River Forest dual-credit program offers a head start in college-level learning | Education

It’s a part of a new partnership between River Forest Community School Corp. and Ivy Tech’s Lake County campus — bringing dual credit opportunities to River Forest students for free thanks to a $200,000 contribution from Praxair’s Global Giving Program.

The program will allow students to earn a technical certificate in process operations in two years and multiple manufacturing industry certifications in courses led by Ivy Tech instructors along with opportunities to tour, network with and ultimately interview for a job with Praxair — now owned by global industrial gas and engineering company The Linde Group.

“This is a great stepping stone, this is a great foundation,” said Mark Fazio, a facility manager with Praxair. “We’re building a foundation here and it starts, really, with good, solid education.”

The selected class of River Forest students will start their day with one class at the high school, bus together to Ivy Tech’s East Chicago location for a selection of college courses, and then return to the high school to finish their school days.

Juniors will have the option to continue the program into their senior year at River Forest, while current seniors can choose to finish their Ivy Tech courses post-graduation.

It will help students like Jaylan Dixon, a senior at River Forest, get ahead by dramatically reducing the costs of college with the opportunity to earn more than 30 tuition-free college credits free over the course of the two-year program.

Dixon said she hopes to apply her transferable credits toward further education at a four-year university.

“This is going to give me the chance to get ahead,” Dixon said. “It’s not something I wanted to miss out on.”

Kaymon Armour, who hopes to become a first generation college student and lead his own business someday, said he hopes the class will help provide him with the leadership skills a good manager needs to work with employees.

“I can’t tell you how to do something I don’t know how to do,” the River Forest junior said. “This class will show me how to do it so I can explain to others.”

Supports are in place, such as weekly tutoring opportunities, to help the high schoolers succeed in their college-level classes.

One of the students’ instructors, April Moehl, a department chair of industrial technology at Ivy Tech, said she’s determined to see a successful result for her students.

“If they go behind an A, I make them bring their grade up,” Moehl said. “Each class builds on the next class.”

The program comes as a part of Praxair’s growing workforce development program, but is the first such program the company has sponsored for high school students.

“Usually we’re looking at folks that are 25 to 30 years, trying to give them second chances for opportunities,” Tyrone Allen, training and development manager for Praxair told River Forest students during their program orientation Wednesday. “We’re giving you your first chance.”

If successful, there is an opportunity for future growth of similar programs in Northwest Indiana and Houston, Texas. Praxair has already invested $2 million nationally to such efforts through its Skills Pipeline initiative, Allen said.

Rachelle Baker, a graduation pathway coordinator at River Forest High School, said she hopes this program is the start of future partnerships with local industrial leaders to help grow opportunities for even more high school students to gain hands-on experience early in their careers.

She said she tells many of her students — a diverse group of many ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds — that these programs can build a pathway for a successful future.

“The hard work, time and sacrifice will pay off,” Baker said. “This is your hope. This is your ticket.”