Stonewall Jackson alumnus and principal sees enormous value of dual enrollment

Dual enrollment is “near and dear” to longtime Stonewall Jackson High School Principal Mike Dorman’s heart.

“I went to school here,” he said. “These are my people. I wanted to make sure my kids had all the advantages they could get.”

A first-generation college graduate himself, Dorman feels the dual-enrollment program offers his students more benefits than advanced placement classes do.

“Once I got to Stonewall Jackson back in 2007, I saw that dual enrollment was a much better fit for our kids than AP,” said Dorman.

This is mainly due to the fact that dual enrollment offers credit for work done over the course of a semester, rather than relying on an exam score to determine whether college credits will be granted, he said.

“Many of my kids are the first generation in their family to go to college,” Dorman said. “Once they get through a few of the dual-enrollment classes, that builds their confidence that they can do this.”

With more and more colleges having articulation agreements allowing dual-enrolled credits to transfer right in, there is all the more reason to take advantage of getting credits while still in high school, he said.

“Routinely, we have 10 or more kids who earn their associate degree before I give them their high school diploma,” said Dorman, who recently retired after a 30-year career with Shenandoah County Public Schools.

That is nearly 10 percent of Stonewall’s graduating class, he said, and is in addition to those students earning a uniform certificate of general studies, the equivalent of one year of college credits.

“Our county is invested in dual enrollment,” said Dorman. “They see the importance of it.”

Support comes through grants and tuition reimbursement for teachers to earn the credentials necessary to teach dual-enrolled classes, he said.

“This is a win for teachers, too, because this year’s budget, Shenandoah County wants to provide a stipend for teachers who can teach dual enrollment,” Dorman said. “Down the road, they can pick up extra money by teaching some adjunct courses at Laurel Ridge as well. All the way around, dual enrollment has been a win – awin for students and staff and our school.”

All but three or four classes students would need for an associate degree are taught right at Stonewall Jackson, thanks to having enough credentialed teachers at the high school said Dorman. There are even dual-enrolled classes that are more vocational in nature, such as welding and early childhood development.

His own two children benefited from the dual-enrollment courses offered by Laurel Ridge. One was a governor’s scholar and went to Radford University, while the other is now at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

“It served my kids well,” said Dorman.