MARSHALLTOWN, GRINNELL — It’s not often that a high school student will earn a college degree before receiving his/her high school diploma, but fifty-five area seniors are on track to do just that.

Earning your high school diploma may seem like a common accomplishment. The fact that such a high number of area high school students took advantage of being able to take college classes at no cost the same time as they were taking high school credits and earning their college degree or diploma is a huge accomplishment.

Through the high schools’ partnership agreements with MCC, the high schools pay the tuition and fees for college classes (at a reduced rate), which amounts to a savings of more than $13,000 for each of the students earning their Associate of Arts Degree.

Area high school students that have earned their high school diploma and a degree from MCC include:

East Marshall High School – Chase Atcher (Manufacturing Welding Practitioner Diploma); Faith Bandstra (Associate of Arts); Logan Burggraaf (Manufacturing Welding Practitioner Diploma); Hunter Postel (Manufacturing Welding Practitioner Diploma); Isabel Seth (Associate of Arts); Alex Shortley (Manufacturing Welding Practitioner Diploma); Chandler Simatovich (Manufacturing Welding Practitioner Diploma); Haven Steward (Associate of Arts); and Elizabeth Vesely (Associate of Arts).

Green Mountain-Garwin (GMG) High School – Bryson Kriegel (Associate of Arts).

South Tama County High School – Hailey Girsch (Psychology Associate of Arts); Daniel Gummert (Manufacturing Welding Practitioner Diploma); Adam Haughey (Manufacturing Welding Practitioner Diploma); Kaileb Koster (Manufacturing Welding Practitioner Diploma); Cassie Ragsdale (Associate of Arts); Grace Smith (Automotive Repair Technology Practitioner Diploma); Wyatt Surman (Manufacturing Welding Practitioner Diploma); and Drayton White (Manufacturing Welding Practitioner Diploma).