LUXEMBURG-CASCO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Three area school districts are collaborating with Bellin College to roll out a new program, which would allow students to earn up to 42 college credits while still in high school.
It’s called the Bellin College Healthcare Academy.
Luxemburg-Casco junior Melanie Schleis wants to be a registered nurse.
“My dad has MS so I’ve kind of been surrounded with that my whole life. And my mom is a dietician so it’s always been a big part of my life and just really got me interested in it,” Schleis said.
By taking part in the partnership program, she’ll be one step closer to achieving that goal, even before she graduates high school.
“The goal of this is to shorten the amount of time they’re in college, reduce the amount of cost for the student, because the cost per credit is reduced, and so if everything works out perfectly, they could be out in two years after they graduate. So they’re already in the workforce at age 20 to 21 and making money in the area that they want to be in,” Luxemburg-Casco School District director of learning services Michael Snowberry said.
Students at Luxemburg-Casco, Denmark, and Kewaunee schools can participate in the program.
Snowberry says each class costs 115 dollars, and the district will cover the cost of 18 credits.
Snowberry says the credits are also transferable.
“At 115 dollars, to have 1 year of college done for probably less than 3,000 dollars, that’s a really good deal,” Snowberry said.
Classes will be taught by the staff at Bellin College.
Most classes will be asynchronous or hybrid.
The instructor will rotate between the three districts.
Bellin Health director of orthopedics and sports medicine Phil Schaible says the partnership is a win for everyone, including the health system.
“We have a health system crisis, across healthcare, it’s not a Bellin thing. There’s just not enough people choosing to go into healthcare. And with the pandemic, things were made worse. We don’t have a really vibrant platform exposing people to careers in healthcare. Our goal was to do that,” Schaible said.
The program will start in August.
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