Avery Staten will graduate from high school having never taken a high school class. The last four years, she has effectively been a college student — learning exclusively through College Credit Plus (CCP) courses offered by Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) and The Ohio State University at Newark — who still represented Granville High School on the golf team.

“I graduate from Granville in May,” the former captain said, “and I have actually earned enough credits to have my associate degree. CCP has really set me up for a successful future.”

Staten is one of more than 1,300 high schoolers currently taking classes offered for free by the Newark campus. She has always followed her own unconventional educational path. Throughout middle school, the self-proclaimed pioneer took multiple high school math classes. When she reached ninth grade, she convinced Granville administrators to green-light her strictly CCP schedule, which she has maintained ever since. 

She introduced her sister to the program last semester. Reese, a junior, took her first CCP class alongside Avery. “That really helped ease my nerves,” Reese reported. Not only did she have her sister’s support, but she felt the campus’s support system from day one. “Everyone has always been so helpful and communicative,” Reese continued. “They’re very well-versed in helping you take your interests to the next level.”

These impressive siblings have also leveled up some valuable skills through CCP. Learning to traverse a college courseload — some of which is fully self-guided — brings adaptability, patience and persistence. They developed perspective while connecting with their classmates, many of whom have families and full-time jobs. “I have figured out how to communicate in a room full of adults,” Avery asserted. “Really succeeding in these classes takes that next level of maturity and discipline.” 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Statens have improved their time management most of all. Balancing challenging academic commitments with their personal interests “is like a sneak peek into the independence we’ll have in college,” Reese claimed. So far, they like what they see.

And they still see opportunities for a fulfilling high school experience. Reese runs a club called Food from the Heart, which helps feed the local homeless population. Both sisters sit in the student section at Granville football and basketball games. “Don’t get me wrong, we love being at the high school with our friends,” said Avery, who for four years has been a leader on the golf course and a lead prosecutor in the mock trial club. But even she couldn’t argue against the benefits of CCP. “It really allows you to choose your path.”

In fact, it paves an easier path through their respective college degree programs. After years of struggling with food-related health issues, Reese dreams of being a dietician. “Maybe someday I can create products for people like me,” she said. “For now, I get to hop into my major a lot sooner.” Same goes for Avery, a soon-to-be biology major on the pre-med track. She wants to be an otoneurologist, a highly specialized neurologist focused on the inner ear. “There are only six of them in the world,” Avery, ever the visionary, said. “I want to be one of them, and with how much I’ve gotten ahead and achieved through this CCP program, it’s definitely going to help my career trajectory.”

It won’t be the only trajectory she tracks. Avery also wants to golf collegiately. “Academics always come first though,” she reiterated. That’s why becoming a CCP student might be the most important swing she ever takes. “I really feel like it has made me the person I am today. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”

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