SALISBURY – More than 40 employers are registered to participate in the Rowan-Salisbury Schools Community Job Fair on Friday from 2:30-5 p.m. at Life Church of Salisbury. Earlier in the day, the job fair will be open exclusively to high school seniors from across Rowan-Salisbury Schools. These high school seniors are planning to go straight into the workforce, are undecided on their post-secondary plans or are planning to attend a community college. The follow up to the event will be a career signing day April 28 for students who obtain employment at the job fair.

“This event will be instrumental in building our workforce talent pipeline in Rowan County,” said Holly Pore, RSS Director of Career and Technical Education. “Rowan County is surely a place where we can live, learn, earn and play; this event is a collaborative effort to positively contribute to the economic mobility of our people and community.”

Rowan Partners for Education, NC Works, Rowan Economic Development Commission, NEXTGEN, and the Rowan Chamber of Commerce are partners in the event.

The community portion of the job fair will be open from 2:30 to 5 p.m. and Rowan Partners for Education is the event sponsor.

SHS project prepares students for the future of video game design with help from Catawba College

SALISBURY — Salisbury High School is using video games, augmented reality and virtual reality in English classes with some help from Catawba College.

SHS students were tasked with creating their own video games, giving them hands-on experience creating and developing the setting, characters and plot. Then, they worked in groups to select the best ideas and created the cover art, a sales pitch video, game trailer, storyboard and original artwork for their proposed games.

Using AR, the students shared their projects with the rest of the school, and those students voted on their favorite projects. On the final day of the project, students rotated through several stations to experience the future of game design by participating in a VR experience.

The project was implemented in several classrooms that also serve exceptional students (those with Individualized Education Plans) and English Language Learners. In addition to focusing on academic and technology skills, it also emphasized interpersonal skills such as creativity, leadership, teamwork, civility, work ethic, communication and problem-solving.

“This activity was a way to engage students by appealing to their interests and allowing them to work in cooperative groups to showcase their unique skills, experiences and intelligence,” said SHS Instructional Technology Facilitator Eden Sloop.

Teacher Kelly Goodman said she hopes the project will spark an interest that leads to careers for the students.

“Because we’re training them for jobs that don’t exist yet, we have to be open-minded and let them create because they will be creating the jobs of the future,” she said.

Teams who worked on the winning projects won a trip to Catawba College for an enhanced learning experience in the Greg and Missie Alcorn Digital Learning Lab. Librarians Earl Givens and Amanda Bosch, and Learning Technology and Systems Specialist Jeff Bostian and Library Instructional Technologist Zach Trivett guided them through hands-on opportunities with state-of-the-art equipment. The students rotated through stations where the professors provided a more in-depth experience with VR technology and worked with the other cutting-edge technologies in the lab.

The students also went on a tour of the college’s campus and library.

“We enjoyed hosting SHS students in the Alcorn Digital Learning Lab and working with students in design thinking as they explored 3D printing, laser engraver designing, and explored virtual worlds using the Quest 2 headsets,” Bosch said. “We hope this experience inspires them to continue problem-solving with a design mindset and creative thinking strategies.

We look forward to continuing to partner with local K-12 teachers so more students in our community
may have these types of unique experiences.”

SHS’s partnership with Catawba College has been years in the making. This project continues a collaboration that began during the 2018-2019 school year. The original project included a “Shark Tank”style sales pitch with Catawba faculty.

Partners In Learning to host special needs mini conference

Partners in Learning to host special needs mini conference

SALISBURY – Partners In Learning will have its annual Special Needs Mini-Conference the week of April 11.

PIL has been hosting the conference for 15 years and it is free to participate.

“Spring has always been my favorite time of the year,” PIL Executive Director Norma Honeycutt said. “It’s a time of new life, new beginnings, and coming out of a cold, dark winter. It’s the perfect timing each year to have our special needs mini-conference. Our sessions provide parents with hope, support, new strategies, and inspiration to start new and build on past successes.”

This year’s theme “belly to bus,” will discuss brain development from pre-natal care through the school-age years.

“The mission of the annual mini-conference is to guarantee that our community thrives, not just survives, through collaboration with families and providers in our community. We strive to ensure that every family and provider is knowledgeable of and connected to programs and resources delivering services from belly to the bus,” Early Intervention Director Cassie Karriker said.

This year’s sessions include presenters with various backgrounds on early childhood
development including:

• Jamie Guagliano, with Smart Start Rowan, presenting on, “The Importance of Early Care and Education,” at 12:30 p.m. on April 11.

• A panel discussion with adults with special needs, facilitated by Karriker at 6 p.m. on April 12.

• Kelsie Hoilen, Partners In Learning’s Board Certified Behavior Analyst, presenting on
“Surviving the Behavioral Challenges in Early Childhood,” at 12:30 p.m, on April 13.

• Paula Yost, mental health counselor will discuss, “The Impact of Caregiver’s Mental Health on Children,” at 2 p.m. on April 14.

In previous years this event was held in-person, but for the past years Partners In Learning has held it virtually due to COVID-19. It will be virtual again this year.

Registration is free and open to the public.

To register, visit epartnersinlearning.org/upcoming-events/ or call 704-638-9020. Partners In Learning serves as the model inclusive early educational center providing care
to children 6 weeks through 12-years-old in Rowan County. The center cares for more than
200 children weekly through its nationally accredited educational program, and more than 150n families across 16 counties through its clinical programs.

For more information about the center, visit epartnersinlearning.org.

University of North Carolina creates scholarships for West Rowan High School seniors

CHAPEL HILL — The University of North Carolina System has announced the M&J class of 68 scholarships set to award West Rowan High School students with $2,500 for a degree in education or nursing within the UNC system.

Anonymous donors have donated funds to award two students with this scholarship.

The scholarships are for current high school seniors graduating this June 2022 from West Rowan High  School in Mt. Ulla, NC and must be accepted by any of the constituent institutions within the University of North  Carolina System. The scholarships are for students who are North Carolina residents with documented financial need and eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant Program. The documented financial need shall be determined by the completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

There is no minimum GPA requirement for incoming full-time freshmen recipients. The recipients must continue to represent education and nursing majors with plans to pursue careers in teaching or nursing upon graduation. If a recipient no longer represents a nursing or education major, they are no longer eligible for the scholarship.  

Awards shall be for one academic year. Recipients may receive up to four years of scholarships as long as the student meets the scholarship criteria and is making satisfactory academic progress defined by the institution the student is attending to graduate within a total of 5 academic years. 

Each scholarship award will be a minimum of $2,500 per student per academic year, with the possibility  to increase at a later date. Scholarship funding will be directly sent to the UNC System University and may be used for tuition, room and board and course fees. 

Applications are due by April 22.

Applications need to include the following supplemental materials: 

• Resume 

• High School transcripts, official or unofficial.

• An essay which includes a brief introduction of the candidate, involvement in high school , why the candidate selected the UNC System university they will be attending in the fall and why they have chosen to pursue a degree in education or nursing.

• No longer than 500 words.

• 12 Times New Roman font.

The scholarship application can be found on

For the application and questions, contact Dr. Bethany Meighen, Vice President for Student Affairs at the UNC System, at bdmeighen@northcarolina.edu.

Rowan County School System’s 2022 Summer Meals site application deadline approaches

SALISBURY — Site application packets for the Rowan County School System’s 2022 Summer Meals service are due April 15.

Applications are to be turned in to program administrator Meredith Honeycutt.

RSS will be serving meals June 6 – July 29. No meals will be served July 4 in observation of Independence Day.

For questions, contact Honeycutt at honeycuttml@rss.k12.nc.us.

Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship Treasure Feamster Scholarship deadline approaching

SALISBURY — The deadline to apply for the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship Treasure Feamster Scholarship closes on April 11.

Scholarships are available for high school seniors who are members of an IMF-affiliated church, regardless of their field of study. Students can talk with their guidance office or affiliated church for more information and steps for application or call 704-639-1894 or 704-433-3277.