KJTMA Students Accepted to DeSoto Early College

KJTMA Eighth Grade Students Receive DeSoto Early College Acceptance Letters
Posted on 04/19/2022
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DeSoto ISD is providing students with a Foundation to SOAR and a clear pathway to continued academic excellence in alignment with the school board’s goals for future readiness and individual student growth. With this in mind, the district is proud to celebrate the inaugural eighth grade class of Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy students who received DeSoto Early College High School acceptance letters in a surprise ceremony in April.


"As a campus, we are seizing the opportunity to celebrate our students' matriculation through DeSoto ISD's educational system,” said KJTMA Campus Principal Dr. Michelle Neely who was ecstatic to have this academic celebration and to see so many students committing to this level of learning.

 

"Through this event, we hope to demonstrate a unified commitment to the continued success of our DeSoto ISD scholars," said Neely. "Additionally, we want to market the exceptional, academic pathway we have in DeSoto to our future high school students."

 

The DeSoto Early College High School partnered with the KJTMA campus to host a special surprise ceremony to celebrate the rising ECHS students alongside their parents in this first cohort of eighth-graders.

 

“This was a surprise for parents and the students. We thought that we were attending a regular meeting,” said Christe Johnson, a KJTMA 8th grade parent whose son was recognized at the event. “This experience allowed the students to not only see their success in the eighth grade but also gain a glimpse of the success that they will have during their time in high school.”


Johnson applauded the work of the KJTMA Principal Dr. Michelle Neely and her staff including Counselor Shirley Robinson. “My child being a KJTMA has been a great success. The staff is a great influence. Just having the magnet school and the choices of so many programs have really opened the door for not just the students but for the community to see that DeSoto is dedicated to its students.”


Her son, Donovan Marshall-Johnson, who has attended DeSoto ISD schools since he was in kindergarten and the KJTMA campus since the sixth grade was excited about the event and also grateful for his learning experience. 


“I believe that KJ (Katherine Johnson campus) has prepared me to go to the high school.” 


Johnson agrees. She shared that her son has begun to be more expressive understand the value of his voice and is more interested in community engagement programs, campus student council, and more recently the DeSoto Teen Council.

 

 As he continues to matriculate through the district next school year, Johnson is hopeful that his experiences will continue to help him solidify his future success.


“I believe the Early College High School program will give him a better focus and help him organize to deal with the fast pace world and academically prepare him for his desired career in journalism,” said Johnson.


Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet is one of the districts’ two specialized learning academies and serves students in grades kindergarten through eighth. The campus offers signature, personalized learning experiences for its students such as coding, computer science, and more in addition to the core curriculum. 


KJTMA Campus Principal Dr. Michelle Neely was ecstatic to have this academic celebration and to see so many students committing to this level of learning.


"As a campus, we are seizing the opportunity to celebrate our students' matriculation through DeSoto ISD's educational system.” 

The commitment of these students to continue to excel as they matriculate through high school has not only to begin considering their future but to embrace a higher-level, more rigorous learning environment for their high school years with the possibility of obtaining an associate's degree along with their high school diploma in the next four years.


Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet is one of the districts’ two specialized learning academies which serves students in grades kindergarten through eighth. The campus offers signature, personalized learning experiences for its students such as coding, computer science and more in addition to the core curriculum.


DeSoto Early College High School is a school with a school model and partners with Dallas College’s Cedar Valley campus to provide college-level courses to the students in the program beginning freshman year. As students progress through the early college program they can complete up to 60 hours and obtain an associate's degree.


Learn more at www.DeSotoISD.org.