Created: 4/20/2009 4:55:27 PM 
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The first class of students who entered the Early College High School Program at Ribault High will graduate next month with an associate degree from Florida Community College.
The program affords students a chance to earn up to sixty college credits and graduate with an Associate of Arts degree from FCCJ and a high school diploma.
Barry Williams is one of 12 Ribault High seniors who completed the program and spent the past two years at FCCJ's North Campus.
"You get to mature faster," said Williams, who has the highest grade point average in the senior class.
Williams, along with seven other seniors in the program, has been accepted by the University of Florida.
All 12 students in the Early College Program will be continuing their education in the fall.
"They are pioneers at Ribault High," says assistant principal Brian Lyons.
Lyons says the seniors are role models for their classmates.
Students who participate in the program spend their freshman and sophomore years on the Ribault campus and their final two years at FCCJ.
This year at Ribault High, 132 students are enrolled in the Early College Program.
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