Iredell-Statesville Schools School & Family Magazine October 2016 | Page 17

On several Saturday mornings this fall and winter, several hundred Iredell-Statesville Schools’
middle and high school students will be investing two hours of their time to better prepare for their future.
These Crosby Scholars from every I-SS middle and high school will meet at Mitchell Community College
to attend a Crosby Scholars Academy with other Scholars at their grade level. At these events, students
from all corners of Iredell County will learn together and work toward their common goal of continuing their
education after high school graduation.

Preparing students personally, academically, and financially for a post-secondary education is the
goal of The Iredell Crosby Scholars Program. These academies play an important part in that preparation.
Each attendee will attend two sessions on topics specifically chosen for their grade level. This year, sixth
grade topics are Team Building and Learning Styles. Seventh and eighth graders will choose from among
Getting Good Grades, Career Choices, No More Excuses, Relationships, and Transition to High School.

Ninth and tenth graders will also have several choices including: Right Decisions, Career Choices,
Perseverance, Value Clarification, and Study Skills. Juniors this year will focus on Financial Literacy and
SAT/ACT Prep. Each session lasts about an hour and is designed to be interactive and fun.

Curriculum is based on best practices and research of organizations such as the National
Association of College Admission Counselors, the National College Access Network, and CFNC.org. All of
the topics are presented by local educators who are hired because of their expertise in the classroom and
their ability to interact well with middle and high school students. They make the learning fun and make
sure that students have a positive experience.

While students are active in their classrooms, parents have the opportunity to attend optional parent
meetings. Topics for these meetings vary, but relate to the college preparation/application process and
include coffee! It’s also a time to share ideas, resources, insights, and learn from other parents from across
the county.

In the 2017-18 school year Iredell Crosby Scholars will work with the program’s first graduating
senior class. These students who have invested their time in the previous years will reap the rewards! They
will meet individually with their senior advisor, already prepared to start the college application process
because of the learning and the work they’ve done at academies and grade advisor meetings attended
at their high schools. Crosby Scholar seniors will have plenty to write on their scholarship applications
because they will have been building their leadership and community service experiences for several
years. The small investment of time on those Saturday mornings, and perhaps some after school hours,
will start to pay big dividends as they receive acceptance letters and scholarship offers!

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