Pilot College Prep Night Course to Begin This Week

Editor's Note: This is the second installment in a series of three articles exploring college prep programming in District 199. The first article, , posted last week.

is partnering with to implement an entry-level college night course that will prepare 25 students for post-secondary education.

The course, which begins today (March 12) and runs through May 2, has been in development for approximately six months. It will be conducted on the Inver Hills campus in Inver Grove Heights and will teach college survival skills to Simley students performing in the academic middle.

Students enrolled in the course will receive one semester hour of college credit from Inver Hills.

“It’s really, really beneficial if you can be successful in college courses right off the bat,” said Dr. Deirdre Wells, superintendent of Independent School District 199.

The pilot course will instruct students on a range of topics related to navigating college and making the most of the post-secondary experience. Subjects to be addressed include time management, personal responsibility, web skills, goal setting, note taking, communication skills and accessing resources such as financial aid.

“It will give students the opportunity to understand the system,” said Jerald Sakala, principal of Simley and director of secondary instruction for District 199.

Sakala noted that this course exemplifies Simley’s mission to prepare each student for post-secondary education.

The students participating in the course were identified by guidance counselors as disadvantaged and middle-tier performing. Specifically, many of the students enrolled are potential first-generation college students, who may not have considered post-secondary education without Simley’s college preparation programming.

The estimated cost of the course is approximately $2,500. The course is funded by grants accessed by Simley from the Kopp Family Foundation, Walmart and the St. Paul Foundation. These funds provide fee coverage for the 25 students enrolled.

Simley and Inver Hills both support expanding the course and potentially offering it more frequently in coming years, should the pilot prove to be a success.

“We’d love to expand it,” said Sakala.