Iredell-Statesville Schools School & Family Magazine November/December 2015 | Page 14

Iredell-Statesville Schools recently teamed up with The Iredell County Crosby Scholars Community Partnership to bring an exciting college access program to middle and high school students in the district. Although new to Iredell County, Crosby Scholars began serving students almost twenty-five years ago in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. The origins of the program date back to the Bing Crosby Celebrity Golf Tournament held at Bermuda Run for many years - hence the name “Crosby” Scholars. Through this free program, students are prepared personally, academically, and financially for college enrollment. Crosby Scholars strives to find the best college fit for each student based on their interests, abilities, and future goals. Attendance at an academy, or workshop, on topics such as learning styles, team building, note taking, and preparation for standardized tests is required for scholars annually. Each Scholar is also required to contribute at least two hours of service each year to an organization of their choice, and show good citizenship at school and in the community. Scholars must remain drug free. At the ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades, small group meetings are held at the high schools to discuss topics that are important at each grade level. From the end of the junior year, and through the senior year, Crosby Scholars provides trained advisors to work individually with each senior. The student will work with the advisor to narrow college choices, consider programs, meet deadlines for testing, applications and scholarships until he/she is ready to make his/her final selection. In order to provide these services to the more than 1500 Crosby Scholars currently enrolled, community volunteers are needed to serve as Grade Advisors in the high schools and to help with other programs. In 2017, the program will need Senior Advisors who are willing to be trained so that several hundred seniors may have an advisor working with them 12 Iredell-Statesville School & Family one-to-one. Interested volunteers may contact Crosby Scholars at www.crosbyscholarsiredell. org, by phone at 704-873-5005, ext. 1428, or by e-mail at [email protected]. This program is supported by funding from Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina to proactively address the problem of unemployment due to lack of skills or education. In 2012, Goodwill formed a strategic alliance with Crosby Scholars to replicate the program first in Rowan County, and now in Iredell. The Iredell County Crosby Scholars Community Partnership is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.