I often talk about the exceptional collaboration between College of the Redwoods and Cal Poly Humboldt and how that partnership is good for our community. While this relationship is important, the educational partnership between K-12 and College of the Redwoods is just as essential to our community and to CR’s ability to reinforce academic pathways with Cal Poly Humboldt and offer career education that prepares students for living wage jobs.

CR has a long-standing history of direct ties to K-12. Prior to CR, a junior college existed briefly from 1923-25 under the jurisdiction of the Eureka High School District Board of Trustees. When CR was established under the jurisdiction of its own Board of Trustees in 1964, CR’s first two years of classes were held on the Eureka High School campus.

Today, we have the same symbiosis. The Academy of the Redwoods, established in 2005, is an innovative partnership between CR and the Fortuna Unified School District that provides Humboldt County students an opportunity to experience college-level courses while still in high school. This is extremely beneficial to students, as they are on an accelerated path to a college degree and/or entrance into the workforce, saving money on college tuition. Some students have even completed an associate’s degree by the time they graduate high school.

CR is also working with a growing number of local high school districts to provide dual enrollment. This allows students to earn high school and college credit at the same time, by aligning certain courses taught in the high school with college curriculum and learning outcomes. The number of high school students earning college credit has grown over the years, and by all measures, dual enrollment has proved to be a valuable way of strengthening preparation for college, encouraging college enrollment, and increasing college persistence.

CR also engages in a variety of partnerships sponsored by the Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE). HCOE’s Education at Work College Connect program, led by Jim Ritter, gives local high school students a chance to experience college life by inviting them in to observe college classes live. We’ve even seen these visits inspire some “non-college-bound” students to reconsider and enroll in classes at CR.

HCOE’s Trades Academy, led by Jack Sheppard, is a robust program that brings awareness to career technical jobs and professions and showcases CR’s pathways and programs that lead to gainful employment in our local trades.

The Health Career Exploration Summer Institute (HESI) taught by Sara Dixon and organized by Megan Freitas is a collaboration between HCOE, CR, St. Joseph Health, Humboldt County’s Workforce Development Board and other industry partners to give 16-20 high school students an opportunity to explore healthcare careers. This program is extremely important in our efforts to mitigate the severe nursing and healthcare provider shortages in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.

The Technology Exploration Summer Institute (TESI), organized by CR’s Computer Information Systems faculty Amy Murphy and HCOE’s Career and College Resources Program Manager Tanya Trump, is a program where high school students earn CR credit during the summer by learning several technological related topics including infrastructure, applications, software development, database fundamentals, and security.

All of these partnerships strengthen our community by raising college awareness. As CR’s president I am confident in saying that Cal Poly Humboldt President Dr. Tom Jackson and HCOE Superintendent Michael Davies-Hughes and I want every K-12 student in Humboldt County to think of college as a viable and valuable objective. I have seen evidence that, with these partnerships, we are constantly overcoming barriers and getting closer to this goal. If you want to know more about HCOE’s program please go to https://hcoe.org/career-college-resources/