Not only did 2025 Rappahannock County High School graduate Will Vandrey get a jump start on his college credits through dual enrollment, he got to have fun when he attended the Drones Academy in fall 2023, during which he earned his drones operator license.
“There was a drones program that I took the fall semester of my junior year,” said Vandrey. “I would go to Laurel Ridge and they would have a couple of classes about how the drones work, how the FAA works. We also took a computer science class to understand how drones and computers collaborate with each other.”
He said the students learned how to assemble and fly drones, and did some electrical and soldering work as well.
They came to the Fauquier Campus every day from 7:30 – 10:50 a.m. Vandrey said drones classes were Mondays and Wednesdays, with computer science classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Fridays reserved for field trips to relevant sites, such as airports and an FAA facility.
In addition to his drones classes, Vandrey took dual-enrolled history classes and English classes. All total, he expected to have about 35 college credit hours when he graduated from Rappahannock County.
“I wanted to get a feel of what college was like before I go to college,” Vandrey said of his decision to dual enroll.
His favorite instructors included drone instructor Tad Yergey, former Computer Science Professor Melissa Stange and English instructor Jennifer Goff.
“All of them were great professors,” Vandrey said. “I learned a lot from them. I would 100-percent recommend dual enrollment. It costs a whole lot less than going straight to college and taking all those classes.”
This fall, Vandrey is headed to George Mason University to study international and governmental politics.
“One of my goals is to become a diplomat or be security or an assistant for a diplomat,” he said.
Michelle Barrett, career coach at Rappahannock County High School, said Varney was just a few credits shy of earning his certificate of uniform studies, which is the equivalent of about a year of college.
“I think dual enrollment is a great program,” she said. “A lot of the kids are very excited to participate in it because they know they’re graduating high school with their first year of college completed.”
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.