Classes for the fall term at the Kirkwood Washington Regional Center begin next week, including those area high school students are enrolled in. This will be the third year of classes at the facility on Lexington Boulevard. Tera Pickens, director of the center, advises high school students to be prepared because the classes remain steady regardless of the age of the students enrolled. The high school students all attended orientation in April, when they registered for the college level classes.

Earlier this summer Pickens presented an update to the Washington school board and stated Washington continues to see an increase in the number of students dual-enrolled at the community college. In 2014, 126 Demons took classes at Kirkwood and this fall there are 167 anticipated to be in classes.

Pickens added one Washington student is on track to graduate with her associates degree in the spring, meaning she’ll receive a college diploma before she graduates from high school. This may happen because Kirkwood’s spring term ends before the high school holds commencement ceremonies.