Collegiate High School Welcomes Cohort

COLLEGIATE HIGH SCHOOL TO COMMISSION NEW COHORT OF 125 RISING FRESHMEN

Ceremony celebrates second class of ninth-graders, doubling size of school population

PANAMA CITY, FL — The Collegiate School at Florida State University Panama City will welcome 125 new ninth-graders during a Commissioning Ceremony from 6-7 p.m. on Thursday, March 14. The ceremony will be in the Northstar Church meeting hall adjacent to the Collegiate School (TCS) campus, 2440 St. Andrews Blvd., Panama City.

The Collegiate School at Florida State University Panama City will hold a commissioning ceremony to welcome its second cohort of freshman students at 6 p.m. on March 14. [FSU PC Photo]

During the Commissioning Ceremony, students and their families will learn about the programs and benefits available to them through TCS; each student will receive a commemorative challenge coin; and both students and parents will pledge to uphold the
academic and ethical standards of the school, which are based upon the standards established by FSU.

A tuition-free developmental laboratory school that opened in August 2023, TCS has experienced many successes during its inaugural school year, according to Director Debbi Whitaker, which bodes well for the incoming freshmen. The rigorous college preparatory and career certification curriculum is unique in Bay County.

“We have almost 50 students who have received their first college credit in ninth grade, with over 60 more working on yet another college credit,” Whitaker said. “Technical certifications are about to be underway. We will have almost 100 certification tests under our belt by the end of the semester.”

Whitaker said there is an extensive waiting list for any vacancies that might open between now and when the new cohort of freshmen begin school in August. That steady growth brings new challenges, she added.

“As we continue to grow, we will continue to have increasing needs for space to accommodate the great demand we have for entrance into our school,” Whitaker said. “We will also continue to add electives and clubs, which are perhaps not seen as challenges but as opportunities for our students.”

The school was established using a $7.6 million grant from Triumph Gulf Coast. The nonprofit corporation oversees expenditure of funds recovered by the Florida attorney general for economic damages to the state from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The start-up grant will be funded over a six-year period.

In the fall, school will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays. Students will have a full hour in each of their four core classes, while the last two classes of the day will be for career exploration and electives in the arts. Each Friday, rather than going to the satellite TCS campus off St. Andrews Blvd., students meet for classes at the FSU Panama City campus, 4750 Collegiate Drive.

For more information about the Collegiate High School, visit tcs.fsu.edu.