San Bernardino fourth-grader enrolls in college class

Every Wednesday evening, Honey Cooper packs her art supplies and heads to class. Not at Kimbark Elementary, where she spends her days, but at San Bernardino Valley College, where she finds a seat near the front, among students nearly twice her age.

The 10-year-old fourth-grader from San Bernardino is paving the way for younger students to access college courses. She is enrolled in ART 120, a two-dimensional design course worth four college credits. Cases like hers are a rare occurrence, according to San Bernardino Valley College officials.

“Even though they might be young, they still always need to be challenged,” said her mother, Mia Cooper. “And this is a new way for them to be challenged.”

Outside of school, Honey is a busy kid. She is a GATE-identified student, California’s designation for gifted and talented learners. She reads at a high school level and participates in Broadway Now, an educational theater program operating within the San Bernardino City Unified School District.

Sandra Rodriguez, assistant superintendent for student services at San Bernardino City Unified, had kept a close eye on Honey for years. Mia Cooper, a parliamentarian for the district, brought her daughter to district meetings and state-level education forums as the girl grew up. Honey would sit in the back reading books and doing homework while meetings carried on around her. Rodriguez eventually got to know Honey from the meetings she attended with her mother.

When Rodriguez came across a news article about a young girl who graduated from community college after being home-schooled, she immediately thought of Honey.

“She could be the kid who could be a doctor by 20,” Rodriguez said.

She picked up the phone and called Diana Rodriguez, chancellor of the San Bernardino Community College District, and got the ball rolling.

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1. Honey Cooper chats with Professor Nader Gergis before attending his class on Wednesday. 2. Honey Cooper lines up with classmates for lunch at Kimbark Elementary Wednesday.

From there it was Mia Cooper who initiated a meeting with the admissions director at San Bernardino Valley College, inviting Rodriguez to participate. The process fell under California Education Code Section 76001 and San Bernardino Community College District Board Policy 5011, which authorizes qualified K-12 students to enroll in college coursework.

“Any student regardless of age can petition for admission as a special admit with parental permission and demonstrated academic readiness,” said Paul Bratulin, director of Marketing and Public Relations at San Bernardino Valley College. “It is rare, but it does happen.”

Mia Cooper gathered report cards from her daughter’s first through third grade, documentation of student committees Honey had participated in and principal awards she had been collecting since first grade. A statement from Kimbark Elementary’s principal was also required to attest to Honey’s academic readiness.

Fourth-grader Honey Cooper shares a laugh with classmates at Kimbark Elementary School.

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1. Honey Cooper takes the school bus from Kimbark Elementary. 2. Honey Cooper catches up on reading at home in the afternoon between elementary school and her college nigh class.

Though dual enrollment is typically designed for high school students, Honey’s case is different. She enrolled as a special admit, an individualized pathway outside the standard framework.

“It’s at the discretion of the parent and the school, but we’re committed to access regardless of their stage in life,” Bratulin said.

Her professor, Nader Gergis, was briefed before Honey arrived and made clear early on he would not change the material or slow the class down for Honey.

Before meeting Honey, he said, he had reservations about the dual enrollment program.

“Dual enrollment is a challenging concept and it requires a little bit of concentration on understanding that these students aren’t real college students and are still building skills in research and writing,” Gergis said.

But he said Honey is receptive to the material he is teaching and is already working toward a final portfolio, just like every other student in his class.

Honey Cooper takes meticulous notes in her college-level Two-Dimensional Design class at San Bernardino Valley College.

Honey agrees that her first college course is off to a smooth start.

“I really like the college course,” she said. “We’re learning that lines can be anything and working on this with a family portrait collage project.”

Honey said she has been getting along with her classmates and professor Gergis.

San Bernardino Valley College President Gilbert Contreras said Honey’s enrollment is consistent with the college’s founding mission.

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1. Honey Cooper is escorted by her grandmother, Pretty Jackson, to her art class at San Bernardino Valley College. 2. Honey Cooper sits with her mother, Mia, center, and grandmother Pretty Jackson during a break in her three hour-long design class, Wednesday night. 3. Professor Nader Gergis offers a positive critique of Honey Cooper’s artwork during class at San Bernardino Valley College on Wednesday.

“San Bernardino Valley College was founded 100 years ago on a simple but powerful belief: that higher education should be accessible to anyone who is ready to learn, regardless of background, age, or circumstance,” Contreras said. “Honey Cooper’s story is an inspiration to us all and we are honored to play a role in her educational journey.”

Rodriguez believes Honey’s enrollment could open the door for more students to petition for special admit status if they are academically ready.

Once the course wraps up May 13, she said she wants to conduct an after-action review to determine what worked, what didn’t and how to get more motivated elementary kids into college campuses.

“Kids in elementary are very hungry for learning,” Rodriguez said. “We want to give them opportunities and set them up on a college ready track.”

Honey Cooper views an art exhibit at the Gresham Art Gallery at San Bernardino Valley College, where she is enrolled in a studio art class.