Early College Partnership Application Open to Rockwood Sophomores Through Feb. 18

The application window for the Early College Partnership (ECP) -- a full-immersion, early entrance to college program partnership between the Rockwood School District and St. Louis Community College (STLCC) -- is open until Tuesday, Feb. 18, for Rockwood sophomore students (Class of 2027).

Interested students can apply online at this link.

The ECP is a full-immersion, early entrance to college program located on the campuses of STLCC-Wildwood, Meramec and Forest Park. Students attend the ECP for two years, replacing the junior and senior years of traditional high school.

While in the ECP, students engage in a curriculum consisting of all college coursework taught by professors at STLCC. Upon successful completion, students can earn an Associate of Arts degree, as well as a high school diploma.

The Rockwood School Counseling Department will be holding an ECP virtual information meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Jamie Waeckerle at waeckerlejames@rsdmo.org or 636-733-2093.

Hear from two current Rockwood and ECP students about their experience in the program!

Remington Duvernell, senior, Eureka High

Going into her junior year, Remington Duvernell was looking for a different way to challenge herself academically while still participating in the things she enjoyed the most about her experience at Eureka High.

She found it in the Early College Partnership, allowing her an opportunity for increased independence with her schedule and the chance to get a head start on taking courses for college credit while still being able to partake in high school activities such as Friday night football games, dances, choir class and theater productions.

This fall, in addition to her courseload at STLCC-Wildwood, Duvernell also played one of the main roles in the Eureka Theatre Company’s fall musical, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

“I definitely feel like it’s a benefit for me as a student,” she said. ‘I thrive on doing extracurriculars. I make an awful bored person. Doing the class and extracurriculars at Eureka still help me feel like I’m in the high school atmosphere, while taking college classes make me feel like I’m getting ahead in the financial aspect.”

After she graduates from Eureka High this spring, Duvernell plans to transfer to Missouri State University with nearly two years of college credit already completed. She plans to major in elementary education with possible minors in deaf studies or communication disorders.

An American Sign Language course she took at STLCC helped set her on this path.

“That was a super cool experience and I want to look more into that,” she said. “And I’ve had a great experience with Rockwood with teaching. At Eureka Elementary, I had amazing teachers who check in on me still. They’re so awesome and have ultimately inspired me to become a teacher. This ECP program has definitely helped me get a leg up on everything early on.”

As an STLCC student, Duvernell said she is learning self-reliance and maturity that will serve her well when she moves on to Missouri State.

“I’ll know how college classes work. I always want to know what to expect because that’s the type of person I am,” she said. “One of the benefits has been my work ethic, which is something I’ve had to work and that has progressed over time. I know how much work I can do because I’ve pushed myself so hard so far. I’m not really worried about the workload of college and how stressful it’s going to be because I kind of know what to expect.”

Awaad Khan, junior, Marquette High

Why did you want to apply for the ECP?

"I was interested in the ECP program because I wanted a head start compared to my other classmates, and I wanted to get an idea on how college is and how much more work it would be than high school."

What kinds of classes are you taking?

"I’m at Meramec campus, and my first semester I took very general classes like Personal Finance, American Politics, Algebra 2, C++ and English 101. But next semester i’m taking Biology, Psychology, Java, Pre-Calculus and Communications."

How have you enjoyed your ECP experience?

"I have really liked my experience with the early college program. It has really challenged me and put my academics to the test. I think it is a very good choice for upcoming juniors in high school who want to experience college a little earlier. The professors are really nice and help you out a lot, and there is a lot of help offered at STLCC as well, such as the writing center, where they help you on your essays. And they have a tutoring class as well."

What are your plans after graduation?

"After graduation I plan to transfer to WashU or Missouri S&T. I plan on majoring in computer science, and I have been working on transferring all my credits so I can transfer in as a junior in college."

How do you hope the ECP experience benefits you moving forward?

"I hope that I can finish college a little earlier than the rest of my classmates. I am focusing on taking computer science classes now and finishing my regular General Education classes so all my credits transfer. I think a lot of students should consider doing ECP if they want more insight on how college is like. It is not as hard as it seems because most kids see college and they freak out, but in all honesty, you get to know what college offers and how much work it is."