Providence, Westmont Create Innovative Course

Providence School and Westmont College have launched a dual-credit course for Providence seniors, “Research Seminar: Educational Exploration in the Liberal Arts.”  All the high school seniors will take this innovative two-credit course that provides college-level experience in research, writing and presentation.

Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe developed the concept for the class to help prepare high school students for college. He will co-teach it at Westmont Downtown with Chris Elwood, a Providence humanities teacher who graduated from Westmont in 1992 and coached tennis at the college.

“We’re delighted with this new partnership and opportunity to assist high school students,” Beebe says. “Through the years, students who have flourished at Providence have also succeeded at Westmont. We’re particularly pleased to see them benefit from this unusual experience at a premier national liberal arts college.”

“We’re so grateful to Westmont for this opportunity,” Elwood says. “We also appreciate the library staff, who have provided excellent guidance to our seniors throughout the years as they use the extensive resources at the Westmont library.”

Each high school senior in the capstone course will work with a Providence teacher to explore current cultural, economic and political topics. The class culminates in a multimedia defense of a research paper before a panel of teachers and administrators.

“Over the years, Westmont has distinguished itself among colleges across the nation,” says Tim Loomer, interim head of school at Providence. “We’re honored by this partnership, which greatly benefits our student by further preparing them for success in college.”

Providence School provides college-preparatory education grounded in the Christian faith for students from preschool through high school. All Providence graduates receive offers of admission to a four-year college or university every year, and a number who get admitted to Westmont choose to attend.