Ninth-Grader Enrolled in College Course

In addition to GSA classes, Kenzee Taylor of Blue Hill is taking the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s online Criminal Justice course.

The ninth-grader’s interest in crime and the law began when she was “a little kid,” she said. She was fascinated by crime and horror movies, especially the psychological aspects. “I love trying to figure out why people do the things they do.”

Kenzee hopes to be a lawyer in the future, perhaps a prosecuting attorney. The course, which started in January, is a first step toward achieving that goal. Among the topics covered early on were crimes involving the elderly and mentally ill, and victims of sexual assault, which “was kind of hard to read.”

“The whole class is based on notes, so you read the notes, jot them down, and practice them,” Kenzee said. “Then you take your exam, which is 50 questions, and you have 45 minutes to answer them.”

She took the first exam several weeks into the course. “I try so hard in all my classes,” she said, but her first grade was not as high as she had hoped. Like any good student, Kenzee will adjust her study routine. She plans to process her notes more and spend more time taking online quizzes.

Passing the class means Kenzee will earn college credit AND credit at GSA. She will continue to explore her interest next year by taking UMPI’s online Criminology course, and she has signed up for Forensics at GSA. And Kenzee has already asked her advisor, Caroline Richards, to be her mentor for an ISIP project related to the law and criminal justice in 2025.

When asked if she has any advice for GSA students thinking about taking college courses while in high school, Kenzee said “make sure it’s what you want to do and that you’re really focused and prepared to sit down and write a lot and practice a lot, to put a lot of time in the class.”

Kenzee is one of about a dozen George Stevens Academy students taking college courses this year through the University of Maine System’s ExplorEC program or through other institutions. Students can take up to four free courses per year through ExplorEC. They also can design their own GSA Alternative Courses. Students interested in pursuing their passions beyond GSA’s extensive curricular offerings should contact Dean of Curriculum & Instruction David Stearns.