Liberty Christian Academy in Wright City has joined in a new partnership with Midwest University, a private institution based in Wentzville. Under the new agreement, students at Liberty Christian will be able to receive college credit for certain classes, and teachers will have discounted access to professional development programs.

It’s a big step forward for the small school, which has been seeking to expand its college credit options. Administrator Bev Wilgus said this will be the first opportunity for LCA students to get credit for classes that they take in high school.

“Because we are a small school, for our kids to do a dual credit, what we do is ... our seniors go half a day in the hopes that they can then pick up a dual credit course at one of the local community colleges,” Wilgus explained. “The benefit (of this agreement) is they can have that dual credit capability without having to go off-campus or taking an online course.”

LCA also has an arrangement with Grand Canyon University for students to access discounted online courses, Wilgus added. She said one of her goals for the school is to provide more college-level learning opportunities.

Wilgus signed the partnership with Midwest University President Dr. James Song May 18. It allows students in LCA’s public speech and American government classes to sign up for dual credit with Midwest University. The dual credit requires students to pay a fee, but it’s a reduced rate compared to the university’s normal fees, Wilgus said. A small part of the fees is also returned to LCA, she said.

In the future, more classes could qualify for dual credit enrollment, Wilgus added.

For Liberty Christian’s teachers, Wilgus said Midwest will provide courses that teachers can use for their ongoing certification and professional development. She hopes the partnership will continue to improve educational opportunities at Liberty Christian, which has been in Wright City for 15 years.

The partnership between the schools was in part negotiated by Bryan Spencer, who teaches the speech and government classes at LCA. Spencer, who is also the state representative for the area and a trustee for Midwest University, said part of his job is to help “connect the dots” for local organizations to help each other.

Spencer commented that the university has even agreed to allow students who took his classes in the 2019-2020 year to apply for the dual credit program retroactively.

Officials with Midwest University who were present at the agreement signing said they look forward to the partnership benefiting both schools.

Dr. Christina Joung, director of the Midwest International Research Institute, said in the future, Midwest is also hoping to partner with Liberty Christian for a program that would be part of the university’s international program.

Midwest hosts many international students and academics, especially from South Korea, Joung said. The university is hoping some of those students might be able to help teach math and science classes at LCA as part of their work and studies at Midwest, Joung explained.

However, that’s a partnership that will need to be negotiated in a future agreement.