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HCS announces first named academy

The Academies of Hampton announced the Virginia Peninsula Community College Academy of the College Experience (ACE) as the first-named academy at the Hampton School Board meeting on Wednesday, October 6, 2021.


Dr. Towuanna Porter Brannon, the President of the Virginia Peninsula Community College (formerly known as Thomas Nelson Community College), was in attendance and received the commemorative plaque from Mr. James Harris, the executive principal of Phoebus High School, and Mrs. Patrice Williams, the academy principal at Phoebus High School.


ACE is highly competitive, offering only 125 slots per grade, beginning in the freshman year. Rising ninth-grade students applying to ACE must meet the standards set forth by the Hampton City Schools. Standards include: 1) the successful completion of Algebra I in middle school with a minimum final grade of "B" or higher each semester; 2) enter high school with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher; and 3) achieve passing scores on SOL math and reading tests.


ACE students pursue the Advanced Studies Diploma course of study at Phoebus High School. As required by the Virginia Peninsula Community College during the sophomore year, students take the Virginia Placement Test (VPT) to qualify for placement in dual enrollment. Participating students have two pathways options; the Associates of Social Science and the Associates of Science. Students who complete the dual enrollment pathway with a qualifying grade point average may benefit from admission agreements with participating Virginia colleges and universities, including Old Dominion University, the College of William and Mary, Christopher Newport University, and the University of Virginia. Students will also graduate as a Virginia Early College Scholar.


"This is an exciting, powerful partnership," said Dr. Brannon. "It is not often that you get to be in the presence of people who are so passionate and so aligned."