Legacy Early College High School welcomes 2nd class to orientation

The Legacy Early College High School program began summer orientation for its second round of incoming freshman last week.

The students will pursue an accelerated academic schedule next year to earn credit for both high school and college.

The Early College High School (ECHS) program is meant to give students from underrepresented groups and from families that have not attended college the opportunity to gain up to 60 hours of college credit for free.

Legacy ECHS, headquartered at Temple College at Taylor, is one of 21 such programs across the state of Texas. It was funded with a $600,000 grant from the Texas Education Agency.

The close of the next academic year will mark the exhaustion of the grant funds, but the program is expected to remain self-sustaining, according to Legacy Principal Richard Kolek.

Like Texas public high school districts, the state will provide funds for the program based on Average Daily Attendance (ADA). Legacy claims partnerships with Hutto and Taylor ISDs, and so will receive funds from those districts as well.

“I think it’s an outstanding program,” Kolek said. “It gives kids the opportunity to go to college that might never go. Tuition, fees and books are paid for them.”

Students participating in the program are required to satisfy their normal high school studies in four core areas — math, science, language arts and history — and are also encouraged to consider career and course study paths through counseling seminars.

Of last year’s first crop of incoming freshman, 67 percent passed their college courses to earn three hours of credit, according to Kolek. As the students progress through their sophomore, junior and senior years, they will take a larger college credit load each year to earn a maximum of 60 hours of credit.

Legacy ECHS programs are targeted toward minorities underrepresented in higher education attendance, with African-American and Hispanic students comprising 70 percent of participants, Kolek said.

Eighth-graders applying for the program must fill out an application and submit academic and discipline records, a writing sample and be interviewed. Legacy ECHS officials target specific criteria when selecting students eligible for the program, including family income, status as a first-generation college student and whether a student is an English language learner.

Students chosen for the program display a need as well as a desire to excel in academics and to attend college.

“Our students aren’t straight-A students,” Kolek said. “They are committed, dedicated and interested in our rigorous program, and they’ve done an outstanding job rising to the occasion.”

This year’s sophomores are helping the incoming freshman through orientation.

Jacole Watson and Erica Agundis, both sophomores and tutors in Legacy’s Bridges career exploration program, helped freshmen prepare a portfolio of career information during the first week of orientation.

“It’s challenging,” Watson said about studying at Legacy. “It’s hard work learning how to take core classes and college classes at the same time and keeping your grades up.”