Greenville Early College Welcomes Stakeholders
Greenville Early College hosted a luncheon to present the accomplishments of its program that serves 139 students in grades 6 through 10 in a personalized learning environment that assists them toward becoming the first in their families to attend college.
Guests included school board members, representatives from Greenville Technical College, the University Center, Furman University, the Community Foundation of Greenville, Public Education Partners, Communities in Schools, United Way, and other community groups involved in the development of Early College.
Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster thanked the guests for their support in starting and continuing the program. “The primary focus of Early College is to make students academically prepared for college, to give them exposure to college life, to gain an understanding of what college is like, and to inform them of the benefits of post-secondary education,” he said.
“A summer camp is held on the Furman University campus for all rising sixth graders to get to know the faculty and each other, but also to get familiar with a college-going identity,” explained Principal Dr. Tiffany Estes. “They get to visit dorms, the dining hall, and get to meet college students and faculty.”
Ontario Martin, a GEC ninth grader, said, “This school is different because it has small class sizes and administrators who care about every student. I want to go to Greenville Technical College to get an associate’s degree in criminal justice to become a police officer.”
Sophomore Ashley Reed plays basketball for Carolina High School and has been in Greenville Early College since her sixth grade year. “When I first came to GEC I didn’t know what to expect. Now that I’m enrolled, this program is helping me stay on the A/B Honor Roll. I plan to go to college to go into nursing or business management.”
Tyrek Russell loves sports, especially basketball and football. “My parents wanted me to try out this program,” he said. “I love it here because of the smaller classes and caring teachers. I feel supported and know they will help me when I need it.”
