment.”

The financial aspect also appeals to Aamariah Crow. “I want to go into mission work with a nonprofit organization, and it’s important to save money,” she said.

Jacob Wright said his two years in Middle College have been a good experience. “I’ve enjoyed all my classes,” he added.

Advertisement

The students said they preferred the relative freedom they experienced during Middle College over the high school regimen, especially the option to pick their own academic paths.

They will be receiving associate’s degrees from Roane State and high school diplomas from Oak Ridge High this spring. Among the numerous colleges and universities that have already sent them admission acceptance letters: East Tennessee State, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Tennessee Tech, and Brenau University in Georgia.

Members of the Oak Ridge High and Roane State Middle College graduating class are Aamariah Crow, Isabella Kelly, Chloe Mallett, Savannah Shropshire, Selena Sterling, Christina Thomas, Caroline Webb, Katie Swigert, Haley Snyder, Jacob Wright, Shaelyn Deal, Cameille Schubert, Cameron Malone, and Marissa Colvais.

Roane State’s Middle College program has been in place since 2014 with the first graduating class in 2016, said program director David Lane. To date, Middle College has had 149 graduates, and there are currently 173 students who are enrolled, including 24 students in the Mechatronics Middle College curriculum at the college’s Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility in Clinton.

High schools now participating in Middle College include Cumberland County High and Stone Memorial High in Cumberland County; Rockwood, Harriman, Kingston, Midway, and Oliver Springs high schools in Roane County; Clinton, Anderson County, and Oak Ridge high schools in Anderson County; Wartburg Central in Morgan County; Campbell County High; Rhea County High; and Lenoir City High.

Filed Under: College, Education, Education, Front Page News, K-12, Slider Tagged With: Aamariah Crow, Cameille Schubert, Cameron Malone, Caroline Webb, Chloe Mallett, Christina Thomas, David Lane, Haley Snyder, Isabella Kelly, Jacob Wright, Katie Swigert, Margaret "Maggie" Bouldin, Marissa Colvais, Middle College, Oak Ridge High School, ORHS, Roane State Community College, Savannah Shropshire, Selena Sterling, Shaelyn Deal

Advertisements

 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Education News

Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats

A Secret City Academy student was charged with terrorism and other crimes after allegedly threatening to shoot people and use a bomb at the school on Friday, Anderson County's district attorney general said. This is the … [Read More...]

ORHS Masquers presents ‘Into the Woods’

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s extracurricular drama program, is presenting "Into the Woods," the Stephen Sondheim musical based on the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, in four performances this … [Read More...]

Roane State employees receive excellence awards

Four Roane State Community College employees have been recognized as winners of the prestigious Excellence Award bestowed by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development. NISOD has been named the … [Read More...]

Tennessee Holocaust Commission accepting student entries for 2022 contest

“The Holocaust is a lesson in human (and inhuman) history that took place because of hate, bigotry, indifference—all characteristics that know no bounds. These traits spread like wildfire. If we remain indifferent to … [Read More...]

Former AC school employees charged with theft

Two former Anderson County Schools employees have been charged with stealing more than $10,000 in a two-year period between January 2018 and January 2020. Heather Dawn Heatherly, 44, of Jacksboro, and Stephanie Leann … [Read More...]

More Education

Recent Posts

  • Rocky Top woman pleads guilty to murder, sentenced to life
  • REAC/TS welcomes new team members: John Crapo, Josh Hayes and David Quillen
  • NASA Postdoctoral Program seeks early career and senior scientists for prestigious fellowships at its locations across the U.S.
  • ORAU names Brandon Criswell associate general counsel
  • Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday
  • TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site
  • Science and supercomputers at ORNL topic of Mar. 8 talk
  • First Presbyterian offers free meals & groceries on Mar. 10
  • Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats
  • ORHS Masquers presents ‘Into the Woods’

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2022 Oak Ridge Today