Las Positas boasts a diverse community of students: multiple ethnicities, majors, interest groups, backgrounds, career statuses and ages.
When you think of a typical Las Positas student, these things may come to mind. One that might not occur, however, is a 16 year old.
But what about a program for prospective students? With overwhelming support, Middle College provides an answer.
Middle College provides a way for students to become accustomed to college life and classes. The program’s coordinator, Amy Brown believes that it is a great way for high school students to walk a successful path. Brown has been involved with numerous school programs, and has been a teacher in Pleasanton for 20 years. She considers herself to be the “principal” of Middle College.
“We started with 30 students, the next year we had 60 students, and last year we had 100 students.” The 140 students this year are made up of 70 high school juniors and 70 seniors. The students come from Livermore, Dublin and Pleasanton with the entire program funded by the school districts.
Middle College is an opportunity for high school students to get a jump start in their higher education and soon enough, their career. Brown explained, “Students have to apply and go through an interview process— they also have to be an independent student.”
Students of the program meet with assigned counselors where they discuss classes they need to take at LPC in order to transfer.
Students in the program begin their day with classes which are considered to be high school level courses. The second half of their day is classes Las Positas offers. The classes these students can take at LPC can be any subject, from science and math to music and art.
Middle College has been met with outstanding success, at a 100 percent graduation rate. “Last year (2017), was our first set of graduates, and we had 28 graduates, 22 stayed at Las Positas,” Brown explained.
Most students in the program finish their major requirements at LPC before transferring, while some move straight to a 4-year college. Brown said, “So it does work!”
