IUPUI program gives high school students a head start on college

By Diane Brown

Through the Special Programs for Academic Nurturing (SPAN) Division at IUPUI, LaFourest has been taking classes at IUPUI since eighth grade.

SPAN, a division of the IUPUI Honors Program, provides the opportunity for academically motivated high school students to enroll in a variety of classes at IUPUI. Participants earn both college and high school credit simultaneously.

LaFourest's mother, Judith, felt the program was the perfect place for her son to continue his education after attending the Sycamore School. "There was not a high school available that could teach him," she said. "He was already so far advanced." So she, a college English and literature instructor, decided to home-school him in those subjects and send him to IUPUI for the rest. "IUPUI has stimulated him to continue to learn," she said. "Every class, he's enjoyed and learned from."

For parents who home-educate, the SPAN Division provides an excellent opportunity to supplement their children's education, said Johnny Russell, the program's coordinator. Elaine Sprinkle, a home-schooling parent whose two sons have both participated in the program, agrees. "It helps me round out their education and get a head start on college," she said. Additionally, said Russell, "It would be financially impossible for an individual family to develop the multi-million dollar chemistry, biology, and computer labs that are readily available for student use here at IUPUI."

Other students may simply want to get a few classes under their belt before jumping in full time. "It's kind of interesting to be able to ease into college instead of all at once," said 16-year-old Leila Haas, a junior at the Key Learning Community who is taking a math class in the evenings at IUPUI this fall.

"The SPAN Division not only offers high schools students an opportunity to get a head start on college, but it also gives them the time to explore a variety of subjects to find the right major," said Russell.

"I really used this as a way to experiment and to just look into different things and try to find a passion," said LaFourest. He's now decided to major in math, possibly pursue his master's and doctoral degrees, and then hopes to teach at IUPUI.

LaFourest's mother also pointed out another benefit that parents may not think about. "Getting this done early was a good idea for us financially," she said. "The cost will only go up."

The SPAN Division is the only program of its kind in Indianapolis and recruits around 100 students per semester. Many students in SPAN continue their college education at IUPUI, while others have gone on to schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and MIT. For more information about the program, contact the IUPUI Honors Program at 317- 274-2660 or visit the SPAN Division Web site at :

http://www.universitycollege.iupui.edu/SPAN/.