Montgomery College’s “College Institute” Program at Wootton High School Will Relocate to The Universities at Shady Grove’s New Kendall Academic Center

Program’s Move Will Ease Capacity Challenge at Wootton and Capitalize on USG’s Proximity

Seniors at Thomas S. Wootton High School who are enrolled in Montgomery College’s “College Institute” program will soon be able to take their college courses in the new, state-of-the-art Camille Kendall Academic Center at The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) in Rockville. Since 2002, the institute has provided courses for college credit, taught by Montgomery College professors, on site at the Wootton High School campus.

In 2002, Wootton became the first high school in Montgomery County to host the College Institute program, which offers eligible students a chance to take Montgomery College courses at the home high school, during the school day. The physical move to USG will allow the College Institute students from Wootton – which is just over a mile away from USG – to take their classes in a new state-of-the-art university facility. The program will continue to be run by Montgomery College. Students in the program will be able to use the campus library, computer labs and other facilities, and take their courses in classrooms fully equipped with “smart classroom” technology.

The relocation from Wootton also will help the high school to free up some classroom space, in order to alleviate capacity challenges at the school.

“The College Institute continues to provide a wonderful opportunity for many of our best prepared students to get a very successful jump on their college career,” said Dr. Michael J. Doran, principal of Wootton High School. “Our students who participate are the beneficiaries of an innovative academic partnership between Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery College, and now we have the opportunity to bring in a third great educational partner, in The Universities at Shady Grove. It’s great news for the students.”

The College Institute program is a partnership between Montgomery College and Montgomery County Public Schools that gives students a chance to earn college credits while remaining active in their high school community. The opening of the first program at Wootton in 2002 was followed by a second College Institute at Gaithersburg High School in 2003 and two more at Kennedy and Seneca Valley high schools, both of which opened in 2005.  Each of these programs will continue to be operated at the home high schools.

In total, more than 1,400 students have taken college courses through the various College Institute programs in Montgomery County high schools since the program was launched originally at Wootton in 2002.

This fall, 104 students are enrolled in the College Institute program at Wootton, taking college courses on subjects such as psychology, international relations, statistics, sociology, and public speaking.

Officials have targeted the move of the program for the beginning of Montgomery College’s spring semester, which starts in January. Students from Gaithersburg High School, who participate in the College Institute program at their home high school, will also have the option of taking Montgomery College courses at The Universities at Shady Grove, along with the Wootton students.

For more information about the College Institute programs that serve the participating high schools in Montgomery County, contact Janet Johnson, Montgomery College’s high school programs director, at 240-567-4142 or by email at: janet.johnson@montgomerycollege.edu. For information about the Institute’s Wootton program, contact Jane Storck, College Institute coordinator at Wootton, at 301-279-8550 or by email at: Jane_S_Storck@mcpsmd.org.