abouTschools

BRYAN COLLEGIATE HIGH SCHOOL
PREPARES KIDS FOR COLLEGE
By NICOLE PRIOLO

“This is something that only a few school districts are doing in Texas, so it’s a real opportunity.”
- Mike Cargill, Superintendent

Imagine being able to graduate from high school with 60 hours of college credit. To those attending Bryan Collegiate High School, that dream will be a reality. BCHS, which opened this past fall, is a district charter school that targets both low-income, first-generation students and the academically-driven student.

Students who attend BCHS take pre-AP classes as well as dual credit courses in which they receive both high school and college credit. Students also have block scheduling in order for their class schedules to more closely resemble those of college students.

Start-up money for the school comes from two grants: a state grant called Early College High School and a federal grant for charter schools. Mike Cargill, superintendent of Bryan ISD, says “We decided it was really worthwhile. This is something that only a few school districts are doing in Texas, so it’s a real opportunity. We try to meet those academic needs of not only the real high-achieving gifted and talented kids, but also the kids in the middle and the kids in the low socioeconomic that wouldn’t have had this opportunity before.”

“You have to be a serious student to go there, to be accepted, because it’s very academically-driven. It’s not a regular high school experience. It’s very different - it’s very, very academically intensive,” he said.

Fanny Turcios, a ninth-grader at BCHS, would agree with that statement. Turcios describes the education that she’s receiving as tough. “Even the regular high school classes are harder because it’s in a college-set environment,” she said. Turcios also said that teachers are strict about punctuality and turning in your work on time, as is the case in college classes. “They give us a lot of projects, and it’s a lot of work, but we can handle it because we chose to go here.” Turcios said she knew attending school at BCHS would be better for her in the long run.

In order to help the students excel, the school offers free tutoring for about an hour before and after school. De Gibson, a math teacher at BCHS, said, “We’re able to work together. If a student is struggling in classes, we find a way to help them. They don’t just get lost in the crowd.”

Unlike other public high schools, students who attend BCHS don’t have the opportunity to participate in traditional extra-curricular activities like football, volleyball, and choir, among others. On Fridays, however, students have the opportunity to attend an enrichment period. In the past, enrichment classes have included subjects such as guitar, yoga, photography, creative writing, and chess. The courses last nine weeks, and the school asks individuals in the community to come in and lead them.

The school makes it a point to give back to the community as well, and in October, they held a “Passionately Pink” campaign in order to raise money for breast cancer awareness. Students also took part in a service learning field trip in order to learn more about local non-profit organizations and how they could get involved.

Whitney McGee, a ninth-grader, said the service field trip was the best thing she has gotten to do since she’s been a student at BCHS. McGee added that she might not have otherwise had that opportunity if she were in another school.

BCHS Principal Christina Richardson said they try and involve the students in a lot of decisions. Though the district had the final say, students were the ones who came up with the name of school, the school colors, and the name of the mascot. Richardson also collaborates with a student curriculum committee to help her select what dual credit courses will be offered next year. “The students are going to start getting more input; we’re trying to foster that leadership in them,” she said.

Reflecting on the school’s first semester, Richardson said, “Overall I think we’re doing good, but we’re constantly evaluating ourselves.” She said they are always trying to improve their processes and strategies, as well as find ways to help students be more successful.

“I think the biggest struggle has been the level of rigor that we’re expecting and bringing our students to meet that level of expectation. For some of our students, it hasn’t been a problem at all, but for a lot of our students, this is a whole new world.”

Current enrollment at BCHS is 107 students, who are all ninth-graders. Each year, the school will admit 100 students until it reaches a 400-student capacity. Each year a new class will be admitted, and by the school’s fourth year, ninth through twelfth-grade classes will be offered.

Richardson said, “BISD has always been looking for how are we going to best prepare students for college – how are we going to give them every advantage we can, every opportunity we can to go to college and be successful. This is another avenue for students who have that mindset of ‘I know I’m going to college.’”