EBENSBURG — A new program at the Admiral Peary Area Vocational Technical School housed in the Central Cambria High School will give incoming high school juniors and seniors a significant head start in their pursuit of an education degree, school officials said.

The Aspiring Educators program allows students in the eight sending school districts to save college costs, start their teaching careers early and gives school districts a chance to “grow their own” educators, according to Jason Moore, Central Cambria’s superintendent and Admiral Peary’s chief school administrator.

Admiral Peary Executive Director Joe Luther said the shortage of teachers, teacher aides and instructional support across the board is “very impactful to our districts.”

At an open house event with parents and prospective students Wednesday, Moore pointed out some highlights of the program, noting students can earn up to 24 college credits from Saint Francis University in Loretto over the course of two years, likely free of charge or at a 90% reduced rate.

Moore said Admiral Peary applied for a grant to cover the dual enrollment costs for the students, but the grant hasn’t been secured yet. If that falls through, he said they’re looking into an investment tax credit in which businesses can donate money to fund the students’ education in exchange for a large tax credit.

As a worst-case scenario, Moore said dual enrollment credits through Saint Francis University are about $60 per credit, whereas at the full rate, students would pay about $633 per credit, he said.

“You’re still talking 90% off of tuition basically. But we’re hoping to give as many options to you guys as possible,” Moore said to a group of students and their parents.

Cambria Heights Superintendent Ken Kerchenske said the reduced rate also means the students will only have to pay for about two years of college at a full cost. From there, they could start their careers early or use the head start to pursue a master’s degree, school officials said.

“There’s been a push across the state to do what’s called ‘Grow Your Own’ and try to encourage your own students to become teachers, especially students who want to remain in their community. This gives them the opportunity to do that,” Kerchenske said.

Ashville resident Charlotte McMullen said any opportunity to save money is “always a bonus” for students and parents. Her daughter, Cambria Heights junior Josie McMullen, said she wants to pursue a secondary education career and is interested in the program.

McMullen said Mike Thomas, who was her freshman-year science teacher, inspired her to pursue a career in education.

McMullen attended the open house alongside her classmate Kaylie Bradley, who said she’s nervous and excited for the first day of school since she won’t know a lot of the students in the program. “I think once I get in here and figure everything out, I’ll be OK,” Bradley said.

Carrolltown resident Jessi Bradley, her mother, said the program is “a great opportunity” for the students to alleviate some of their student debt and gain college-level experiences before going into a university.

“I think she’s going to get a lot of great experience at a younger age, and it’s going to prepare her to start her career earlier,” she said.

According to Jacqueline Myers, a former Pitt-Johnstown professor who currently works for the Central Cambria School District and will teach all courses in the program, if students get along with someone in their cohort and are planning to attend the same school, they could room together when starting college.

“I think when students are given that opportunity to relieve some of that anxiety before going to college, it makes them more productive, and they’ll have a better chance of succeeding when they get to college,” Myers said.

“You’re going to be very comfortable when you go to college if you choose this program because it’s going to be very similar,” Myers told students on Wednesday, adding they’ll likely have a Google classroom and use email communication regularly.

She said students won’t have to purchase textbooks and will be taught how to find and use scholarly articles in their research. They’ll also learn how to use artificial intelligence properly, she said.

Moore said increasing the number of students enrolled in education programs and allowing local school districts to grow their own teachers by educating “our best and brightest” students instead of competing for teachers within the industry was one of the driving forces behind starting the program.

Students who have a minimum 3.0 grade point average and reside in the Blacklick Valley, Cambria Heights, Central Cambria, Conemaugh Valley, Harmony Area, Northern Cambria, Penn Cambria and Portage Area school districts are eligible for the program.

In the first year from Monday to Friday, students will learn child development and emergent literacy in the fall and will enroll in family and communities and pedagogy courses in the spring.

The following year from Monday to Thursday, students will take introduction to special education and differentiated instructional practices courses in the fall and educational psychology and assistive instructional technology courses in the spring. On Fridays, they will complete practicum credits, gaining hands-on experience in their home school districts.

There’s a morning session from 8:25 to 10:36 a.m. and an afternoon session from 11:59 a.m. to 2:10 p.m. available for students, who can work with their school counselor to determine the best fit for their schedule, Moore said.

He said students can drive to Central Cambria High School or ride their school district bus to Admiral Peary for transportation. During the open house event, Moore and other Central Cambria administrators showed the students where they’ll park and where their classroom will be while giving a tour of the high school.

Students interested in the program have before Aug. 22 — the first day of school — to enroll in the program. For more information, Luther and Moore can be contacted by email at jluther@ap.tec.pa.us and jmoore@cencam.org.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.