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Bladen County Early College Principal Rodney Smith and Nicole Dove, the Career and College Liaison, spoke at the Elizabethtown Rotary Club meeting Wednesday. This year the school will have their first graduating class.
Changing lives and creating opportunities for all students is the vision of the school. The mission is to provide students with educational opportunities specifically targeting the needs of the community.
Smith said he believes the early college is the “best kept secret in Bladen County.” The first class at the new school started on August 6th, 2018.
Dove presented a video the students made to promote the school and the school’s logo. The logo was also created by the students.
Smith said, “We use our students’ talents. We want Bladen County students to be the best they can be.”
“We believe in hands-on – not work sheets,” Smith said.
The goal of the school is to have 60 students or less. Smith spoke on the attendance and feeding rates of their students being above average. He attributed their successful numbers to the students enjoying their school.
“We wanted to give our kids another alternative,” he explained.
Any student is welcome to apply to the school and the tuition and text books are free to students, according to Smith. The school is funded by state tax dollars.
“We need help getting the word out about the early college,” Smith said.
Both Dove and Smith explained the school needs local business owners to come in and tell the students what the business needs are for their employment opportunities. Job shadowing and internships are also avenues the school officials would like businesses to help their students with in order to better meet the students and business needs.
You can apply at the school located at Bladen Community College, your local middle school or the Bladen County Board of Education. Applications must be submitted by February 21st, 2019. For more information visit: www.Bladen.k12.nc.us.bechs
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