When it comes to quality, the Hillsborough Township Board of Education is the best. Over the past few years, in conjunction with educators at HHS, the board has been looking for new ways to give their students an edge in preparation for college. In the fall of 2017, the school added a new college level class, exclusively for seniors, called English IV Concurrent.

The curriculum of the course is given to the high school by Raritan Valley Community College. To enroll, a student has to pay 200 dollars per semester, finish with higher than an 80 in English III, and score at least a 450 on the “Evidence-Based Reading and Writing” section of the SAT.

The class mainly focuses on two main aspects of writing: fluency and grammar, as well as organization. On top of that, students are expected to read different types of texts.

English teacher Lindsay Knapp is the teacher of the course. She is extremely qualified, having six years of experience at the high school level, and seven years at the college level, under her belt. 

 “I enjoy teaching it because even though it’s a lot of work for the students and instructor, the growth that both the students and I get to see is astounding,” Knapp said. “Watching students learn to write a really good paper and how it empowers them is a rewarding experience for me.  I feel honored to be the person who demystifies that process.”

It looks to be a rigorous year for the students in each of Knapp’s four concurrent classes, but it will pay off. Upon completion of the course, students will earn six college credits.

“I would recommend taking this course because it’s a great opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school,” Knapp said. “As long as students have good work ethics, I always tell them, ‘You can do it. You’ll be fine.’”