Early College High School programs in the Socorro Independent School District have selected a new cohort for the 2020-2021 school year.
The new students were selected at recent lottery events throughout the high schools, where representatives from El Paso Community College, University of Texas at El Paso, district leaders and staff, and even mariachi groups and mascots, took part in the selection process for the programs.
“I think it’s a great thing we are able to offer this opportunity to the students and their families,” said Frank Clark, SISD advanced academic coordinator. “That’s what we are all about.”
Students who were selected for the program received acceptance letters, while those who were not selected will be placed on a waiting list in the order in which they were picked.
SISD, in collaboration with El Paso Community College, offers the most early college high school programs in the region. SISD opened Mission Early College High School, the first program of its kind in the region and one of the first in the state, in 2006.
“The Mission Early College High School community is very proud of the campus’ history of being the first early college in the El Paso region and a model early college for other early colleges in Texas,” said Mission Early College High School principal Ben Ortega.
Ortega said the district’s college readiness distinction is truly exemplified in the numerous success stories of current and former Mission Early College High School students.
This will be the second cohort selected for the Empire Early College at El Dorado High School, the Falcon Early College at Eastlake and the Pebble Hills Early College, all which opened this school year.
“I am excited to have our second cohort and the opportunities they will receive, like taking dual credit courses and receiving their associate degrees,” said Gerardo Talamantes, Pebble Hills High School assistant principal. “It is truly as we say one of endless opportunities.”
Team SISD’s other early college programs are Socorro Early College at Socorro High School, Rams Early College at Montwood High School and Trailblazers Early College at Americas High School.
