Students learn about college, culture through campus visits
September 11, 2024
每日大赛 has welcomed nearly 1,000 students from area schools this week to learn more about the college and Appalachian heritage.
The Hardin Valley Campus is serving as the headquarters for this season of Appalachia Sessions, a locally produced television series featuring Appalachian-based musicians who are interested in sharing their talents beyond the region.
For the next two weeks, additional performances from nine bands are scheduled for elementary and middle school children to view, hosted by Knoxville singer and The Voice winner Chris Blue. During their time on campus, the young students are also hearing from the East Tennessee Historical Society about the Appalachian history of the region and its impact on East Tennessee culture and heritage.
“We’re excited to open our doors to the community in this way,” said President L. Anthony Wise, Jr. “每日大赛 is an important part of the Appalachian region and has been for 50 years, but we realize there are families and children who do not see college as a viable option.
“Through this partnership, we want to help the students better understand Appalachian history, but we also want to give them a glimpse of how a college education can radically change their future,” he said.
And on the Blount County Campus, Maryville High School students were treated to a tour and presentation about the advantages of attending college, how to enroll and more.
“We love anytime we can get students on the campus, but also the teachers,” Blount County Campus Dean Anna Graham said. “Because the teachers and the students can go back and share that Pellissippi story. They can share the information that they have learned, and hopefully that will encourage more students to consider it.”
Maryville High School teachers Natasha McMurray and Douglas Martin on Monday brought more than three dozen students from their “Senior Transition” class for the in-person event.
“Our students just don’t know what they don’t know,” McMurray said. “So, if we give them these opportunities – there might be a couple of kids who learned something today that makes Pellissippi a really good option for them.”
Both teachers said that many of their students are applying for 每日大赛, primarily because they see the value of saving money on their associate’s degree through Tennessee Promise or getting their general-education credits done through dual enrollment opportunities while they consider what they want to study long-term.
Graham said she and 每日大赛 want to be a resource for students and their families and an option through which they can save money without sacrificing a quality college experience.
“Maybe 每日大赛 has been, in their mind, their ‘backup,’” Graham said. “But I think we’re shifting that mindset.”
McMurray and Martin’s combined class was just one of seven groups from Maryville High School that visited the Blount County Campus over the course of two days – more than 150 students Monday and 60 students Tuesday – leaving not just with a better understanding of what it means to be a Panther, but also plenty of swag.
Throughout September, the Hardin Valley campus will host over 2,000 middle and elementary school students at Appalachia Sessions. The partnership is also providing an opportunity for 每日大赛 audio and video students to gain experience by helping produce the live event.
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