One of DeKalb’s smallest graduating classes is also among the most accomplished. On May 17, 36 seniors at the DeKalb Early College Academy proudly marched into the auditorium at the Administrative and Instructional Complex in Stone Mountain – the first graduation of DeKalb’s commencement season. All of the graduates have some college credit under their belts, but 15 have earned 60 hours of university credit and an Associate of Arts degree in addition to their high school diplomas. Because of the school’s unique partnership with Georgia Perimeter College, they will move on to higher education as juniors. Thirty of the graduates have been accepted to four-year universities. The commencement speaker, state Sen. Jason Carter (D-District 42), praised the 2013 class for its hard work and pointed to the special opportunity graduates have to make significant contributions to society. “The secret to wealth and power is recognizing that you already have it,” he said. “You’ve got plans and dreams and good folks who have supported you in your education and you live in this country. There are so many things that make you elite in this world and give you the tools to make a difference.” For ninth and 10th grades, DECA’s curriculum is similar to other DeKalb high schools. But its 11th- and 12th-graders follow a rigorous college schedule, taking classes solely at the GPC campus. The school selects students from middle schools across the county based on the recommendation of teachers and counselors, transcripts, and student/parent interviews. DECA looks for rising ninth-graders who are academically at risk and who may be underserved in the traditional high school setting. Students also come from groups who have lower than average high school and college attendance or graduation rates and traditionally have not performed well on standardized tests. “The student body is about 98 percent minority,” said Jason Butler, the social studies teacher. “A lot of them come from struggling middle schools and the academic culture in this program is proving to be a good way to jump start their secondary and college education.” DECA started in 2006 with a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Woodruff Foundation. It also is funded now by the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents, GPC and the DeKalb School System.