SCSD#2 and Sheridan College Board Discuss Dual Enrollment

Trustees from Sheridan County School District #2 and Northern Wyoming Community College held their joint board meeting on Monday, Feb. 27 in the SCSD#2 Board Room.

Topics discussed were dual/concurrent enrollment; Sheridan College Alumni; the Early Childhood Liaison; and a Computer Science course update.

Scott Stults, superintendent of SCSD#2, talked about the partnership between the schools in Sheridan County and Northern Wyoming Community College.

The first topic was dual enrollment, and Kristie Garriffa, assistant superintendent of SCSD#2 and Walt Tribley, president of Sheridan college, talked about dual enrollment courses, which are taught by college instructors and where students can earn both high school and college credit. These are available to students in both SHS and the John C. Schiffer school.

Concurrent enrollment are courses taught by college-approved high school teachers at the high school, and students earn both high school and college credits. Currently there are 24 concurrent enrollment courses available.

One benefit to this is that college credits in the approved classes can be earned with no cost to the students or their families. It gives graduating students a head-start on their college education.

Tribley said that the partnership between the college and the high schools are essential to have a strong community. Tribley added that when professionals look at towns to relocate to, they look at high schools and colleges.

Trustee Shelta Rambur said that her daughter has utilized the program it is fantastic. She said that the classes her daughter has been exposures to wouldn’t have happened any other way. She felt that it is a great way to get kids to try out something.

Dr. Estella Castillo-Garrison, Sheridan College, talked about two SC Alumni, Tommi Ritterbusch, who currently manages Sheridan Memorial Hospital’s Transitional Care Unit, and Jacob Hirschman, who is the Concert Hall Technical Director at Sheridan College. Both said the integrated learning between the high school and the college helped them to achieve their degrees.

Tribley talked about a new position that will help students it will be within student services and

Sheridan College Trustee Gary Koltiska talked about how the program helped his grandson.

One discussion was spring break, and that the college and the high schools should check their calendars and try to be on the same page with the spring break. Tribley said perhaps the 2024-25 year they could look into that.

Superintendent Stults talked about the early childhood liaison at SCSD#2

He added that last year there were 100 youngsters, and this year there are 115. He talked about some of what the program is doing.

Kristie Garriffa, Dr. Estella Castillo-Garrison and Abby Hurley gave an update on the computer science programs, saying that much of what we do today involves computers, and how many careers there are in computer science. Wade Cotton, SC Trustee and welding teacher at SHS, said even the welders have computer components.

Koltiska was concerned about the use of social media, and the fact that there was a lot of bullying with the social media. Hurley talked about teaching youngsters how to be ‘kind on line.’

According the handout above, the demand for software developers will increase by 22% between 2022 and 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.

The median annual salary for related occupations is $88,240.