Scholarship program creates virtual K-14 system in Houston County

By Jim Cook

Published: July 13, 2008

Le’Anne Almond is a hard worker.

A 2008 graduate of Northview High School, Almond maintained an A-B average while working about 20 hours per week at the Great American Cookie Company at Wiregrass Commons Mall. Almond used some of the money she earned from her job to pay for her first car, a Honda Civic.

“That’s my baby, I call her ‘Black,’” Almond said.

Despite her good grades and her work ethic, finding money for college is going to be tough for Almond, the eldest of three siblings raised by a single mom.

“Times are hard and when you only have one parent you have to get out there and make it how you can,” she said.

Luckily for Almond, help is on the way in the form of a new scholarship program that could potentially offer every high school graduate in the Dothan and Houston County school systems a chance to go to college.

The Wiregrass Foundation recently announced that starting this year it would fund scholarships to Wallace Community College for students graduating from the Dothan City Schools and the Houston County Schools systems. The scholarships, which would be awarded to students graduating with a 2.5 or above GPA, would cover tuition and fees not paid for by grants or other scholarships, up to $800 per semester. Combined with federal Pell and other grants and scholarships, this program is expected to put college in reach of just about every student in the Dothan/Houston County area.

“Kids now have an opportunity to move on that they wouldn’t have had before,” said Sam Nichols, Dothan City Schools superintendent. “It’s a wonderful way for the foundation to support the school system.”

The program won’t just benefit students, however. According to Thomas Harrison, Wiregrass Foundation Education director, the scholarship program will likely have more widespread benefits for the Dothan area as it provides a better educated and more highly skilled workforce.

Harrison believes the scholarship program will likely help local public schools by giving students a greater incentive to stay in school until graduation and to take coursework that will prepare them for college.

Wallace Community College will likely see an enrollment increase as a result of the scholarship program. It’s hard to tell how many students the scholarship will bring to Wallace, but Wiregrass Foundation research indicates about 100 students could attend Wallace on the scholarship this fall.

Because state funding for two-year colleges is based on enrollment, bringing more students to Wallace will bring more money to the school which could be used to enhance current programs or create new ones.

Helping more Dothan area residents obtain higher education will help the community by creating a larger pool of skilled laborers, who will likely have higher incomes and pay more taxes.

According to the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, Alabama is projected to have a shortfall of 110,495 people with the necessary degrees to meet work force demands. Increasing the number of local college-educated workers will likely give Dothan an advantage over other Alabama communities in attracting business and industry.

Matt Parker, executive director of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, said the scholarship program will give the area a good selling point.

“After you get past logistics—the needs of the project—we always get into labor force,” he said. “When we can basically say we have a free K-14 education system, that’s pretty strong.”

Almond intends to attend Wallace for two years and complete her core academics before transferring to a four-year university to pursue a degree in teaching. Almond said she was influenced to go into education by her first grade teacher, Sherry Rhodes.

“When my mom and dad were going through their divorce she helped me,” Rhodes said. “I would cry and she would tell me that I had to be strong for everybody else.”