Pikes Peak Early College is the only blended early college in the state of Colorado; it falls under the El Paso County Colorado School District 49 iConnect Zone of schools.PPEC is a public, non-charter school for high school grades nine through 12. Blending is not only in a combination of onsite and virtual class attendance, but also with high school and college coursework simultaneously taken. There are many similarities to traditional high school, and even more differences that make PPEC unique.The PPEC principal, Rochelle Kolhouse, said a need for better preparedness for college and a goal to intercept an underserved population, which was the vision of D 49 Chief Executive Officer Peter Hilts, led to the schoolís beginnings. Five years ago, Hilts partnered with Dave Knoche, the retired former executive principal of PPEC, to develop a unique school of choice. Kolhouse said, ìColleges noticed students had a 50% failure rate when going to college and that gave a clear indication that kids were not ready for college. They may have met the high school requirements, but we were not preparing them for college adequately.îKolhouse said the school attracts students of all types. Some are first generation college bound or some feel college is unattainable because of their socioeconomic status. Gifted and talented students find value in the early college model. ìWe get gifted and talented students because they understand concepts quickly and sometimes with GT students, we throw more work at them, not understanding what they need,î Kolhouse said. ìBy getting them an early college opportunity, they can blaze through high school quickly and we give them those opportunities to get into college quickly. They donít have to sit and wait; they can keep going.îSome of the distinct benefits of attending PPEC that differ from traditional high schools:
- Students can earn 60 college credits at no cost to the student. This allows a student to earn an associateís degree or complete two years toward a bachelorís degree or other certification.
- Students can focus on their interest area such as dentistry, engineering, computer science, teaching, nursing or astrophysics, to name a few.
- Teachers are high school level and college professors; many are adjunct professors at Pikes Peak State College. ìWe have an amazing staff who not only are high school teachers but most of them are able to teach college classes as well,î Kolhouse said. ìThey know what they need to teach in terms of high school, and they can see the post-secondary level to say these are the things you really should be learning Ö they have the whole scope and sequence.î
- More job shadowing and internship opportunities are available.
- Students can attend a total of five years to complete college coursework.
Recent PPEC graduate, Ava Stoller, took advantage of the extra year of school to gain an understanding of what she might want to study in college. ìThrough PPEC, I was able to experiment with classes that I was interested in, trying to find what I wanted to do with my life,î Stoller said. ìIn every advising meeting, Mrs. Bonavita would ask me what I’m interested in and find classes that would let me explore that path. It let me experiment without making me feel like I was wasting my money on a class that may not apply to what I actually decide to major in.î After taking a college-level communications course, Stoller found her path. She will be attending the University of Colorado Boulder College of Media, Communication and Information this fall.When it comes to athletics and arts, Kolhouse said, ìItís all about choice and meeting kidsí needs.î The school does not have athletic teams; however, students can participate in their home-based school sports ó the school they would attend depending on their geographic location. The school also offers eSports, such as video game sports programs that include leagues and competitions. Classes for music and art are virtual. ìIf music or art is going to be their major, we get them college classes for arts and they get both high school and college credit for those classes,î Kolhouse said. There are opportunities for receiving credit for student activities outside of school as a general elective.Social activities for students are in line with traditional high schools and include dances, prom, community nights; and student-generated clubs, such as the literature club.PPEC participates in standardized testing such as CMAS, STAR360, PSAT and SAT.PPEC is paid for by per-pupil state dollars. Kolhouse said, ìWe spend about 95% of our budget on student tuition.î To make the dollars stretch, the school shares a campus as well as some teaching staff with Springs Studio. ìWe have a small staff and low overhead,î she said. Springs Studio is a blended school providing concurrent college enrollment for grades five through 12; it is not an early college.Students can attend PPEC from anywhere in the state of Colorado. PPEC partners with Pikes Peak State College (formerly Pikes Peak Community College), Pueblo Community College, Red Rocks Community College, Front Range Community College and others. Students attend their local community college for in-person classes.The current enrollment is about 180 students. The PPEC website, https://pikespeakearlycollege.org, lists the enrollment requirements and offers a pre-enrollment video link. The school is continuing to enroll through August and September. There are no second-term enrollments because training is conducted with students during the first semester so they can be successful. And successful they are. PPEC students have a 96% success rate in college classes ó 96% of students receive a grade C or higher.ìI feel that PPEC prepared me by setting the same expectations in their high school classrooms as college professors do in theirs,î Stoller said. ìAlso by attending college classes in high school, I feel more prepared to go into a four-year university because I have some experience behind me.î
