By Tim Reaves
BCS Communications Department
The Asheville Merchants Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina awarded $50,000 to the Buncombe County Schools Graduation Initiative!
This important source of funding will help us continue to ensure our students graduate on time and prepared for their tomorrow. The Graduation Initiative Mini-mester, happening this summer at A.C. Reynolds High School, lets students earn credits in a small, one-on-one environment.
“It allows us to work with students individually to design a path to graduation,” said Graduation Initiative Director Kaye Lamb. “They can attend summer sessions to recoup credits or earn new credits. It’s flexible and designed to work for anyone.”
The program also connects teachers and students from all across Buncombe County. Jon Cox, a senior at Reynolds, spent part of the day Tuesday working on his graduation project with Enka High School teacher Jason Rollins.
“These teachers have helped me tremendously,” he said. “I fell behind during freshman and sophomore year, and I needed this to catch up. Now I’m back on track.”
Emma Schneider, a T.C. Roberson graduate and N.C. State Teaching Fellow, tutored A.C. Reynolds senior Briana Lindsey, helping her grasp math concepts that challenged her during the school year.
“She’s making progress,” Schneider said. “The Mini-mester gives students that extra attention, that extra boost that they need to get over the top.”
