Mississippi College and St. Joseph Catholic School Form Partnership

Dena Kinsey, who heads St. Joseph Catholic School, and Mississippi College President Blake Thompson signed papers to forge a new partnership between the two institutions on June 8.

St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison has recently joined the growing number of high schools around the state that have formed an academic partnership with Mississippi College.

At a June 8 meeting, MC President Blake Thompson and Dena Kinsey, St. Joseph Catholic School principal, signed documents spelling out the new agreement.

Seniors at the parochial school will have the option to take up to 12 hours of college coursework through the new dual-enrollment program. MC provides reduced-cost credit for students who complete English Composition I and II, Trigonometry, or College Algebra with Applications.

“The partnership with Mississippi College allows our students to not only earn credits for college that are transferable and honored around the nation but to introduce them to the college experience in an environment that values the teachings of Christ as much as we do at St. Joe,” Kinsey said of the collaboration.

Kinsey is not the first high school administrator to laud Mississippi College's dual-credit offerings. Madison-Ridgeland Academy, Jackson Preparatory School, Clinton High School, and Tupelo Christian Preparatory School provide students with an opportunity to earn college credits through the private Baptist institution while still in high school.

Acting Dean of Enrollment Michael Wright is pleased that his office was able to secure an early pathway to college for another area school, particularly one that shares MC’s commitment to academic excellence and the cause of Christ.

“St. Joe is a great mission-fit with MC,” Wright reflected. “Their graduates are the kind of students MC seeks to attract every year.”

John Travis, chair of the university’s Mathematics Department, echoed Wright’s excitement, saying, “MC’s aim for all of its dual-enrollment offerings is to provide students with a more complete opportunity for foundational-level coursework.”

The foundational skills acquired in these classes will serve St. Joseph’s senior Bruins well, particularly if they join the Choctaw family upon their high school graduation.

Composition I and II are part of the University’s well-rounded core curriculum, while both math offerings are gateway courses to many higher-level math and science courses.

For more information about St. Joseph Catholic School, visit https://www.stjoebruins.com/.