This year’s theme, The Queen Travels to Japan, will be celebrating Japanese art, music, and culture.

The Renaissance Feast of Scholars is set to take place Mar. 10th at 6 p.m in the Fresno City College Library.  The Renaissance Feast is an annual benefit for scholarships and programs throughout the State Center Community College District.

Guests enjoy festive social interaction, gourmet food and an exciting auction.  As well as Authentic Renaissance royalty and court performances throughout the evening.

This year’s theme, The Queen Travels to Japan, will be celebrating Japanese art, music, and culture.  In 2011, the queen traveled to India, where guests were treated to traditional Indian entertainment and raised over $100,000 in scholarships.

Sponsorship and ticket information is available here or by calling (559) 244-5991.

Mark your calendars for the 8th annual Renaissance Feast for Scholars!  A voyage you don’t want to miss! Amazing food, wine and entertainment.

“Because Clovis North is in such close proximity to Willow International, we were very excited to work with them to establish some amazing opportunities for our students,” said Carol Shanahan, head counselor at Clovis North High School and coordinator for NCCAP.

“The goal of this program is to provide a college experience for students who may have difficulty seeing themselves in college…” – Carol Shanahan, head counselor at Clovis North High School

Willow International, the newest SCCCD campus, and Clovis North both opened around the same time in the fall of 2007. Shortly after, administrators at both campuses began discussing ways to work together to benefit students. NCCAP is based on a similar program at Madera Center that provides students with dual high school and college credit for courses taken at the college center.

Last year, 19 Clovis North students were selected by their counselors and given the opportunity to enroll in two college-level courses for each of the fall and spring semesters at Willow International. The courses included sociology, public speaking, nutrition, and psychology.

“The college identified courses that would meet both two- and four-year college general education or major requirements,” said Deborah Ikeda, vice president of Instruction & Student Services for the SCCCD North Centers.

Credit and encouragement

“The goal of this program,” Shanahan said, “is to provide a college experience for students who may have difficulty seeing themselves in college or who may have some personal issues that hinder their outlook on the possibility of college.”

The students are selected to participate by their guidance counselors, who are familiar with the students both academically and personally. The initial cohort was limited to 19 students, based on the students’ GPA, work ethic, motivation, personal situation, and other factors. Both the students and their parents must agree to the terms of the program.

“We feel it is very important that parents understand what the program entails and that they understand the commitment that is to be made,” Shanahan said. “NCCAP students are now college students for part of the day. They are beginning their college journey, and we want parents to be aware of the schedule difference, the type of classes, and how this program connects with Clovis North.”

The college classes are scheduled to coincide with Clovis North’s first and second class periods. After the college classes, students are able to simply walk across the street to their next high school class.

The cost to each student is minimal. All registration fees are waived, and the student is only responsible for purchasing required textbooks and supplies. Once finished, the students have earned 12 college units of credit, and fulfilled their high school graduation requirements.

“The first year of the program went very well,” Ikeda said. “The college faculty felt the high school students did an excellent job and the program ran very smoothly.”

“Everyone—teachers, parents, and students—had nothing but positive feedback,” Shanahan added. “Students understood from the beginning that both their college and high school classes were their responsibility and one did not take precedence over the other.”

All 19 of this year’s NCCAP students will attend a college or university in the fall.

“I feel the NCCAP program gave many of the students the confidence they needed for a successful future that may not have happened otherwise,” Shanahan said. “I could not be prouder of them.”

The future

Next fall’s NCCAP cohort has been selected and registered. Again, there will be 19 students and they will take the same four college courses.
“In the future, and as the budget allows, I hope that we can increase the enrollment in the program,” Ikeda said. “This is a highly successful model of transitioning high school students into college level work.”