Ashley High School AIG Update
Week of April 22nd
Opportunities of all kinds!
If you would like to schedule an individual meeting for the week of April 22nd I will be available at Hoggard Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday. However, I will be at Ashley several days the following week, Monday, April 28.
Wiliams College (Juniors)
Our 2025 Windows on Williams (WOW) application for your rising seniors is now available! WOW participants stay in dorms with current students, attend classes, meet with professors, and learn about our admission process and our extraordinary All-Grant financial aid program—all for free! Please encourage your students to apply by August 1, and feel free to contact us with any questions.
Matchlighters Scholars Program (Juniors)
What is Matchlighters? (Juniors)
The Matchlighters Scholars Program pairs highly motivated juniors from low-income households with experienced college counselors for one-on-one college counseling and essay coaching support. It's totally free and applying couldn't be easier.
In 2024, Matchlighters paired 717 motivated students from low-income households with generous counselors who provided free college counseling and essay coaching.
If you're a student from a low-income household who may qualify and benefit from college essay and counseling help, we’d love to hear from you.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol Summer Program
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) offers a high school internship program designed to provide students with hands-on experience in public safety careers, offering a 40-hour program with non-enforcement duties and professional standards.
The program takes 5 students from each school.
Deadline: June 10 (when the 5 slots are filled, no more applications will be accepted)
Dates: June 22-27, 2025
Log into the Competition/Scholarship Google Classroom for more information and to access the info & application.
Youth Entrepreneurship Program
The camp is FREE and from Monday, July 14th to Thursday, July 17th from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Friday, July 18th from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The camp is called Young Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) and YEP focuses on high school students (ages 13-17 years old).
• Lunch will be provided everyday around noon each day excluding Friday.
• Please review the link below to submit the application and review the program’s website.
Point of contact: Jane Bailey, Program Director, baileyj@uncw.edu
https://uncw.edu/academics/colleges/csb/points-of-excellence/youth-entrepreneur-program
YEP participants will:
• Explore and leverage talents useful for team building and leadership development.
• Understand basic concepts of entrepreneurship and learn about resources in the local area and at UNCW.
• Hear inspiring talks from local experts.
• Engage with college students and UNCW faculty/staff.
• Dine at UNCW (included)
YEP offers week long day sessions for high school students to learn the elements of starting a small business, you'll learn things such as:
• Knowing yourself and your strengths
• How to judge and attract talent
• How to let others know about your business
• Knowing the language of business
NC State Design Lab / Spring 2025 / Weekend Workshops
Only 4 Workshops remaining this semester!
Workshops are held at NCSU on Saturdays from 9:00am - 4:00pm and will introduce students to design thinking and the design process through challenge-based activities. Through these workshops, students will have the opportunity to develop a better understanding of our designed world and find answers to these questions: What is design? How do designers think?
April 26 // Architecture
April 26 // Media Arts, Design and Technology
Prior to Registering, Please Read the Following:
Registration Process and Policies
- The registration fee for each online workshop ranges from $60 – $100. Payment is due upon registration. Students may register for multiple weekend workshops at a time, but SHOULD only register for one workshop per Saturday. All forms and payment must be completed in order for registration to be finalized.
- Registration will remain open for each workshop up until 6 calendar days prior to its date.
- Those who have completed registration and payment will receive a confirmation email immediately. And all registrants will receive an email at least 5 business days prior to the start of their workshop with further information on procedures and protocols.
- Each workshop will take place on Saturdays from 9:00am – 4:00pm with Lunch at noon. Lunch will be provided for all workshops; our staff and instructor will accompany students to Clark Dining Hall, near our location on campus.
- Students should arrive between 8:45am – 8:55am and students must leave or be picked up no later than 4:15pm. Drop-off, Pick-up, and Parking information will be shared after registration is complete.
- Cancellations for Weekend Workshops: We must receive request for cancellation in writing via email to designlab_k12@ncsu.edu. Cancellations made 10 calendar days prior to a workshop are eligible for a full refund. Cancellations made 5 calendar days prior to a workshop are eligible for a 50% refund OR request to have their program fees donated to our Design Lab outreach funds. If the workshop is cancelled by the Design Lab, full refunds will be issued. Refunds can only be issued by the same means of the original payment.
- Due to the upfront costs of our workshops, this is a firm policy, as we are not able to provide refunds for money that has already been allocated towards workshop expenses.
If you have any questions, please email designlab_k12@ncsu.edu.
Special Olympics Youth Innovation Project - age 14-25
A Youth Innovation Project is a project that is designed, planned, and implemented by Youth Leaders to promote inclusion in their communities. Project has to be completed over 6-9 months (good summer project?)
https://www.specialolympics.org/what-we-do/youth-and-schools/youth-leaders/innovation-projects/apply
Summer Programs
It's the time of year to start signing up! The site linked below is certainly not exhaustive, but we have tried to include what we can. If a link on the page doesn't work . . . google it. Many of the links change every year and it is impossible to keep up.
AI Summer Intensive with MIT Mentors
Inspirit AI invites curious high schoolers to dive into the world of artificial intelligence and build real-world projects such as analyzing economic impacts of large-scale layoffs and identifying bias in media channels with guidance from Columbia and MIT mentors. Interested students can apply here or reach out to maddie@inspiritai.com with any questions.
College Info / New Info for Seniors / Scholarships
Volunteer/Leadership Opportunities
Teen Book Reviews
Volunteer virtually by submitting reviews to their Teen Book Reviews page. If you would like your review to count toward volunteer service hours, please fill out this virtual volunteer form first, if you have not already.
This page will give teen patrons the chance to share their thoughts with others on the books, graphic novels, and manga they read - and also provide them with the opportunity to earn virtual volunteer hours, if they so choose.
Quick Info:
- Teens can submit book reviews without becoming a virtual volunteer, but those who would like to receive credit for their reviews will need to apply to become a virtual volunteer first.
- Eligibility wise, to submit reviews, teens will need to be in grades 6-12 and have a New Hanover County Library card: CLASS Project, student ID numbers count. 😊 (every student at NHCS has this account already where their library card is their student number)
- Teens will earn 1.5 service hours for each review submitted (the average going rate among other public library systems that have similar programs in place).
- This opportunity to virtually volunteer will complement the NHCPL current in-person teen volunteer option, not replace it.
If you have any questions, feel free to email Ezra Letson, YA Library Associate, at eletson@nhcgov.com
Cape Fear River Watch - 2nd Saturday Clean-Up
Each month on the 2nd Saturday, CFRW conducts a community clean-up somewhere in the local Cape Fear area. Clean-ups are almost always from 9am-11am. Anyone can sign-up to join the clean-up event. CFRW staff provide gloves, trash/recycle bags, and grabbers for volunteers. Check the calendar each month as locations are usually TBD until about a week before. You should register to attend so they will have enough supplies. Click on the event in the CFRW calendar to register.
Gifted Advisory Council
The GAC is an independent council of families, community members, business leaders, and NHCS staff who meet monthly to support and advocate for the NHCS AIG Program. The GAC is part of the community partnership standard in the 2022-2025 AIG Plan. The council provides perspectives, information, and independent initiatives that are not shared through regular NHCS AIG communications. Please use the link below to join the GAC's mailing list for newsletters and other information for how to support your student and their school's AIG program.
The meetings are from 6-7pm at the Spencer Boardroom, 1805 s. 15th Street.
April 7th
May 19th
Please use the link below to join the GAC's mailing list for newsletters and other information for how to support your student and their school's AIG program.
Previously Featured Competitions/Contests
Information about these opportunities was provided in previous newsletters. Check the archive to get more details and links to registration/applications.
- NC Design Camp (10-12) - April 11
Jennifer Crudeli
Email: jennifer.crudeli@nhcs.net
AHS Office: 405
Hoggard Office: 104B