Laney AIG Update
Week of October 26, 2026
Jan. 5th (10th & 11th): NCSSM Summer Ventures
Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics is a no-cost, state-funded program for academically talented North Carolina students who aspire to careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. You will have the opportunity to engage in research with faculty and get hands-on experience at a university.
The application is the same as the NCSSM residential and online program but you simply be sure to select (or include) Summer Ventures as your program of choice. There are multiple campuses and students are matched to a campus based on their interests. This is a competitive program so it also serves as a great addition to your college applicatiions as well as providing you a great "college" experience.
Here is a link for more information and the application: https://www.ncssm.edu/summerventures
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards applications (11th) - due Nov. 6 @NOON
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is an intensive leadership experience where students develop their skills as leaders while having fun and making connections. The program is organized by your local New Hanover County Rotary clubs and the Rotary District of SE North Carolina. You must be able to attend the 1/2 day conference on Saturday, Dec. 5 at UNCW. Please do not apply if you are not available. (No cost.)
RYLA participants connect with leaders from the community and around the world to:
• Build communication and problem-solving skills
• Discover strategies for becoming a dynamic leader in your school or community
• Learn from community leaders, inspirational speakers, and peer mentors
• Unlock your potential to turn motivation into action
• Have fun and form everlasting relationships
How am I selected for RYLA?
Each year, high school juniors from local high schools in New Hanover County will be selected to participate in a local RYLA conference at UNCW. Elements considered:
- Your academic performance. You should be an above average student with good study habits but not necessarily a straight-A student or one seeking academic scholarships.
- Your self-awareness. You should have a positive attitude and exhibit confidence with a willingness to meet others and debate current issues.
- Your ambitions after high school. You may want a vocational career from a community college or apprentice program or a professional career through a university or graduate school.
- Your social engagement. You may have a job while attending school, be active in a team sport or in a community organization outside school.
We can send 10 juniors to this event. To apply, complete the RYLA application and email it to Ms. Mauk. Applications due by Nov. 6 at NOON. Please reach out to reagan.mauk@nhcs.net with questions.
Note: As the sponsoring organization, Rotary supports all students, including those who have had life experiences such as racial discrimination, sexual harassment, parental divorce, homelessness, disabilities, or recent immigration to the United States.
Nov. 23 - Solve for Tomorrow - STEM competition
Each year Samsung hosts a $2 million national competition for public schools grades 6–12 in which students are asked to consider how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) can be used to create change in their communities. With the help of their teachers, students can apply to the contest and compete to win up to $100,000 in prizes for their school, plus the opportunity to work with Samsung employees to develop their prototypes.
The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest is now open. Application submissions will close on November 23. Any teacher can apply and win big! At this point in the contest, you do not need a perfected idea or complete solution. Simply identify the problem you and your students would like to tackle and your proposed solution that uses STEM to solve it. (I'm willing to serve as your teacher of record if needed.)
Go to https://www.samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow/ to learn more. You can also give a listen to the dailySTEM podcast to hear directly from teachers and Samsung leadership about the competition. You can hear from Solve for Tomorrow Alumni and STEM teacher, Kevin Lay and Senior Director of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung, Ann Woo.
Dec. 7 (10-12): Azalea Ambassador 2027 Info and Application
Azalea Ambassadors serve as representatives of the Cape Fear Garden Club, Inc. Azalea Ambassadors are responsible, enthusiastic, community-oriented high school students with a desire to support and participate in the annual Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Garden Tour, as well as other events related to the North Carolina Azalea Festival. Through their interactions with visitors attending the Garden Tour, Azalea Ambassadors help to stimulate interest in gardening, conservation, and community beautification. Applications to become an Ambassador are typically accepted each fall for the upcoming spring Garden Tour.
*The Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Garden Tour is April 9-11, 2027. Applicants must be available to participate on these dates.
Applications are now being accepted , the deadline to apply is December 7, 2026. Applicants must be young people who are high school seniors, juniors or sophomores attending school or residing in New Hanover, Brunswick or Pender County or be the child or grandchild of a Cape Fear Garden Club member.
If you are interested in becoming an Azalea Ambassador, or you know someone who is, please submit your application through the following link: Azalea Ambassadors 2027 APPLICATION
Dec. 9 - What It’s Like to Grow Up in 2026: Our Visual Art Contest from the New York Times (9-12)
What’s it like to be a teenager right now?
What are the unique challenges your generation faces?
What special opportunities does the world of 2026 offer young people?
For this year’s edition of our long-running “Coming of Age” contest, we are inviting visual work only, but you can choose from photography, drawing, painting, cartoons, charts, graphs, screenshots, short films, sculpture or virtually any other visual medium you can upload via a photo. Your submission must be accompanied by an artist statement documenting your process and reflecting on how your piece relates to the three focus questions above.
We’ll post the full rules and guidelines soon. Until then, check out our previous Coming of Age contests, especially this one, from 2022, which was also focused on visual art.
Value of Water Art Contest: Deadline Nov 13th
We are now accepting submissions for the 2026 Contest!
Use this form to submit your artwork.
Submissions will be accepted through November 13, 2026.
CFPUA's annual Value of Water Art Contest lets local students share what water means to them through original artworks! Winning artworks are featured in a calendar available for free at CFPUA's Customer Service Centers.The contest is open to K-12 students attending school or living in New Hanover County. CFPUA begins accepting submissions each fall.
Winners of the contest will be featured in a 2027 calendar. Each winner will receive 3 copies of the calendar, a winner's certificate, and a swag bag.
NC State Design Lab Weekend Workshops
Fall 2026 Weekend Workshops registration is open!
The Design Lab is excited to offer five in-person Weekend Workshops this fall. Each workshop will take place on Saturdays from 9:00am – 4:00pm with lunch at noon. See the weekend workshop schedule below. Students can register any time between October and one week in advance of each workshop, and students can register for as many weekend workshops as they are interested in.
Workshops 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 answer to these questions: What is design? How do designers think?
November 14 // Architecture
November 14 // MADTech
November 21 // MADTech
December 5 // Graphic & Experience Design
December 5 // Architecture
Join our newsletter to stay-up-to-date on program offerings.
Please send questions to designlab_k12@ncsu.edu. Thanks!
Click below for more details and to register!
Dec. 1 - Coolidge Scholarship: FULL RIDE! 11th only!
The 2026-27 Coolidge Scholarship application is now live.
A quick refresher: the Coolidge Scholarship is a full-ride, four-year, merit scholarship that recipients may use for undergraduate study at any accredited college or university in the United States. Any high school junior who plans to enroll in college in the fall of 2027 and is an American citizen or legal permanent resident is eligible to apply (current high school seniors are not eligible to apply). Winners may use the scholarship to pursue any academic major.
Academic excellence is the primary criterion considered by the Coolidge Scholarship. Secondary criteria include an interest in public policy and an appreciation of the values President Coolidge championed. Successful candidates will also demonstrate humility and have a record of genuine service to their communities. A complete description of the scholarship’s criteria is available here.
The competition for the Coolidge Scholarship is significant -- only a few new Coolidge Scholarships are awarded each year from a pool of candidates that spans the entire country. Even so, students have reported to us in past years they were glad to have applied even if they didn’t win, because the experience helped prepare them for college applications later on. Furthermore, the Coolidge Foundation invites one hundred of the top Coolidge Scholarship applicants to participate in the Coolidge Senators Program, which includes an all-expenses-paid summit gathering and a $1,000 scholarship. Scholarship applicants are automatically considered for the Senators Program.
We hope you will share this opportunity with outstanding high school juniors you know. The scholarship application, along with additional information, can be accessed on our scholarship site: coolidgescholars.org.
The submission deadline is 5:00 PM Pacific time, Wednesday, December 1, 2026. Questions? We can be reached by email at coolidgescholars@coolidgefund.org
DEC 1 - The Ron Brown Signature Scholarship
The Ron Brown Scholarship honors the legacy of Ronald H. Brown through a selective scholarship program that advances higher ed for community-minded and intellectually gifted African Americans.
RBSP competitively awards 20 four-year $40,000 scholarships ($10,000 each year) to the most talented and economically-challenged high school seniors who demonstrate a keen interest in public service, community engagement, business entrepreneurship and global citizenship – the four pillars of the late Ronald H. Brown’s mission to uplift people of all races, cultures and ethnicities – especially our disadvantaged youth.
Recipients may use the renewable scholarships to attend an accredited four-year college or university of their choice within the United States. Ron Brown scholarships are not limited to any specific field or career objective and may be used to pursue any academic discipline. Since the Program’s inception in 1996, 683 students have been designated as Ron Brown Scholars.
Applicants for the Ron Brown Scholarship MUST be Black/African American, US citizens or permanent residents, and a current high school senior at the time of their application.
NHC ABC Scholarship
$5,000 scholarship opportunity provided by New Hanover County ABC Board for graduating high school seniors (Class of 2027) residing in New Hanover County. The award may be applied toward university, community college, vocational/trade school or similar. Award funds are unrestricted, meaning recipients can apply funds to any purpose allowed by the attending institution.
The application window will open on October 1, 2026 and close on January 17, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. To apply, students must write a research essay on the dangers of underage drinking and carry out a plan to educate their peers. The application does not request academic or extracurricular information.
Lauren Iammatteo from the New Hanover County ABC Board will be hosting a virtual information session Oct. 20 on Zoom, open to students, parents/guardians, teachers, counselors or other professionals working with youth. Registration links, award information, scholarship portal information, and contact information can be found at this link:
Volunteer with NourishNC!
It takes a village to nourish our community’s children.
At NourishNC, we believe that our community’s children deserve the absolute best. But we can’t do it alone. It takes the dedication and support of volunteers like you to nourish our children and fight hunger head-on.
Volunteering is at the heart of everything we do. It takes volunteer hours each year to ensure that no child in the Greater Wilmington, NC area goes to bed hungry. Your time is a precious gift that can change lives, brighten futures, and strengthen our community.
Join us in making a lasting impact, one child at a time.
Reagan Mauk
Email: reagan.mauk@nhcs.net
AIG Website: https://sites.google.com/nhcs.net/laney-nhhs-aig/home-1
Office: 214
Phone: 910-251-6100