By Liz Beavers
lbeavers@newstribune.info
Tribune Managing Editor
KEYSER – Forty-two teachers, counselors, and administrators from schools in six different states visited the Mineral County Technical Center Monday as part of a tour promoting a campaign to increase the college-going rate among high school students.
Under the direction of the West Virginia Access Center for Higher Education, the group visited each of the career fields at the center, met with the instructors, and asked questions of some of the students.
According to Tech Center assistant principal  Toi Hebden, the WVACHE is a tax-exempt corporation “with the mission of encouraging and inspiring more West Virginia students to attend post-secondary education.”
In order to accomplish that goal, the WVACHE provided two years of grants in the amount of $6,000 to the Tech Center for various awareness projects and activities.
“Through this funding, we were able to take students on college and technical school visits, create a parent newsletter, create graduate recognition displays and develop literature on college and career readiness for the school.”
Part of the literature created was a booklet, “Tips for the College Bound,” compiled by Linda Porter of the Tech Center's Student Support Services and including articles from contributors such as Rene Trezise, director of marketing and communications at
Potomac State College; Daniel Silver, director of marketing and public relations at Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College; Doug Long, Frankfort High School guidance counselor; the late Janet Kalbaugh, Keyser High School guidance counselor; Susan Kephart, psychologist for Potomac State College, and others.
According to Assistant Superintendent of Schools Pat Mason, who spoke to the group Monday, the initiative has had an impressive effect on the students at the Tech Center.
“We have had results that were short of unforeseen; we have run about a 60 percent college-going rate,” he said.
“It's had an impact not only on the Tech Center, but also on the whole school system.”
In the agriculture department alone, the success has been phenomenal.
“In 2004, we had about 34 percent of our students going to college. Now, we have over 80 percent,”  ag instructor Carol Webb told the group.
The goal of the program, explained ag instructor Julie Sions, “is to have a seamless education from high school on to the college level.”
Sarita Rhonemus, executive director of the WVACHE and coordinator of the Appalachian Higher Education Network, who directed the tour, said the group started their day Monday at Petersburg High School, and then came to the Tech Center. From there, they would be traveling to Carrollton, Ohio, and West Liberty University.
“The purpose of the tours is to showcase effective practices for getting kids to think about going to college, especially for those who don't think college is an option,” she said, explaining that the educators would take what they learned Monday back to their respective school systems for further discussion.
Those on the tour represented systems in West Virginia, Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Mississippi.