Adult high school coming to Columbia

Adults who are interested in earning their high school diploma in Mid-Missouri will soon have a place to do so.

Mike Reynolds, the Columbia Excel Center director said, “What better caveat to have a mom or a dad coming back to get their diploma and if their children are at a school somewhere here in the area and they see that I think that’s going to be motivation to do well in school as well.”

MERS Goodwill said in a news release that it will open a new adult high school on Oct. 28 called the Goodwill Excel Center in downtown Columbia. The Excel Center is a tuition-free high school and the fourth of its kind.
“The passion to give everyone a second chance to get a high school diploma to better our community and to give those adults a better chance to better themselves,” Reynolds said.

The new center will be located at 101 N. Fourth St. in the Columbia Daily Tribune newspaper building.

MERS Goodwill says about 500,000 people in Missouri over 21 without a high school diploma.

Class times will be flexible to accommodate work schedules, and each facility will have a drop-in childcare center which is free for students attending class, according to the organization.

Jill Campbell, a language arts teacher for the Excel Center said, “It’s almost the first thing they ask you on any kind of job application is if you have your high school diploma and they will be able to check that box, yes.”

Enrollment is underway and students interested in enrolling can contact high school director Mike Reynolds at 573-499-1220 or mreynolds@mogoodwillexcel.org.

More information is also available at mersgoodwill.org/excel-center-registration-form/.