RBR Enters Agreement with Georgian Court University to Offer College Credit Courses to High School Students in Sports Medicine and Management Academy

(RBR) has recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Georgian Court University (GCU) to offer two dual credit courses (each counting for both college and high school credits) at RBR in its Academy of Sports Medicine and Management (ASM&M.)  The two courses, (1) Foundations of Exercise Science & Wellness and (2) Nutrition in Exercise, Wellness, Sports and Dance will be offered in the fall of 2012 and spring of 2013, respectively, for the next school year. The dual credit courses will be offered first to seniors in the Academy and opened to the general school population if space is available.

The dual credit course will cost approximately $198 per student per course, which is paid to GCU, and represents a significant discount to GCU’s cost per course charged on its campus. Any student who wishes to take the course but has a financial hardship (as determined by the federal free and reduced lunch program) will be covered through the Small Learning Community Grant that the district won several years ago to develop the small learning academies. A student successfully completing the course will receive high school credits toward graduation and three college credits per course (six credits in total.)  These courses are offered as part of GCU’s Course Ahead Program developed ten years ago in partnership with area high schools for the purpose of offering dual credit courses.

Commenting on this new opportunity for students, RBR Superintendent Jim Stefankiewicz states, “This will help give our students a leg up in college. Research shows that students that take college level classes in high school are more likely to succeed at the college level. This agreement with GCU is part of a larger initiative to align all our academy programs with the college community so all our students have the opportunity to graduate high school with college credit whether it be through Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or dual credit courses.” He adds, “This arrangement is particularly important because there currently are no AP or IB courses offered in health and physical education.”

The courses will be taught by an RBR staff member who meets all the GCU criteria to teach the course at Georgian Court.  The teacher will function as an adjunct professor for Georgian Court but will be compensated by RBR. The course will utilize the same books and follow the same curriculum as Georgian Court. RBR’s block scheduling of 82 minute sessions also facilitates the teaching of these courses similar to a college schedule with ample and uninterrupted time for project based learning.

The field of Sports Medicine and Management has gained a great deal of popularity with young people, and many colleges have added course studies for career paths in this area.

ASM&M lead teacher Christina Emrich is excited about the new program and comments, “This offers students the opportunity to further explore the field for their future.”

ASM& M supervisor Alan Choback, feels the dual program will be of great benefit to an already very popular and successful program. He regularly assists Ms. Emrich in inviting very relevant speakers to address the students. Some of these have included a professional scout for the Baltimore Orioles, an orthopedic surgeon, chiropractor and physical therapist, all which represent different career pathways for the academy’s field of study.  

ASM&M students have undertaken such projects as designing their own floor plan for a professional gym. They were able to relate this to the industry when they took a field trip to the actual opening of a new local gymnasium. In their Sports Management Class, students learned about the operations of a sports stadium. In conjunction with this assignment, they visited Yankee stadium for an excellent behind the scenes tour including the ticketing and management offices.

The Academy of Sports Medicine and Management was created three years ago as part of RBR’s small learning communities’ initiative, funded by a major grant won from the federal government for this purpose. For many years, RBR has operated state-approved four-year academies in visual, performing arts, finance, engineering and technology and sought to expand this successful model to the entire school in creating four three-year academies. In addition to the ASM&M, RBR now maintains small learning community academies in Math & Science, Humanities & Social Sciences, and International & Cultural Studies.

RBR continues to negotiate dual credit programs with other universities for its other academy programs and will be announcing other programs in the near future.