The courses offered at Columbia State are gateways to growth. Through the gateways--and in those classes--you'll learn about your world and about yourself; you'll discover new careers and you'll grow.
We understand that your personal and professional growth isn't limited to what you learn in the classroom. Or rather, at Columbia State, the entire campus and its surrounding community is your classroom.
Columbia State fields five NJCAA Division I teams. The Chargers have routinely moved on to Division I programs, been drafted by Major League Baseball clubs, and more. Go Chargers!
We celebrate the important role of the arts in a well-rounded education. In addition to the books read, tests taken and study groups formed that make up our students' academic growth, we also provide a wide range of cultural and intellectual opportunities.
On March 24, 203 high school students participated in Columbia State Community College’s annual High School Competition when students from 10 southern Middle Tennessee high schools competed in different academic areas, including creative writing, vocal performance, algebra and sociology.
“Columbia State’s 2023 High School Competition was a tremendous success,” said Daniel Kelley, Columbia State . “For the first time since spring of 2020, we met and competed in-person! Over 200 students from high schools in our service area competed in academic contests, toured our campus, and enjoyed spring-like weather on the plaza by the Hickman Building. Our Columbia State family welcomed them warmly and helped make this year’s competition a triumph.”
Dating back to the 1980s, the competition continues to focus on humanities disciplines and has since added math components.
The list of this year's winners includes:
Archaeology Winners (left to right): First place winner, Shelby Clark of East Hickman High School; second place winner, Isaac Smith of Columbia Academy; and third place winner, Rhett Dupree of Columbia Academy.
Algebra II Winners (left to right): First place winner, Nathan Hoggard of Summit High School; second place winner, Aiden Little of Zion Christian Academy; and third place winner, Matthew Sanders of East Hickman High School.
Creative Writing – Poetry Winners (left to right): First place winner, Calen Hood of Spring Hill High School; second place winner, Toni Calton of Collinwood High School; and third place winner, Helayna Garlett of Spring Hill High School.
Creative Writing – Impromptu Fiction Winners (left to right): First place winner, Kenslee Pennington of Loretto High School; second place winner, Sydney L. Stepp of Loretto High School; and third place winner, Megan Freeman of Summit High School.
Essay Winners (left to right): First place winner, Brice Coates of Hickman County High School; second place winner, Morgan Allen of Zion Christian Academy; and third place winner, Hannah Davidson of Hickman County High School.
Extemporaneous Speech Winners (left to right): First place winner, Jack Simon of Summit High School; second place winner, Thomas Robertson of Richland High School; and third place winner, Anna Kate Dickey of Richland High School.
Mass Communications Winners: First place winner, Jayde Perry of Summit High School; and second place winner, student from East Hickman High School (not pictured).
Piano Performance Winners (left to right): First place winner, Logan Bates of Spring Hill High School; second place winner, Timothy Merritt of Marshall County High School; and third place winner, Luke Tatum of Columbia Academy.
U.S. Competition Winners (left to right): First place winner, Daniel Douglas of Columbia Academy; second place winner, Keilynn Hendricks of Santa Fe Unit School; and third place winner, Ben Murphy of Columbia Academy.
American History Winners (left to right): First place winner, Sara Martin of Columbia Academy; second place winner, Cannon Rogers of Santa Fe Unit School; and third place winner, Lillie Pearce of Columbia Academy.
Oral Interpretation Winners (left to right): First place winner, Jake Peluso-Harper of Spring Hill High School; second place winner, Catherine Whelchel of Spring Hill High School; and third place winner, Caroline McNutt of Marshall County High School.
Psychology Winners (left to right): First place winner, Francia Zoe Galeas of Summit High School; second place winner, Aaron McKey of Loretto High School; and third place winner, Max Bottoms of Loretto High School.
Sociology Winners (left to right): First place winner, Caleb Rector of Santa Fe Unit School; second place winner, Ella Reed of Loretto High School; and third place winner, student from East Hickman High School (not pictured).
Trigonometry Winners (left to right): First place winner, Kennedy Fry of Summit High School; second place winner, Judah Greer of Spring Hill High School; and third place winner, Wesley Jones of Spring Hill High School.
Visual Art Winners (left to right): First place winner, Rachel Sturges of Summit High School; second place winner, Adanna Buford of Santa Fe Unit School; and third place winner, Sarah McClure of Richland High School.
Vocal Performance Winners (left to right): First place winner, Nadya Hughes of Spring Hill High School; second place winner, Sofi SanMiguel of Columbia Academy; and third place winner, Macy Short of Loretto High School.
World Geography Winners (left to right): First place winner, Lauren Arnold of Summit High School; second place winner, Samantha Lopez of Summit High School; and third place winner, Kendrew Conder of Spring Hill High School.
Not Pictured: Video Winners: First place winner, Joshua Ledford, Jr. of East Hickman High School; second place winner, student from Spring Hill High School; and third place winners, Andrew Kirchner, Riley Jones, Riley Roberts, Bryn Effinger, Justus Stevenson and Jerek Tatgenhorst of Summit High School.
