Five Athens Bible School students graduated with their associate’s degrees before their last day of high school.

The “Fab Five” senior girls left Northwest Shoals Community College and Calhoun Community College with 64 to 72 college credit hours —half of the required hours for an undergrad degree — less than two weeks before receiving their University Preparatory Diplomas from ABS.

“Our degrees require a lot of years at school, so knocking two years off is beneficial,” said senior April Hagewood.

Senior Emily Watson said her plan, like the rest of the girls, requires a professional degree.

“I want to be a nurse practitioner in neonatal care,” she said. “I have one year left and I’m getting my third associate’s degree from Florida College. I’m going to the University of North Alabama for nursing, then I want to go to Vanderbilt.”

The girls collectively agreed the workload was tough — 17 college hours in one semester and 20 in another — but the relief of having two years of college behind them outweighed it.

While the girls were studying their high school and college curriculums, they were also playing high school sports and participating in extracurricular activities.

“We would go straight from the ballfield to studying,” Hagewood said, joking the girls didn’t have much time to sleep. “Sometimes we closed our eyes for a few hours.”

Senior Olivia Hurst said she took so many pictures of notes this last year that she had to clear the storage on her phone six times.

She said when future students begin the dual-enrollment courses, they won’t have the workload on them that the Fab Five did.

“By the time they come through the program, they won’t be as stressed out because the classes will be more spaced out,” she said, explaining dual-enrollment classes will begin for other students in the 10th grade.

For senior ReAnna McCormack, remembering notes wasn’t a problem — it was getting to class to use them.

While McCormack was taking college classes and going to high school, she injured her knee playing basketball. She learned quickly that colleges don’t always close for the weather like high schools do.

“I had to use crutches to get to my orientation class at Calhoun because I broke my knee,” she said, further explaining the college didn’t shut down for a Winter Weather Advisory day.

The work paid off on May 12 when McCormack crossed the stage at Calhoun to receive her associate’s degree. She wants to be a certified registered nurse anesthetist and the two years she knocked off her eight-year degree are each a relief, she said.

Even though the girls made it to the end of their biggest challenge yet, it wasn’t without moments of self-doubt and then encouragement from ABS president and principal Randy Adams.

“We would come in Mr. Adams’ office and freak out and he would say, ‘There are the times that try mens’ souls,’” Hagewood said.

About the program

The private school taught the maximum 30 hours from Calhoun dual-enrollment classes and because they wanted more opportunities for students to earn college credit, they looked for alternate schools. Northwest Shoals out of Tuscumbia and Phil Campbell was ABS’ other choice.

Adams said while it isn’t unusual for students to receive college credit during high school, it isn’t often a student receives a higher-education degree before he or she graduates from high school.

He said he knew it could be done because he watched his daughter obtain her associate’s while she was a high school senior, then she went on to receive her doctorate within six years of completing high school.

“The big thing for me is the money savings,” Adams said. “If they take all the courses, 60 to 70 hours, during the school day, they’ll pay us less than $10,000. You’re looking at $60,000 if you pay for a public school and live on campus.”

When the students begin at their four-year schools, they will focus on their major classes since they’ve completed all their basic course work, Adams said.

“It’s a win-win situation — they get it in a day, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and it allows them to continue playing sports, be in the Beta Club and all their other activities at school,” he said.

Adams is hoping younger students see the Fab Five’s success and realize though the job is tough, it can be done.

“The remarkable thing is their ACT scores ranged from 20-30,” he said. “Anyone who wants to accomplish this, can. It’s a matter of electing to do it and grinding the course work.”

Future plans

Hurst, who is attending Auburn University for a career in pharmacy, also plans to audit an introduction to chemistry class at Calhoun this summer.

By auditing the class, Hurst won’t receive college credit hours to take to Auburn, but she said it will prepare her for the Auburn class.

Hagewood plans to achieve her goal of becoming a physical therapist by attending Florida College in Tampa for a third associate’s degree, then heading to a different school for physical therapy.

McCormack is going to the University of North Alabama for her bachelor’s in nursing, then on to the University of South Alabama.

Elizabeth Usery plans to attend University of Mississippi State for poultry science and pre-veterinary school, and plans to stay at Mississippi State for veterinary school.