Middle College at Eastern Kentucky University is an expensive program but we are not “at risk” nor are we an “experiment”. The students who attend Middle College are not and were not “at risk”. One, our curriculum is much harder than the traditional high school students. In the traditional high school students receive three hundred minutes, give or take, of in class learning time per class each week. At Middle College we only receive one hundred and fifty minute of class time per class each week. We are expected to learn a lot of our high school material on our own time.

We take AP (advanced placement), regular, and a college course. We work ten times harder than your traditional student to learn the things that we are required to learn, we are not spoon fed the material like traditional high school students, we are treated like college students in a college environment. Yes, Middle College does cost quite a bit of money, but it cost a bit for good intentions and aspirations. No, we don’t have results proving that yet because it’s the first year and it’s only the first month of the first year.

The teenagers that chose to attend Middle College chose to attend because they wanted more for themselves than the traditional high school offered. We wanted to be challenged and we wanted to be in an environment where class time isn’t taken away by silly things such as disciplinary actions. It makes no sense to me that people already know that the money has already been spent yet they still degrade the program. You can’t get that money back! That’s the reality of the situation!

Instead of watching and hoping that we fail why don’t people start encouraging us to do the best we can instead of throwing away their money. You, the people of Kentucky are paying for us to succeed not fail, the sooner they realize that the better. Just because this is the first time Middle College has been done in Kentucky does not make it an “experiment”. Middle College has been successful in many other states. We are not rats, we are human beings, just like you who want to be successful and this program gave us the head start and “push” we need.

Every single student has the potential to be great but not every student uses that potential. Every single student at Middle College is using that potential to its full extent. Students who use their potential like we are, are the next leaders of America and will go on to be successful in what ever they choose to do. I am a Middle College student. I was never “at risk” and I never will be. Not only do my teachers and my principal expect great things out of me, I expect great things out of myself. I aspire to specialize in neurological disorders so I can help the people who live with them everyday.

I am one of the many students who know that I can reach my aspirations and Middle College was the perfect opportunity to start me out on my path to success. You cannot tell me that I was “at risk” or an “experiment” and you can’t tell the other students that are in this program with me that. SO please stop telling the community of Richmond that we are until you know the people who are working in the program everyday first hand. Stop until you know the dreams and stories of us all. Just because you have the freedom to write what you want about what ever you want doesn’t mean you should. Sincerely, Kayla Hale