In the Classroom

CITIZENSHIP ACADEMY

CLASSES TO BE OFFERED AT FITCHBURG HIGH SCHOOL IN SPRING 2008

Citizenship Academy, a program funded by a grant from Learn & Serve and by the college, allows low-income and/or first generation high school juniors and seniors to take core curriculum college courses at no cost to them. This year, two Sociology courses will be offered at Fitchburg High School by the Center for Democracy and Humanity, working in collaboration with MWCC’s College Access Preparation Programs. The courses offered will be Sociology 103: Introduction to Sociology, and Sociology 205: Social Problems. For the first time, Citizenship Academy will be integrated into the existing schedule at Fitchburg High School, which will allow students to take the courses during the day instead of after-hours or in the evening. This change will reduce the conflicts that many former students and prospective students have had with after-school sports and clubs, as well as transportation issues that many students struggled with.

The courses will be taught by an adjunct MWCC faculty member, and students will be required to test into English 101 which is a pre-requisite for the Citizenship Academy courses offered. The courses also integrate a minimum of 40 hours of service learning, which will be guided throughout the semester by Andrea Hart de Gravelle and Fagan Forhan of the Center for Democracy and Humanity. Students will be required to obtain public policy issues pertinent to their coursework and develop projects that address that issue in some way.

Applications will be available from the College Access Preparation Programs and from the Center for Democracy and Humanity websites. Applicants must submit a minimum 200-500 word essay as part of their application that discusses the effects a selected current event currently has or has had on citizens in our community. The courses will run consecutively from January 28th through May 9, 2008. Upon completing both courses, students will have attained six college credits prior to enrolling at any college as a matriculated student.

For more information, please contact Andrea Hart de Gravelle at (978) 630-9458 or Fagan Forhan at (978) 630-9595.