LSC classes offered at Atascocita High

Here's an update on Lone Star College-Kingwood courses that will be offered at Atascocita High School in 2010.

High school students and community members interested in taking evening college credit courses in the spring at Atascocita High School will have an opportunity to register in early 2010.

Lone Star College-Kingwood, which began offering dual credit classes in 2006 and evening college credit courses in spring 2008 at Atascocita High School, will station its Mobile Go Van and its advisors at the school to help students and adults register for courses available in spring 2010. The van will be on campus Jan. 4 -7 from 3 to 7 p.m. All spring classes begin on Jan. 19.

“We began offering courses at Atascocita High School because it is always a good idea to bring education closer to where people are. We will build a center that is going to open in September 2011, so this is just a start to a long commitment to the Atascocita area,” Professor Honora Diaz, chairman of Behavioral Sciences at LSC-Kingwood, said. “Our goal in offering courses at the high school is to continue our ability to make education accessible to the community because we are a community college. We are financially accessible and physically, we are accessible.”

To register for classes at the Mobile Go Van, new students must take either the COMPASS or ACCUPLACER placement test at LSC-Kingwood to decide if they are college ready and which classes are appropriate for them. Students currently enrolled in dual credit in the Humble Independent School District may not have to take the placement tests to register for classes. In addition to taking or having test results on file, people must also bring documents, for example a utility bill, that state whether they live in or out of the Lone Star College system. Diaz said that it is good idea for people to bring paper copies of their records such as their transcripts and diplomas.

Courses available for the spring semester at Atascocita High School are Composition and Rhetoric I, American Government II, General Psychology, U.S. History Since 1877, College Algebra and Public Speaking. In addition to those courses, the college will offer two new classes: Introduction to Criminal Justice and Introduction to the Teaching Profession.

Criminal Justice, taught by Lt. Albert Johnson with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, will give students an introductory glance into what the broad topic is all about. According to Johnson, they will learn about the causes of crime, social aspects in regards to which environments cause it, what careers they can explore, and much more.

“I want to show them what law enforcement/Criminal Justice is all about. A lot of people believe that what they see on television is what really goes on but, that is not true. That is only a small portion of what goes on. The other part deals with things such as budgeting, communication, writing grants and other things students will also learn about,” Johnson said.

Students in Criminal Justice will do a lot of group work that will allow them to discuss and present topics they read in their textbooks to their peers and the instructor. Johnson said he wants to make the course fun and interesting but, there will also be lectures and quizzes to reinforce the subject matter.

Terre McKinney, principal of Summerwood Elementary in Atascocita, will use her 27 years of experience in education to teach Introduction to the Teaching Profession at Atascocita High School this spring. Subjects discussed will be the history of education and legal concerns in American Education.

“Students will gain an understanding of the culture of schooling and classrooms from the perspective of language, gender, socioeconomic, ethnic, and disability-based academic diversity and equity,” McKinney said. “Education has a greater impact on a person's life and future than anything else. Qualified teachers are essential for a quality education.”

Students will also learn strategies to achieve academic equity, governance and support of American Education, and the opportunity to participate in field experiences in schools, which they will do in the classroom.

In addition to Introduction to the Teaching Profession, the college offers a two-year degree, Associate of Arts in teaching. Through the University of Houston-Downtown, students can earn their entire bachelor’s degree with teacher certification entirely at LSC-Kingwood.

Register now for spring 2010 credit classes in one of three ways: phone, online or on campus. Classes are offered days, evenings, or weekends in traditional, Internet, video, TV and independent study formats. Current students can register by telephone at 281-312-1613. Former and current students can register online at http://wwwtemp.lonestar.edu/registration.htm [1]

For general information about Lone Star College-Kingwood, call 281-312-1600 or visit our Web site at http://lonestar.edu/kingwood.htm [2]