SUPA gives White Plains High School students a head start on college

In one White Plains High School classroom, students assumed the roles of investigators as they discussed diagrams of crime scenes. In another, seniors stepped into the roles of characters from Aesop’s fables, delivering speeches and drawing out the moral of each story.

The subjects could hardly be more different. What connects them is Syracuse University Project Advance, or SUPA, a dual-enrollment program that gives WPHS students the opportunity to experience the demands of university coursework and earn Syracuse University credits that may transfer to other institutions.

Douglas Cronk, Coordinator of English, 7-12 and AVID District Director, was among the first White Plains teachers trained for the program, which he said has been part of the academic landscape at the school for more than two decades.

Today, more than 300 enrollments are recorded in SUPA courses at WPHS. Courses span multiple disciplines, with offerings that include English, Presentational Speaking, Personal Finance, U.S. History, World History, African American Studies, Forensics, World Languages and the Art and Craft of Animation.

The program is part of a broader dual-enrollment network at WPHS that also includes college-level opportunities through Westchester Community College, SUNY Albany, Marist College and Rochester Institute of Technology’s Project Lead the Way.

For SUPA students, however, the connection to Syracuse is direct. Students who register for college credit become part-time, non-matriculated SU students, creating an official university transcript before they graduate from WPHS.

That distinction is important.

A student who completes an Advanced Placement course may earn college credit based largely on an AP exam and the policies of the college the student ultimately attends. A SUPA student earns credits through successful completion of an actual Syracuse course and can submit the resulting transcript to another institution for consideration.

“If I applied to and get into Syracuse, and that’s where I want to go, I already have a transcript,” Mr. Cronk said. “If I wind up going somewhere else, I transfer those credits just as if I went to Syracuse for my freshman year and then decide to transfer.”

The receiving college determines how those credits are applied. They may fulfill a particular course requirement, count as elective credits or be treated differently depending on a student’s major and the institution’s policies.

“Overall, our students are successful in transferring those credits,” he said.

According to SUPA information provided by the district, about 90 percent of WPHS students who register for SUPA credit receive recognition for that credit at the college they ultimately attend.

The value extends beyond accumulating credits. Students get an early look at university expectations, from navigating registration and transcripts to following a college syllabus and tackling more demanding material.

“The SUPA and dual enrollment courses are really some of the best preparation for the work of college,” Mr. Cronk said.

The courses taught at WPHS must meet the requirements of their Syracuse counterparts. SU faculty liaisons work with participating teachers, and university representatives visit the high school and observe classes.

WPHS teachers must also qualify to teach SUPA. They apply based on their academic background and experience, provide recommendations, undergo Syracuse training and continue participating in professional learning seminars.

“We try to keep the courses as consistent as possible with what’s happening on campus because we want to maintain the integrity of the program,” Presentational Speaking teacher Marlena Simmons said.

Ms. Simmons was trained as a Syracuse adjunct instructor and continues to attend annual seminars with other SUPA educators. Those sessions have covered subjects ranging from artificial intelligence to visual storytelling and include university faculty from the corresponding Syracuse departments.

That connection gives students access to a course built around the same academic expectations they would encounter at the university.

In Presentational Speaking, students work through informative and persuasive speeches, impromptu speaking, group presentations and other exercises designed to develop confidence and communication skills.

During a recent class, students assumed the roles of characters in Aesop’s fables and delivered short speeches culminating in the moral of each story.
For senior Lillian Smith, the class offered exactly the kind of challenge she wanted.

“I took this class because I wanted to get better at speaking without, you know, getting nervous and stumbling over my words, and projecting myself more,” Lillian said.

With interests in business and psychology, she sees effective communication as a skill that will be useful no matter what path she chooses.

“I feel like it’s a very helpful class when it comes to going into college and being in a career,” she said.

Lillian was also attracted by the opportunity to earn Syracuse credits. In addition to Presentational Speaking, she is taking SUPA Forensics and SUPA Personal Finance.

“I think that the SUPA classes are really helpful,” she said. “There’s so many that are offered here at this school.”

In another classroom, the college experience takes a decidedly scientific turn.

In Maureen Nimphius’ SUPA Forensics class, students move beyond the popular image of crime-scene investigation and study the science behind how evidence is handled and analyzed.

“There is a lot of overlap, but especially when we get into the analytical techniques and how the evidence is actually analyzed, I spend more time talking about the chemistry of it,” Ms. Nimphius said.

The teacher brings firsthand expertise to the subject. A former toxicologist, she teaches a unit through the lens of toxicology, introducing students to methods used to detect poisons in the body and the laboratory techniques involved.

The course carries four Syracuse University chemistry credits, including a laboratory credit.

Ms. Nimphius said participation in the SUPA credit option is typically high in her classes, with about 90 percent of students usually registering.
The subject itself is what initially attracted senior Damian Huaman.

“I really like science and the topic of forensics, knowing that you can learn things about the real world,” Damian said.

After reading the course description and seeing that students would conduct laboratory tests and examine evidence such as blood and hair samples, Damian was hooked.

“I didn’t choose for the rigor,” she said. “I just chose it because it was interesting.”

Damian said the opportunity to earn Syracuse credit is appealing and expressed interest in potentially pursuing the field as a career.

Senior Emily Garcia was drawn to the class for similar reasons.

“I find it interesting, like the many topics it has, like toxicology and all that, and I like science,” she said.

The depth of the course is reinforced by Syracuse University. Ms. Nimphius said her SUPA training included access to a variety of professionals.

“You’re getting actual forensic anthropologists, and the DNA analysts, then the fingerprint experts, and the anthropologists,” she said. “They all come and make presentations available for you to talk with them about how they do it. It’s really cool.”

The opportunity comes at a fraction of standard university tuition. SUPA courses cost $115 per college credit. Most three-credit courses cost $345, while the four-credit Forensics course costs $460. A full-year six-credit course costs $690.

Tuition assistance is also available to eligible families, with approved students generally receiving reductions of 60 percent to 70 percent. Ms. Nimphius said she has had students receive assistance covering the entire cost.

Students do not need to take a placement examination to enroll in SUPA courses at WPHS, although individual classes may have prerequisites. The school promotes the options through its course catalog, counseling process and course fair, while teachers also speak directly with students about opportunities available to them.

The courses receive the same 1.3 GPA multiplier as other honors-level and dual-enrollment courses at WPHS.

For Mr. Cronk, the experience of SUPA reaches well beyond a line on a transcript. Students learn how to register for a university course, meet college-level academic expectations, work from a university syllabus and understand how college credits and transcripts operate.

They do all of it while still having the daily support and structure of WPHS.

“The material is a little bit more demanding,” he said. “The syllabus for a SUPA course has to meet that same course’s requirements on campus.”
For students preparing for higher education, that experience can make college feel a little less daunting. By the time they are freshmen, many will already know what it means to complete a college course.

And some will arrive with college credits already in their pockets.