Summer programming is already in full swing at the Office of Rural Promise! Although the season has just started, we’re already busy with all kinds of activities and experiences for students. Take a look at the schedule below for a preview of our summer happenings!
GEAR UP
- Camp NASCAR and PRESS Camp — These week-long, immersive programs at Appalachian State University will provide students with an authentic taste of college life. Participants will live in campus dormitories and eat in the dining halls while engaging in hands-on activities. Students attending Camp NASCAR will be tasked with coding and battling their very own BattleBots, while PRESS Campers will hone their storytelling skills under the guidance of accomplished journalism professionals.
- Summer Bus Tours — This year’s fleet of summer bus tours have already hit the road, with sights set on landmarks in the East, West, and Central parts of the state! This year, a whopping six tours will take students to colleges and universities such as NC State, Western Carolina University, UNC Wilmington and UNC Chapel Hill — just to name a few.
- National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) Annual Conference — In July, the GEAR UP team will travel to Washington, D.C. for the annual NCCEP Conference. Once a year, GEAR UP professionals from all over the United States gather to discuss the successes and challenges faced by GEAR UP and the ways in which they can learn from one another. This year, the Appalachian GEAR UP team will deliver multiple presentations at NCCEP. The top eight L.E.A.D scholars will also attend NCCEP to participate in their Youth Leadership Summit.
Upward Bound
- Upward Bound’s flagship experience, the Summer Academy, is also underway! Students from Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, McDowell, Freedom, Watauga, and West Wilkes High Schools will live on campus at Appalachian State University for six weeks. While on campus students will enroll in classes like English, math, science and the arts. Students will also have opportunities to travel to other college campuses in North Carolina for tours and admissions presentations. Graduating seniors for class of 2026 will also travel to Washington DC as part of their final sendoff with the program.
Empowering Teacher Learning
- In June, the Empowering Teacher Learning team in collaboration with the North Carolina Rural Education Collaborative, will host Empower EDU, an immersive, 2-day long educator conference and workshop in Greensboro, North Carolina. At Empower EDU, educators will learn more about Self-Directed Professional Learning, the power of micro-credentials, as well as hear from keynote speaker Kristin Ziemke.
Young Eisner Scholars
- This summer, Young Eisner Scholars will host students on the Ashe campus of Wilkes Community College for educational summer day camps for rising 8th and 9th graders. Rising 8th graders will collaborate with WCC staff to learn more about 3D printing and the basics of coding, while rising 9th graders will write, shoot, and edit their own short films.
OnRamp
- Summer Career Fastlane —This camp for rising seniors will be hosted at several partner community colleges throughout western North Carolina and is intended to help students who are still exploring their career options network with local professionals in their area for mentorship and advising. Students will meet twice a week for several weeks as they create a post-secondary career plan.
- Summer Bridge Program — For graduated seniors, this experience will seek to ease students’ transitions from high school to college by allowing them to participate in college level courses at the partner community colleges, as well as offering additional career advising and mentorship opportunities. Students will also have the chance to shadow local tradespeople in the field to learn more about the career opportunities available to them in their communities. Both the Summer Bridge program and the Summer Career Fastlane experiences will be hosted at Wilkes Community College, Southwestern Community College, Western Piedmont Community College, and Asheville-Buncombe Tech.