Every Wednesday evening, Honey Cooper packs up her art supplies and heads to class. Not at Kimbark Elementary, where he spends his days, but at San Bernardino Valley College, where he gets a seat near the front, among students nearly twice his age.
This 10-year-old fourth grader from San Bernardino is paving the way for young students to access college education. You are enrolled in ART 120, a two-dimensional design course worth four college credits. Cases like his are rare, according to San Bernardino Valley College officials.
“Even though they are young, they still need to be challenged all the time,” said their mother, Mia Cooper. “And this is a new way for them to be challenged.”
Honey Cooper looks at an art exhibit with other students in a design class taught by professor Nader Gergis at San Bernardino Valley College.
Outside of school, Honey is a busy kid. He is a GATE-identified student, California’s designation for gifted and talented students. She attends the high school level and participates in Broadway Now, an educational theater program that operates within the San Bernardino City Unified School District.
Sandra Rodriguez, assistant superintendent of student services at San Bernardino City Unified, has watched over Honey for years. Mia Cooper, a member of the state parliament, brought her daughter to state meetings and educational forums as the girl grew up. Uju sat in the back reading books and doing homework while meetings were going on around him. Rodriguez eventually got to know Honey from the meetings she attended with her mother.
When Rodriguez met a news article about a young girl who graduated from community college after being homeschooled, she immediately thought of Honey.
“It can be a child who can become a doctor at the age of 20,” said Rodriguez.
He picked up the phone and called Diana Rodriguez, chancellor of the San Bernardino Community College District, and got the ball rolling.
1. Honey Cooper chats with Professor Nader Gergis before going to his class on Wednesday. 2. Honey Cooper meets her classmates for lunch at Kimbark Elementary on Wednesday.
From there it was Mia Cooper who initiated a meeting with the director of admissions at San Bernardino Valley College, inviting Rodriguez to participate. The process fell under California Education Code Section 76001 again San Bernardino College District Board Policy 5011, which authorizes qualified K-12 students to enroll in college courses.
“Any student regardless of age can apply for admission as a special permit with parental consent and demonstrated readiness to learn,” said Paul Bratulin, director of Marketing and Public Relations at San Bernardino Valley College. “It’s rare, but it happens.”
Mia Cooper collected report cards from her daughter’s first through third grades, transcripts of student committees Honey participated in and the major awards she had been collecting since first grade. A statement from the principal of Kimbark Elementary was also required to prove Honey’s readiness to learn.
Fourth grader Honey Cooper shares a laugh with her classmates at Kimbark Elementary School.
1. Honey Cooper takes the school bus from Kimbark Elementary. 2. Honey Cooper gets homeschooled in the afternoon between elementary school and her nearby college class.
Although dual enrollment is usually designed for high school students, Honey’s case is different. He registered as a special permit, an individual approach without a general framework.
“It is up to the parents and the school, but we are determined to reach out no matter what stage in life we are in,” said Bratulin.
Her professor, Nader Gergis, was informed before Honey arrived and made it clear in advance that he would not change the course material or delay the class with Honey.
Before meeting Honey, she said she was skeptical about the dual enrollment system.
“Dual enrollment is a challenging concept and requires a little focus on understanding that these students are not real college students and are still building research and writing skills,” Gergis said.
But she said Honey accepts what she teaches and is working on getting a final portfolio, like all the students in her class.
Honey Cooper takes careful notes in her Two-Dimensional Design college class at San Bernardino Valley College.
Honey admits that her first college course is off to a great start.
“I really like college courses,” she said. “We’re learning that lines can be anything and we’re working on this with a family photo collage project.”
Honey said she got along with her classmates and professor Gergis.
San Bernardino Valley College President Gilbert Contreras said Honey’s enrollment is in line with the college’s founding mission.
1. Honey Cooper is accompanied by her grandmother, Pretty Jackson, to her art class at San Bernardino Valley College. 2. Honey Cooper sits with her mother, Mia, center, and grandmother Pretty Jackson during a break from her three-hour design class, Wednesday night. 3. Professor Nader Gergis offers a critical critique of Honey Cooper’s artwork during a class at San Bernardino Valley College on Wednesday.
“San Bernardino Valley College was founded 100 years ago with a simple but powerful belief: that higher education should be accessible to anyone who is ready to learn, regardless of background, age, or circumstances,” Contreras said. “Honey Cooper’s story is an inspiration to us all and we are honored to be a part of her educational journey.”
Rodriguez believes Honey’s enrollment could open the way for more students to apply for special admissions when they are ready to study.
When the course wraps up on May 13, he said he wants to do an after-action review to find out what worked, what didn’t and how to get motivated elementary school kids into college campuses.
“Kids in elementary school are very hungry to learn,” Rodriguez said. “We want to give them opportunities and put them on the right path to college.”
Honey Cooper looks at an art exhibit at the Gresham Art Gallery at San Bernardino Valley College, where she is enrolled in a studio art class.
