By Jon Mayhew

VALE -- Students and instructors from West Lincoln Middle School’s Career Technical Education (CTE) program recently enjoyed exposure to both community college and a major university through the school’s “When I go to college” program. A presentation was made of the program to the Lincoln County Board of Education during the board’s regular monthly meeting.

According to Aaron Allen, three years of planning went into the program.

“Our desire was to give every student the opportunity to see what’s out there, both in Lincoln County and beyond,” said Allen, adding 99 percent of the 240 sixth graders at WLMS opted to go to Appalachian State University in Boone.

Dellinger said the students were excited about going to the campus.
“They also wanted to learn more about college,” said Dellinger. “They were a well-behaved group of students who would have liked to spend more time up there.”

Sixth grader Erica Miller took the trip up to ASU with her classmates, accompanied by CTE instructor George C. Dellinger.
Miller said the experience was “cool.”

“It made me want to go see more colleges,” said Miller. “I may even want to go up there.”

For eighth grade students, their excursion took on more of a local flavor according to CTE instructor Susan McKee. The trip was made to the Lincoln County School of Technology and the two campuses of Gaston College, which are in Dallas and Lincolnton.

“We wanted to get a picture of the places where they have heard these names so many times before,” said Mckee.

According to McKee, she has heard from students in West Lincoln that college may not be an option because of affordability and what McKee called “a higher level of poverty in West Lincoln.”

“The tour was fast-paced for students so they could learn about the possibilities that lie ahead,” said McKee.

Morgan Avery, one of the students who took the local tour, said she’s beginning to look at her future regarding what school to attend.
“This was the best trip we were ever allowed to take,” she said. “I didn’t know the Lincoln County School of Technology was even there.”
Something else Avery -- and a lot of her peers -- didn’t know was the option to earn college credits during the junior and senior years of high school. It’s a program called “Learn and Earn,” which was created by Democratic Gov. Mike Easley and passed into law by the N.C. General Assembly.

Avery added she liked all of the technical classes offered at Gaston.
“I especially liked all of the medical classes there,” said Avery. “The trip was great because of all the hands-on activities there.”
Seventh graders from WLMS will be going to the NASCAR Technical Institute in March according to CTE instructor Angel Watson. Watson said she believes the world of NASCAR appeals to both boys and girls alike.

“There’s a lot of NASCAR fans here in Lincoln County,” said Watson. “We might even find some things girls are interested in at NTI.”
Watson added she thought the field trips were beneficial for both teachers and students alike.

“Personally, for me, I saw so much interest and enthusiasm that came from some surprising sources,” said Watson. “We have a renewed understanding of the impact we as teachers have as career tech teachers.”