CANTON, NY (06/17/2009)(readMedia)-- Nearly 80 area graduating high school students began college early at SUNY Canton. Some students earned the equivalent to an entire semester of college before finishing high school.

College officials celebrated those students' commitment to their education at a recent recognition ceremony. The college presented each of the students with a ceremonial SUNY Canton honor cord to be worn during their high school commencement ceremonies.

"We want to honor everyone who will be graduating from high school this year with SUNY Canton college credits," said SUNY Canton President Joseph L. Kennedy at the ceremony. "These students have what it takes to be successful in the next steps of their education."

The students, who accumulated between 3 and 18 college credits through the college's distance learning partnership with St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES, may be able to graduate early from their respective college programs or take a reduced course load to ease into the adjustment of college life. Approximately 25 of the students have already been accepted at SUNY Canton for the Fall 2009 semester.

"Your initiative speaks wonders to what you are going to achieve," said SUNY Canton Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs William R. Trumble. "You are exactly the students that we want at SUNY Canton."

The College has two academic classrooms dedicated for distance learning. Faculty members utilize the technology to instruct college-level students at partner locations including the American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lomonosov Moscow State University, among other partner universities. The videoconference style courses supplement the College's online initiatives through SUNY Canton OnLine.

High school students who are interested in taking college courses through SUNY Canton should make the necessary arrangements with their high school guidance counselors.

Among those high school seniors with college credits earned from SUNY Canton are:

Clifton-Fine Central High School

• Justin Jones

• Sarah Lackemann

• Jacquelyn Pomerville

• Jordyn Sullivan

• Ryan Tanner

Gouverneur Junior-Senior High School

• Tyler Boscoe

• Blake Burr

• Trevor Carr

• Jockquelynne Come

• Nicolas Cotton-Baez

• Tyler Davis

• Sean Dewhirst

• Rebecca Don

• Natasha Embry

• Jasmine Frasher

• Meggan Geer

• Derek Gordon

• Emily Jackson

• Dustin Lallier

• Miranda Lashbrooks

• Jeanne LaVack

• Drew Leonard

• Chelsea Myers

• Brandon Raymo

• Benjamin Schermerhorn

• Joseph Schuessler

• Jillian Sergel

• Michelle Smith

• Nicholas Sterling

• Tricia Storie

• Danielle Waugh

• J. Talan Weekes

• Rinnan Whitford

• Sabrina Whitford

Hammond Central School

• Whitney Atkins

• Cassandra Cunningham

• Aubrie Dunn

• Maxine Hill

• Brooke Hollister

• Katlyn Hunt

• Jackie Knight

• Jessica Measheaw

• Nicole Richard

Hermon-DeKalb Central School

• Tyler Amo

• Marissa Bacon

• Kory Besaw

• Kaitlin Corscadden

• Nicole Fountain

• Courtney Holt

• Natasha Sayer

• Amanda Southwell

• Caitlin Spadaccini

• Michele Watkins

• Samantha Wentzel

Heuvelton Central School

• Thomas Blackburn

• Jacob Cougler

• Casey Donnelly

• Heather Johnson

• Sean Kelly

• Katherine Lashua

• Janeel Spiva

• Alexa Stowe

Lisbon Central School

• Rachael Bowdish

• Janna Crosby

• Rodney Cross

• Mara Dawson

• Alyson Felt

• Brittany Hill

• Tessa Kelley

• David Lalonde

• Shawna LaTulip

• Natalie Putney

Norwood-Norfolk Junior-Senior High School

• Raychel Dulin

• Lauren Lashomb

• Holly Planty

• TJ Sawyer

St. Lawrence Central

• Shelby McGraw

• Stephanie Toomey

SUNY Canton offers a wide variety of career-driven bachelor's, associate, and certificate programs, as well as three master's degrees in conjunction with SUNYIT, Utica. Most of SUNY Canton's new four-year programs are designed so students can take them on-campus, online, or both. SUNY Canton OnLine features more than 100 courses online each semester. The College's athletic teams belong to the NAIA's Sunrise Conference, enabling students to compete in their respective sports for four years. Construction is now underway for the College's new Convocation, Athletic, and Recreation Center.

-www.canton.edu-

Posted Wednesday June 17, 2009 at 04:30 pm by SUNY Canton