An enthusiastic Danielle Martin, a Marshall County sophomore, joined other students Monday to get their first taste of Commonwealth Middle College.

The 50 students met on the West Kentucky Community & Technical College campus for orientation, which included discussion of upcoming classes, a tour of the bookstore and a chance to get to know each other.

“I’m excited to be here,” Martin said. “But (my grandmother) texted me this morning to say, ‘I am so proud of you.’ She’s more excited than I am.”

The high school students, all sophomores, hail from the McCracken County school system and Marshall County High School. They will take high school classes at the middle college starting this fall, while also enrolling in WKCTC classes.

The students can earn up to 36 college credits for free, which carries an estimated savings of $5,000 per student.

The Lay Family Foundation of St. Louis gave $620,000 a year ago to establish the middle college on the WKCTC campus to help more high school students pursue higher education.

Qualifying for the program meant students had to have a 2.5 grade-point average or better and no discipline or attendance problems. Students, who would be the first generation in their family to graduate, were sought and priority was given to those facing economic difficulties that could keep higher education costs out of reach.

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