December Newsletter
The Crosby Scholars staff wishes you a heartfelt happy and safe holiday season!
A Year in Review
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." Benjamin Franklin
Crosby Academies
Students should register for academies through their Student Portal at my.crosbyscholars.org. Check our website or student portal for upcoming dates.
In our first year, Crosby Scholars students performed a total of more than 6,000 community service hours
While the program requirement is only 2 hours of community service, we have many students who go above and beyond in giving back to our community. We would like to recognize several students who have performed 20 hours or more this year. And the deadline is not until April 15! Our special recognition and thanks goes to:
Garrett Alewine - 75 hours (Southeast Middle School), Braxton Atwell - 26 hours (South Rowan High School), Claudia Barger - 20 hours (West Rowan High School), Sara Coe - 29 hours (Jesse Carson High School), Emma Cooler - 50 hours (West Rowan High School), Rebecca Gainey - 245 hours (Jesse Carson High School), Kayla Honeycutt - 33.75 hours (Salisbury High School), Susannah Horton - 24 hours (Jesse Carson High School), Jordan Smith - 40 hours (East Rowan High School), Brianne Snider - 48 hours (East Rowan High School), Sara Wong - 29.37 hours (Jesse Carson High School).
BBQ, Bands, & Boots
Proceeds supported our Last Dollar Grant program - a program with which we hope to offer scholarships to our graduates with unmet financial need.
Save the Date for next year's BBQ, Bands, & Boots for Saturday, September 26 in the F&M Trolley Barn - we'll see you there!
"First Generation" film screening
College Week - Knox Middle and North Rowan Middle schools
Crosby Scholars is committed to helping its students learn more about colleges and possible careers.
Along with Banicca Watkins and Emily Harrison from Communities in Schools and the faculty and staff, Program Coordinator Krystal Stukes helped bring College Week to Knox and North Rowan Middle Schools. College Week included each school’s very own college fair. The emphasis at both locations was on building a college-going culture… with college door decorating contests, teachers wearing t-shirts from their alma maters, a Favorite College shirt day for students, and each school's very own college fair where representatives from local colleges talked to students about college admission. Livingstone College cheerleaders helped build the excitement by awarding the prizes for the contests. Only 17% of our population over the age of 25 in Rowan County has a Bachelor’s degree. We are constantly looking for ways to partner within our schools to introduce the concept of college and get our students excited about it.
Middle School College & Career Exploration
Another way Crosby Scholars is getting their students excited is with field trips which highlight different career options. This year, 8th graders from China Grove, Corriher Lipe, and Southeast Middle Schools who successfully completed the Crosby Scholars requirements as 7th graders got to choose between a trip to learn about NASCAR careers and health science occupations.
The NASCAR exploration trip included a tour of NASCAR’s Research & Development facility in Concord and a tour of the Motorsports facilities at UNC-Charlotte. The NASCAR R&D facility is a state-of-the-art facility devoted to safety initiatives of motorsports. Students toured the computer-aided design and modeling, engineering, fabrication, and machine shops. They learned about the many different career opportunities from higher educational careers such as engineering to technical careers as machinists and tire technicians, and watched a safety test being performed on seat belts. The Motorsports facility at UNCC is one of the most innovative “hands-on” programs in the Southeast. Students were exposed to possible educational opportunities in sports marketing or motorsports engineering. Their 16,500 facility houses motorsports research including a water tunnel, wind tunnel, computational labs, and other research labs.
Students visiting Cabarrus Health Sciences College learned about career opportunities in health science fields such as occupational therapy, medical assisting, and nursing. Hands-on activities included working with life-like patients in a hospital simulation room and learning the appropriate way to enfold and sterilize surgical instruments. The educational path and the many degree options of the health sciences fields were discussed with the student. We have planned a college or career enrichment activity at each middle school this year. We have Erwin Middle and West Rowan Middle on our schedule for next semester are are looking into some exciting possibilities for our students at these schools.
UNCC's Motorsports Program
NASCAR R&D
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
Did You Know...
- Only 13% of the population in Rowan County has an Associate's Degree, only 17% has a Bachelor's Degree, and only 7% has a Master's Degree?
- The average weekly earnings for a person with a Master's Degree is $1,174; for a person with a Bachelor's Degree $938; for a person with an Associate's Degree is $834; and for a person with no post-secondary education is less than $500.
- 57% of our reporting students will be the first in their families to go to college.
- By donating your gently used clothing, books, toys, furniture, and household goods to Goodwill Industries, you are helping support Crosby Scholars. Both organizations share goals and mission statements. Visit our website to read about our strategic alliance.
Our First Senior Class!
We need your help! We will need volunteers to be Senior Advisors, working one-on-one with our graduating seniors next year, meeting once or twice a month. Begin the process by filling out the volunteer form on our website. Please call our office at 704-762-3512 if you are able to help.
How Can You Help?
Crosby Scholars is grateful for the support of our community. If you are looking for ways to help, please consider the following:
- Named Scholarships - designate a scholarship in honor/memory of a person or organization, and help transform the lives of our graduating Crosby Scholars
- Senior Advisors - providing one-on-one mentoring/advising to our first senior Crosby Scholars class, helping guide them through the college application and financial aid process
- Grade Advisors - work with Crosby Scholars high school students by giving them a foundation of knowledge to help prepare them for their senior year and helping them achieve their goals of post-secondary education
- Donate to our Last Dollar Grant Program - a program which we hope to offer scholarships to graduating Crosby Scholars with unmet financial need.
- Volunteer for a specific Crosby Scholars event - we welcome volunteers, and have several opportunities for volunteers including upcoming middle school college tours.
Please call our office at 704-762-3512 if you have questions or would like to volunteer.
Parent Corner
Encourage your student to attend Grade Advisor Meetings. While not mandatory, these meetings are strongly encouraged. Your student will have the opportunity to receive important information and speak with advisors.
Don't forget - your student must have a minimum of 2 hours of community service. Call local agencies for volunteer opportunities. Community service forms are available online on our website. Fill it out, get it signed, and mail or fax it back to us.
Middle school academies are also a program requirement. Check our website for grade-specific academy dates.
For more information about our program, visit www.crosbyscholarsrowan.org
Board of Directors
Kathy Rusher, Vice Chair
Curtis Bland, Treasurer
Nancy Barkemeyer, Emily Blanton, Dr. Bret Busby, Dr. Windsor Eagle, Art Gibel, Dr. Judy Grissom, Dr. Jacqueline Gray, Michael Hanzlik, Carol Herndon, Brien Lewis, Mona Lovett, Dr. Lynn Moody, Marvin Moore, Mary Ponds, Bob Setzer, Dr. Carol Spalding, Jason Walser, Kelly Withers