Mount Vernon STEAM Academy partners with Lehman College for college-level courses

Mount Vernon STEAM Academy has partnered with Lehman College to bring college professors to high school students to teach them college-level courses. These courses also allow students to gain college credit. 

After the school day ends, students pack into classrooms at STEAM Academy to engage in discussions and interesting lectures with professors from Lehman College. Through these discussions students are reading challenging essays, learning how to engage with higher-level materials, and thinking critically. Through Zoom, professors such as Robert Farrell, Jwendlen Nivens, and Steven Soldwedel present engaging lectures on writing and media to teach students these fundamental ideas. 

“Essentially they’re being exposed to high-level essays that are the very same essays that Lehman College students are reading in composition classes,” said Jane Kehoe-Higgins, Director of the Institute for Literacy Studies at Lehman and coordinator of this partnership. “They are exposed to different essay formats beyond the five-paragraph essay, so that they can gain a better understanding of what it means to really work through information, analyze it, and then present their analysis about their thoughts on the material.”

Starting in the spring semester of their sophomore year, students can earn up to three college credits per semester and three credits over the summer until they This semester, scholars are able to enroll in ENG 111 and ENG 121, which are English Composition courses. 

“Taking college courses in high school provides students with the opportunity to challenge themselves academically, gain valuable skills, and earn college credits,” said STEAM Assistant Principal Anjanette Brown “The goal is to prepare them for higher education and their future goals.”