For Immediate Release
February 11, 2008

Cañada Middle College Schedules Information Sessions

Program offers high school students a chance to save thousands in college tuition costs.

Students in the Sequoia Union High School District have an opportunity to save thousands of dollars in college tuition costs by participating in the Cañada Middle College High School program. The program allows students to leave high school and take classes at Cañada College, enabling them to earn both high school and college credit simultaneously.

Cañada College will hold information sessions at Sequoia High School, Carlmont High School, Menlo-Atherton High School and Woodside High School during the first two weeks of March. All meetings will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Here is a complete list of meeting dates and locations:

• Tuesday, March 4, Sequoia High School Multi Purpose Room, 1201 Brewster Ave., Redwood City.
• Thursday, March 6, Carlmont High School, Multi Use Room, 1400 Alameda de las Pulgas Rd., Belmont.
• Tuesday, March 11, Menlo-Atherton High School Multi Use Room, 555 Middlefield Rd., Atherton.
• Thursday, March 13, Woodside High School Multi Use Room, 199 Churchill Ave., Woodside.

“With the rising cost of college tuition, we’re seeing more high-achieving high school students enroll in the Middle College program to take advantage of the cost savings,” said Jen Petroelje, a Middle College instructor at Cañada. Petroelje said it used to be rare for students to finish the two-year Middle College program with both a high school diploma and a college degree. Now, she said, it’s becoming more common as students and parents see it as a way to cut college costs. Under an agreement between the college and the Sequoia Union High School District, students enrolled in Middle College can take college courses for free. In the past few years, she said, students have gone from earning around 30 college credits to nearly 50 by the time they graduate.

Middle College students have recently gone on to enroll at UCLA, UC Davis, New York University, Oberlin College, Carnegie Mellon, Reed College, University of Southern California, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz and others.

The March meetings will include an overview of the program, a question and answer session, and the opportunity to speak with current Middle College students about their experience.

For more information, call (650) 306-3120 or e-mail canadamiddlecollege@smccd.net

For more information, contact Robert Hood, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, at hoodr@smccd.edu or 306-3340