Page 133 - Phoenix1998-99

FEATURES Thursday, March 4, 1999 - Page 9 Local eighth grade students find new challenges at WMC grants to take college classes before ProfessorTerry Dalton's Media BY MATI'HEW THOMAS Staff Writer they can vote, drive, or even attend and Politics interested Allen, 13, high school. and its MW 3:00-4:30 schedule Keith Allen and Jeff Borowitz Allen and Borowitz are not the worked fine, so he took it. are proof that you don't need high first CTY students at WMC, and He thinks it was a good choice. school to get a college education. they certainly won't be the last. "I like being able to know more Remember eighth grade? It According to Barbara Horneff about the SUbject," he said, noting seems like only yesterday to associate dean of the First-Year Pro- that Media and Politics is "a lot WMC students Keith Allen and gram, at least one CTY participant more in depth than middle school." Jeff Borowitz, probably because per semester for the last decade or Borowitz, 14, chose Professor it was yesterday. so has chosen to take a course at Paul Miller's Totalitarianism for Allen and Borowitz are two Western Maryland College. much the same reasons as Keith eights graders who are taking These young scholars have taken chose his class. Also a MW 3:00- classes here at Western Maryland classes in a wide variety of subjects, College. They are doing so as par- from Oceanography to Children's {Eighth grade ticipants in a program sponsored Literature to Human Biology. The by The Johns Hopkins University students take courses in whatever student] Borowitz called the Center for Talented interests them and does not conflict also confided that, if TRANOOAM Youth (CTY). Based primarily on with the regular junior high school Keith Alien enjoys being a student at WMC. Besides studying. he enjoys SAT scores, students can win day. one keeps up with soccer, the college's free golf, and the Beastie Boys. the reading, these two students as nerdy, egg- hometown, Finksburg. Totalitarianism is head geniuses, but they play ball Borowitz, too, is a soccer fa- and watch MTV just like any other natic; he also. enjoys listening to not too challenging. eight graders. Metallica. Like many college stu- Aside from the age difference, dents, his career plans change fre- 4:30 class, Jeff has time to get here Allen and Borowitz seem strikingly quently. from Phoenix, MD, (in the Towson similar to any random Western According to his mother, "last area) after his regular school day. Maryland student. week it was business." Once in class, Borowitz, too, Allen's favorite thing about at- Whatever the future holds for likes the rigor of college academ- tending Western Maryland is free Allen and Borowitz, their respec- ics. "Here it's more challenging," golf. He also loves the Beastie tiveexperiences as Western Mary- he says. Borowitz also confided Boys. land College students will hope- that, if one keeps up with the read- When not sitting in Media and fully continue to be positive ones. ing, Totalitarianism is not 100 chal- Politics, or discussing Hillary Borowira's dream school is lenging. Clinton's possible Senate run, Allen Duke, and Allen has no definite It may be easy to stereotype plays travel league soccer for his collegiate plans. ,,-.-...~ ........ ·Cradltc:... ... ~. u...",.-.. ....... ",._ CALLTOU. FREE 1-877-NORE-4U TO APPLY. II c::.ra