With over 1,200 students enrolled at C9, only 6 percent are SHS students. They offer 27 different programs ranging from Landscaping, to Criminal Justice to Nursing. Only 7 percent of students who attend are unemployed or not pursuing a post-secondary education after graduation.

C9 is currently made up of nine different high schools spanning across both Johnson and Marion County. Both Director Nicole Otte and Media Communications Specialist Tiffany Sansone believe that having students from different schools together is beneficial for students because they can expand their social circle.

“You’re meeting people in the community that you wouldn’t have met otherwise,” Sansone said.

At SHS, in order to go to C9 students must fill out a form on the Guidance office’s website. After filling out the form, students will meet with their guidance counselor’s during scheduling to decide if attending C9 is in their best interest.

According to Guidance Counselor Tricia Bender, there is a limited number of students that are allowed to attend C9, so if more students have signed up than can actually go, the students who signed up first will be the ones who are selected to go.

“Even if (students) are just thinking about it, I encourage them to go ahead and sign up. That way, when they meet with their counselor, one on one, they’ve reserved their spot,” Bender said. “It’s time stamped. That way we know that the first spots go to the first people that signed up.”

At C9, if there are more students signed up for a certain class than there is allowed, they will split up how many spots each school gets based on how many people attend each high school, according to Otte. Otte says that if a school has 10 percent of C9’s population then they would have 10 percent of spots in that class. This rule only applies if more people are signing up than there are seats in the class.

Junior Serenity Cody started attending C9 this school year. She currently goes for Cosmetology, which is not actually taken on C9’s campus but instead at a cosmetology school called Paul Mitchell.When Cody was in sixth grade, she discovered her passion.

“It’s always been my passion,” Cody said. “It’s something I want to do the rest of my life.”

Otte believes that there are a few things students might not know about C9, such as receiving dual college credit through Ivy Tech, participating in internships and having the opportunity to receive scholarships. Otte says that most classes offer dual credit, but not all.

If a student chooses to participate in an internship, it must be their second or third year at C9. If he or she is taking a work-based learning class, the student will be at their internships four days a week but will be attending a class at C9 on Mondays.

Another opportunity Otte believes students don’t typically know about is that C9 offers scholarships for students who will be going to college. One scholarship offered is strictly for C9 students only and will pay the students first two years of tuition.

“(The best part about C9 is) our kids,” Otte said. “That’s why we’re here and we want to make sure we’re preparing them for the future.”

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