Student and Family Initiatives
Appalachian GEAR UP seeks to prepare ALL students to be college ready with a focus on academics, skills, and support for students and families.
Mountaineer Expeditions
Mountaineer Expeditions are offered to our grant cohort to expose middle and high school students to college and campus life. Activities often include academic sessions with campus faculty and staff, interaction with current college students, tours of campus highlights, student resources, and other enrichment sessions to help students envision the possibility of college and other postsecondary pathways in their future.
L.E.A.D. Coalition Program
The L.E.A.D Coalition Program is a unique and innovative program that aims to cultivate the next generation of student leaders. The goal of the program is to empower and nurture the leadership skills of young individuals, providing them with the tools and opportunities they need to positively impact their communities, families, and beyond.
Seeds Program
The SEEDS Program is designed to equip families with a comprehensive understanding of the North Carolina school system. The program is dedicated to empowering families to become effective advocates for their children’s educational needs, offering them the knowledge and resources essential for navigating the educational landscape successfully.
Additional Programs Available
Reality Family Labs
These events will engage students and families in a fun, educational evening. Participants will navigate challenges and activities inspired by reality game shows. The focus will be on teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity through the design process.
Family Design Nights
Step into a world of creativity and innovation through an evening of hands-on STEM exploration, where families will collaborate to complete the design process and challenges. These nights will spark curiosity and inspire the next generation of inventors. Come ready to imagine, create, and have fun! There will be four nights throughout the school year. Your GEAR UP Coordinator will send registration information when it is available.
Summer Programs
GEAR UP offers different summer enrichment opportunities for students within the GEAR UP cohort on multiple campuses. Summer Enrichment Opportunities bring together students with faculty and staff from the institution of Higher Education to focus on a specific topic, discuss career exploration, career readiness, and college readiness skills. Past experiences have been offered in culinary arts, cybersecurity, accounting, carpentry, forestry, allied health careers, and others. Appalachian State GEAR UP offers multiple summer programs like Camp NASCAR and PRESS CAMP.
- Camp NASCAR: Get ready to put the pedal to the metal at Camp NASCAR, where coding meets the thrill of racing! This action-packed camp teaches students the basics of programming as they design, build, and race cutebots. Whether new to coding or looking to sharpen their skills, students will race through fun challenges and learn how to bring coding to life—speeding through interactive lessons, competing in exciting coding races, and discovering how to code like a pro. Open to aspiring GEAR UP programmers currently in 9th and 10th grade.
- PRESS CAMP: At the PRESS Camp (Publishing, Reporting, Editing, Storytelling and Sharing) students will learn from Appalachian State communications and journalism professors how to film and edit digital news videos, how to write quick, breaking news style stories, and even visit the NASCAR Production Facility in Concord, N.C. This camp is open to rising 10th — 12th grade GEAR UP students.