Ten Knox County high school students will don their caps and gowns three weeks before their classmates, as they graduate from Pellissippi State Community College with their associate degrees before they earn their high school diplomas.
This is the fourth and, by far, largest class of dual enrollment students to earn their associate degrees at Pellissippi State while completing high school at Career Magnet Academy, a public high school located on the college’s Strawberry Plains Campus. No students are zoned for CMA, and any Knox County student who wants to make significant progress toward an associate degree, at little to no cost to their families, may apply.
“These children are so amazing, and their perseverance is incredible,” said Ann Orpurt, the CMA guidance counselor who helped the students choose their classes. “They had to take extra classes in the mornings, in the evenings and in the summer to make this happen.”
A majority of CMA students graduate with between 24 and 45 college credit hours, which is no small feat, she added.
“Kids typically want to take as many classes as they qualify for,” Orpurt explained, noting CMA students no longer are confined to choosing a particular pathway but can take any Pellissippi State class offered. “These children did extra, but the other children at CMA are just as amazing.”
Eight of the 10 CMA seniors will walk at the 7 p.m. Friday, May 14, commencement ceremony on Pellissippi State’s Hardin Valley Campus while Elgin and Hamilton will walk at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 15, with their fellow Welding Technology graduates. CMA will hold its graduation on June 5.
“This is a monumental moment for these 10 remarkable students and for those at Pellissippi State and in Knox County Schools who have worked so hard to make Career Magnet Academy an option for students,” said Spencer Joy, dual enrollment specialist at Pellissippi State.
Soon-to-be graduate Kynlea Waldrop said, “I tell everyone I know to come to CMA!”
The Knox County graduates are Waldrop, Rondhea Martin, Dylan West, Eli Elgin, Nathan Parker, Forrest Hamilton, Arwen Roach, Sophie Trent, Josie Maynard and Jessamine Reckard.
CMA can accept 125 freshmen each year, and there are still 60 slots open for fall 2021. The school accepts older students as space is available. Those interested in attending CMA can apply now here. The application deadline is July 2.
For more information about CMA, contact CMA magnet facilitator Cameron Molchan at 865-622-3800 or email here.
For more information about other dual enrollment opportunities at Pellissippi State, go here.
Lesli Bales-Sherrod does marketing and writing for Pellissippi State Community College.