Enrollment for the 2012 - 2013 school year at the Blue Water Middle College Academy (BWMCA) is now open. The enrollment process is composed of the following steps:
Students, parents and guardians gather information about the BWMCA via this web site, informational meetings (see below), email and phone inquiries, and from the Student/Parent Information Document linked to here and at the right.
Interested students must complete and submit the one-page application by Monday, Feb. 6.
Students who submit an application will be contacted in February to schedule an interview with a parent or guardian. The interview is for the sharing of information only. It is not used to determine who is or is not accepted into the program. There are no grade or assessment criteria that must be met to be accepted into the program. However, it is important that students are ready for the challenge of college courses.
Shortly after the interview, students must decide if they are going to enroll in the Blue Water Middle College Academy for the fall of 2012 and submit the enrollment form.
By mid-March, the partnering high schools will be informed of the students who will be attending as BWMCA students, so they can schedule them appropriately for their 2012 - 2013 high school courses.
The official enrollment of the student in the BWMCA and transfer of student records will occur at the end of the 2011 - 2012 school year.
LEARN MORE
Attend one of these free informational sessions about the Blue Water Middle College Academy. Representatives from the middle college, St. Clair County Community College, and the partnering high school, along with current BWMCA students, will be there to provide information and answer questions. Families may attend any session. No registration is required.
Capac High School: Wednesday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m.
Port Huron Northern High School: Thursday, Jan. 26, 6 p.m.
Open House: Monday, Feb. 6th!
The Blue Water Middle College Academy is holding an Open House for new and current students and their families from 4– 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 6.
Prospective students can come by to see some of SC4's campus. The offices of the BWMCA are just down the hallway from the SC4 One-Stop Registration and Financial Aid offices, the Success Center (w/ SC4 advisors), and the bookstore.
Attendees will be able to talk to the middle college staff to learn more about the program and can take a self-tour of some important SC4 features, such as the library and the Achievement Center. Click here for the Open House invitiation that includes a map to the middle college offices on SC4's campus. Refreshments will be provided.
Middle College overview
The Blue Water Middle College Academy provides St. Clair County students the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and a college associate degree at no cost by attending school for an extra year.
The BWMCA is designed to increase the number of students enrolling in college and the number of students completing either an associate or bachelor’s degree.
This is accomplished by progressively transitioning high school students into the college environment beginning in 11th grade and continuing through year 13. The BWMCA is modeled on schools elsewhere in Michigan and the nation that blend high school and college classes.
Students are supported throughout the program with personal mentoring and academic counseling, college success workshops, and development of a supportive group of fellow middle college students.
Students enroll in the Blue Water Middle College Academy in the fall of their 11th grade year. Enrollment begins in January with a series of informational meetings at the partnering high schools.
A unique partnership
The BWMCA is chartered by the St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) and reflects a unique partnership between the RESA, St. Clair County Community College and four county school districts: Port Huron, Memphis, Capac and Yale.
Students take their high school courses at one of the partnering high schools. Their college courses are taken at St. Clair County Community College.
Students enrolling in the Blue Water Middle College Academy become students of the middle college academy but are allowed to play sports and participate in normal extracurricular activities at their local high school through agreements between the middle college and the local districts.
Success Sessions
Friday Success Sessions provide students with time to meet as a group, share information and ideas, and learn about the strategies and skills that help students succeed at high levels in college.
Students are expected to attend all Friday Success Sessions, but when they cannot make it, they can view a summary of the missed session by clicking here or on the "Success Sessions" label at the left.
Success Sessions are offered two times on Friday afternoon to accommodate different high school, athletic, and work schedules. Students can attend from 1 to 2:30 p.m. or from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sessions are typically held in Room 201 of the CEM building at SC4. Email Pete Spencer if you want to double check the location.
State Superintendent Flanagan visits BWMCA
Michael Flanagan, superintendent of Public Instruction for Michigan, visited with students and parents of the Blue Water Middle College Academy on Sept. 28. He was on a tour of several schools in St. Clair County that day.
He was impressed with what he heard from BWMCA participants. Their enthusiasm for the program and appreciation for the opportunity it provides was evident. He made it clear that opportunities that programs like the BWMCA provide to students will become the norm in Michigan. The traditional K-12 model of education will become a thing of the past, Flanagan said.
We thank the students and parents who took the time to come to SC4 to meet with him. Those who could not make it, but who would like to share their thoughts about middle colleges and the Blue Water Middle College Academy, in particular, can email them to Mr. Flanagan.
What courses are BWMCA students taking at SC4?
Students took a variety of courses at SC4 during the fall semester, but most included at least one of a few basic, introductory level courses (Speech 101, Sociology 101, and Political Science 101). All students took SD 140 or College Success. SD 140 is a two-credit course designed to provide students with information, learning strategies, and increased self-awareness that will help them focus their effots and succeed at higher levels in their college courses.
Other courses taken by BWMCA students in the fall semester included English, history, biology, anthropology, psychology and criminal justice.
Their winter semester schedules include a wider variety of courses with more students taking English, mathematics, and science.
Orientation Week
BWMCA students spent four half-days on SC4's campus learning about what it's like to be a college student and how it differs from being in high school.
Acitivities included:
Meeting fellow academy students
Meeting SC4 faculty and administrators
Visiting the campus library
Touring the SC4 campus
Experiencing a sample college lesson
Learning about the WAVE and SC4 email systems
Increasing awareness of college readiness skills
Sample college lessons
One of the most powerful activities of the orientation included students experiencing two days of college lecture, discussion, and writing. Four SC4 faculty members assisted with these activities. Students jumped right into some pretty heady topics, including learning about the electoral college voting system, fractional reserve banking, and the reasons for historical and recent famines in India.
College readiness
Students spent time during the orientation learning about what it takes to be ready to succeed in college. Too many students head to college not ready for the academic challenges of their courses, without the types of thinking skills used in college courses, and unaware of the different culture and expectations of college. A primary goal of middle and early colleges is to prepare students to be ready to succeed in college when they are on their own. Such preparation takes time.
The students were asked to read about one of the four main components of being college ready and then prepare a way of introducing the component to their middle college classmates. They did a great job of this with just a short amount of time to prepare. Being able to work in a group and contribute to the development of a presentation is one of the skills students must possess to succeed at high levels in college.
Blue Water Middle College Academy staff
For more information, call
(810) 989-5805 or e-mail one of the staff members listed below:
The Blue Water Middle College Academy is now taking applications for the 2012-2013 school year. Click here to download the application. The enrollment process is described on the left.
Student/Parent Information Document
Click here for a more detailed description of the middle college program and information students and parents should consider as they decide whether the middle college is right for them.
The academy is chartered by the St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency.
