Moraine Park is all about cultivating new partnerships. When the opportunity presented itself to collaborate with St. Mary’s Springs Academy (SMSA) in Fond du Lac to offer hands-on, college-credit courses to high school students during an accelerated winter term, both educational institutions embraced it.
In 2022, MPTC and SMSA began having conversations around increasing dual credit opportunities for students, and enhancing the partnership between the two educational institutions has been a long-time goal for the College. The partnership is the first of its kind between a technical college and a parochial school.
“This collaborative effort has been a work-in-progress for a long time, and we are excited to see this finally come to fruition,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “One of our areas of strategic priority is enhancing our K12 partnerships, and when this opportunity presented itself, we made sure that our leaders had the resources needed.”
Led by Beth Roehl, K12 manager, in partnership with SMSA High School Principal, Eamonn O’Keeffe, the SMSA J-Term was constructed with the benefit of the students in mind. The students attended MPTC from Jan. 3-16 and received college-level instruction from MPTC educators. Upon completion, they earn their class grade and receive college credits—transferrable within the state of Wisconsin.
“It has been such a joy to see our students explore new careers and programs at a college level,” Stacey Akey, president of SMSA, said. “Our entire school has been buzzing with excitement— from the students, faculty and staff and the parents of our Ledgers. It is clear this partnership has made a significant impact on our participating students and has opened doors to career exploration and future opportunities with MPTC.”
To prepare for the partnership, SMSA surveyed students to gauge course interest, and the results were used to create five different course offerings. The 2024 J-Term MPTC courses offered were Nursing Assistant, Manufacturing Processes, CAD 3D SolidWorks, Welding and Automotive Fundamentals. In total, 44 SMSA students traveled to campus for nearly two weeks of learning.
“I really liked that it had a hands-on element and that it’s unlike anything else we’ve done,” said an SMSA senior who took advantage of the automotive fundamentals course in preparation for his educational pathway in mechanical engineering.
In addition to the J-Term partnership, MPTC and SMSA have also found collaborative growth in their dual credit offerings, adding general education dual enrollment classes. As the partnership continues to grow, so will the opportunity for students to build upon these courses and college credentials each year, which can be used toward a degree at Moraine Park or transferred to a four-year university.
“Through this growing partnership, SMSA students also have access to general education dual credit courses throughout the year,” Baerwald said. “Moraine Park is part of a robust University Transfer agreement with three of the Universities of Wisconsin locations, and more are in the pipeline. This means students can earn general education college credits, and they are guaranteed to transfer to any University Transfer partner school.”
Moving forward, the two educational institutions are working to create an annual J-Term plan and year-round opportunities for students to learn from Moraine Park educators in state-of-the-art learning labs.
“Our hope through this partnership is that our communities can see the true value in strong partnerships—and that it is our responsibility as educational leaders to give our district students options when it comes to their future careers,” Baerwald said. “This partnership has paved the way for district-wide opportunities. In the coming years, K-12 students will have more opportunities than ever to explore career fields and earn college credentials. We look forward to seeing how this partnership will work to impact others for years to come.”
