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AASIS |
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Funded by a $25,000 grant from the Coca Cola Foundation, the AASIS program is intended to raise high school students' awareness and appreciation of their Appalachian heritage and raise their interest in attending college. The program is coordinated by RU's Appalachian Regional Studies Center, directed by Grace Toney Edwards. Throughout the academic year, 55 RU students from diverse disciplines will mentor the 100 AASIS students. Mentors will visit high schools to talk about planning for and succeeding in college, communicate with their mentors by mail or e-mail and host them on two campus visits, including the visit this Wednesday and another visit in the spring. Two teachers from each high school will take on-campus workshops on incorporating Appalachian studies into their classes, and AASIS students will complete Appalachian studies projects to present to their classes. Part of the grant allowed teachers and mentors to attend the Appalachian Teachers Network conference held this fall on the RU campus. The AASIS program, which targets students who are college able but not necessarily college bound, was established in 1996 as a one-year pilot project funded by the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund. During that pilot year the program was enthusiastically received and evaluated by students, teachers and RU mentors. Edwards said this year's teachers include many who were involved previously; one new teacher is an RU alumnus who was a mentor during the pilot project. |
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