Lynchburg Beacon of Hope, LCS, William Marvin Bass Elementary, Leadership Lynchburg, the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce, and Greater Lynchburg Community Trust partnered during a week-long conclusion of a two-month focus on college and career readiness at Bass Elementary School. The focus began in January when students and faculty kicked off a college-expectation week. The big goal was to begin to create an expectation for all our students—that they’ll be successful in high school, that we’ll support them as they look at college and technical schools, and that we’ll help them connect that post-secondary education to a real career.
Please take a look at these videos that highlight the college and career readiness activities at Bass.
Bass Elementary from Beacon of Hope Lynchburg on Vimeo.
Events of College Week included plastering the hallways with homemade pennants of colleges students hope to attend, decorating doors with colleges from all over Virginia, all students completing “diplomas” that illustrated potential college and career choices and the pathways it takes to get there, among dozens of other voluntary in-class activities pre-K through fifth grade.
A Closer look at CAREER WEEK at Bass
Monday, March 16th
Like College Week’s pennants, each classroom received poster-sized stick figures. Students completed them by depicting what career they plan to have, where they plan to go to school or be trained after high school for that career, and why they wanted to pursue that career.
Using a grant, Bass purchased dozens of brand new books about college and career. Community volunteers from Leadership Lynchburg and Beacon of Hope read to classes about college or career.
Tuesday, March 17th
Thanks to a grant from Greater Lynchburg Community Trust, Leadership Lynchburg and Beacon of Hope produced a “Leaders of Lynchburg” Coloring Book—appropriate for grades K-5. The coloring book is filled with all kinds of different jobs and individuals found in Lynchburg, including a professional football player, an astronaut, a news anchor, a small business owner, and a physician.
Wednesday, March 18th
For Career Day at Bass, more than 40 individuals from the community descended on Bass (and outside of Bass with their fire trucks, ambulances, and bucket trucks) to show Bass students that the Lynchburg World is their oyster.
Thursday, March 19th
Students and teachers dressed for success, coming to school dressed up as the career they would like to have.
The final activity is sending Bass’s 3rd and 4th grades to Lynchburg Public Library in late April. These students will apply for and receive their first library cards—a huge step toward independent responsibility.
The Beacon of Hope plans to replicate this program at Bass again next year, while also extending it across other LCS elementary schools.