Kirkwood open house kicks off new school year

WILLIAMSBURG — Kirkwood Community College kicked off the school year for Iowa County students during an open house last week.

The Iowa County facility in Williamsburg welcomed high school students and their parents, explaining concurrent enrollment courses and other services offered by the community college.

On hand to meet prospective students was Kirkwood Iowa County’s new nurse aide instructor, Mindy Wuebker.

Nurse aide numbers declined after the pandemic, said Mike Jacobsen, associate director for Kirkwood Benton and Iowa Counties, but the nurse aide academy continues to be popular at both Williamsburg and Marengo locations.

Classes were moved from Iowa Valley High School to Marengo’s public library during renovation of the high school last summer, and that change of location continues this year.

The Williamsburg location serves HLV and English Valleys High School students as well as Williamsburg students, and the Marengo location is a short drive for students from Belle Plaine, said Jacobsen.

Students who complete the academy will be certified nursing assistants, but they can take additional courses, such as medical terminology, to pursue other medical vocations, such as physical or occupational therapy.

The electrosonography program has been popular with students, said Jacobsen. “That one’s been picking up steam.”

The dental hygienist program is also popular; it has a wait list. That program is offered on the main campus in Cedar Rapids.

Concurrent enrollment, also called dual credit, is on the rise, said Jacobsen. Dual credit courses offered at the Iowa County campus include Composition I and II, criminal justice and introduction to business.

In all the area high school served by Kirkwood Iowa County, one in four students are taking at least one college class while in high school, said Jacobsen. Statewide, 33% of high school students are taking college classes.

The concurrent enrollment classes provide high school and college credits for the students, said Jacobsen. The classes are counted in high school graduation requirements and give students a head start on their college degrees.

And if the college courses are taken as part of high school, the student doesn’t have to pay for them. The cost savings is good for families, said Jacobsen, and the quality of the courses is the same as that of larger, more expensive colleges.

Classes at the Iowa County facility are limited, but the commute to the main campus is only about 35 minutes, said Jacobsen, and most classes meet in person only two or three days a week.

Online course work can be done at the students’ convenience, said Jacobsen, allowing them to attend high school, take part in activities and even have part-time jobs while earning college credit.

Kirkwood added student ambassadors this year to give high school students information about concurrent enrollment filtered through the eyes of their peers.

“Students are more comfortable reaching out to students,” said Jacobsen.

Lynette Stourac, student academic support coordinator, said the ambassadors from each high school attend events and leadership meetings to talk about their experiences at Kirkwood.

Kaylynne Hoylman, a junior at English Valleys High School, attended the open house in Williamsburg Aug. 21.

“I learned about doing the classes online my freshman year,” said Hoylman. She’s working her way through the accounting program now.

“It’s a good way to get ahead,” Hoylman said. She’s completed six classes already.

Taking college courses while in high school also helps students learn time management, which they will need in a college setting. “It will prepare me for the style the classes will be in,” Hoylman said.

Hoylman participates in volleyball, band, choir, student council, drama and speech, but she has a “college reserve” period during the school day during which she can attend college classes.

Kirkwood also provides non-credit continuing education courses at the Williamsburg facility. First aid, CPR and AED training is scheduled for Sept. 15 from 1-5 p.m. and a basic life support class is set for Oct. 6 from 1-5 p.m. Sign up is required by Sept. 12 for the first and by Oct. 3 for the BLS course.

Kirkwood began English language acquisition classes in the evenings at its Benton and Iowa County last year for non-native speakers. Johnson County alone has a huge backlog, said Jacobsen.