Finding the Wider PVCC Community
Most students and faculty are familiar with the steep climb up College Drive to PVCC, the bustling Panther Cafe, and the sites and people that wander around the main campus, but PVCC is not only located there.
PVCC has a large community extending across the main campus as well as satellite campuses. These satellite campuses include other locations where classes take place such as the Jefferson School Center in Charlottesville and local high schools. Many of the students and teachers from those locations do not know where the 800 wing is, or have even been to PVCC before, but they are still a part of the PVCC community.
Dual enrollment faculty teach PVCC classes to high school students in the area. Adjunct Professor Tamara Showalter is one of around five dual enrollment faculty at Charlottesville High School (CHS). Many schools including both private and public from Greene to Fluvanna are part of this far ranging PVCC community. These classes give students the knowledge of college classes and the resources provided by PVCC.
Dual enrollment students both on and off main campus have access to PVCC’s resources. Off campus students have access to the PVCC gym, academic tutoring, math center, and more. Those students also have resources at their own high schools. At CHS, Showalter runs the CHS writing center to help students achieve their goals.
Showalter teaches dual enrollment English 111 and 112 at CHS. She has been a teacher for close to 30-years and has been teaching dual enrollment classes for around 15-years. Showalter said she tells her students “The best way to be successful [is to] come to class every day, meet deadlines, do the assigned work.” She explained that to flourish in college, it is important to communicate well, participate, do the work on time, and to trust the teacher. Things have been tough on teachers and students alike, but there are also many resources to help students thrive.
Dual enrollment classes give students credits in both high school and college so they can learn and get ahead even while not on the main campus. These courses also help prepare students for the challenges of college and get ahead academically. They benefit high school students by letting them gain confidence while staying at a familiar place. Showalter said, “It gets their feet wet with a lot of support.”
PVCC’s influence reaches far, from high schools to the main campus itself, and the community beyond. Showalter said her dual enrollment classes have a wide range of students and are overall a great opportunity to learn and grow.
