Tupelo High School introduces AP U.S. History Dual Credit and welcomes back regular U.S History Dual Credit. Dual credit is a program that allows high school students to enroll in college courses for credit prior to high school graduation. This is the third consecutive year for regular U.S History Dual Credit. The college courses are accredited by Itawamba Community College. The AP U.S. History Dual Credit combines AP U.S History I and II content with the ICC American I and II course. The program is two semesters long. The regular U.S. History classes are divided by American I and American II. Each class is nine weeks long. The AP course’s curriculum begins in the Pre-Columbian Age and ends at present time. The regular U.S. History class starts at the beginning of the Civil War and ends at present time.

There are several benefits these classes have to offer. The classes are smaller and have an instructor, unlike if one took the course at a university. The course better prepares students for college. The graduate would have a few requirements as a freshman in college already completed. Students who enroll in the regular U.S. History course are guaranteed six hours of college credit, while students who take the AP course are guaranteed six hours of credit along with additional credits from scoring well on the AP U.S. History State test. The state test has a 52 percent success rate. If these courses were to be taken in college, they would have cost the student an estimation of $100 per hour. The cost of enrollment for the courses in high school is one payment of  $100. When looking at the big picture, taking the dual credit program in high school is much cheaper.

Marlo Hendrix and Jeremy Turner are the two teachers selected to instruct these courses this year. They were chosen to teach these curriculums because of their master degrees in history.

Hendrix has been educating students for 20 years. She taught 16 years at Tupelo Middle School and is now teaching for her fourth year at THS. Mrs. Hendrix has taught seventh grade World History, eighth grade U.S. History, Mississippi Studies, World Geography, and 11th grade regular U.S. History. Her favorite part about teaching history is making the learning experience interesting for the students. She enjoys relating the past to the present. Mrs. Hendrix is pleased to teach AP U.S. History Dual Credit because of its rigorous pace and higher level of thinking.

Turner has been teaching for 17 years. And for all of those 17 years, he has educated students at THS. He has taught every single history course available here except for,sociology, psychology, religion, and law. His favorite part about teaching history is “he wants to show how the past affects the present and how the present affects the future.” He is delighted about teaching this dual credit class because it administers students a credit to use later on. The course is of value to the student’s college education.

These classes offer a valuable opportunity to students. Those who participate in the course reap the benefits in the near future.