Published: May 12, 2008 10:34 am            

Twins graduate from high school and RLC

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From Rend Lake College

INA — Maddelynn and Alexandria Hawkins are leading the way on a fast track through academia. After taking advantage of every dual-credit and dual-enrollment opportunity Rend Lake College had to throw at them in their high school careers, the 18-year-old Pinckneyville twins will walk across their high school graduation stage with college diplomas already in hand.

“It is almost surreal,” Maddy said.

Technically, they will graduate from college before high school. RLC’s commencement ceremonies are Friday night, and Pinckneyville Community High School’s will take place May 18.

It began in the eighth grade.

“Summer health class with Dr. Denny,” Alex said of their first RLC dual-credit class. “I don’t know why I remember that.”

According to their mother, Casey Hawkins, the twins completed the dual-credit health course with better marks than their college-age classmates. She remembers telling RLC Murphy-Wall Pinckneyville Campus coordinator Heather Bauersachs at that time that her girls were going to be the first two students to graduate from RLC and PCHS at the same time.

“Heather always reminds me of that,” she said.

In high school, Maddy and Alex took a mixture of dual-credit and dual-enrollment classes through RLC. Dual-credit consists of accelerated classes which qualifying high school students can opt to take as part of their regular schedule and earn both high school and college credit. Dual-enrollment is overtime, so to speak, and consists of distance learning courses, online classes and night classes at RLC satellite campuses, such as the RLC Murphy-Wall Campus in Pinckneyville for Maddy and Alex. Their mixture of dual-credit and dual-enrollment hours was enough for both to graduate with an associate’s degree from RLC.

In addition to the accelerated path to higher education, dual-credit offers significant savings to area students and parents because it is tuition-free for students at participating in-district high schools.

The Hawkinses agreed the dual-credit classes in high school were quality classes offering a good transition from one level to the next.

“They were not as hard as I think college classes can be, but they were harder than classes at the high school level,” Maddy said.

While a number of dual-credit participants may have a year of college completed by the time they graduate from high school, according to Chris Kuberski, Liberal Arts Division chari, what Maddy and Alex have accomplished is special.

“I am not aware of other students who have done this,” Kuberski said of the simultaneous diplomas. “There may be, but I believe it is rare.”

“They have set their own priorities and lived up to their own self-imposed expectations, making their mom and dad very proud,” Casey Hawkins said. “As a parent, I admire their tenacity and motivation to achieve their own dreams and goals.”

The Hawkins twins spared themselves years at the universities — significant when considering SIUE’s eight-year dental program and SLU’s medical school beyond the four-year track. Maddy estimates she will study at SLU for the next decade.

The transition from high school to college can be overwhelming and sometimes frightening for a new student. The right roommate can make or break the first year. Luckily, Alex is very familiar with her roommates-to-be.

“They rely on me,” she said of her brothers, Zach and Thad. “Living with them ... it will be interesting.” Also interesting is the fact that their brothers, surprisingly enough, are also twins. They play baseball for the Cougars at SIUE.

“I think since all four just grew up together, not ever really knowing about the only-child syndrome, they have taken care of each other and just turned out really great!” Casey Hawkins said.

Although Maddy will be miles away from her siblings, she won’t be too far. The SLU campus is only about 30 minutes from Edwardsville.

“We will still be close, but not too close,” Alex said.

        

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