North Surry High School has been awarded a $500 grant as a winner of the 2021 North Carolina First in FAFSA Challenge.
North Surry earned first place in the medium high school category for growing FAFSA completions by 14.1% year-over-year. The FAFSA Challenge is part of myFutureNC’s efforts to close the state’s educational attainment gap. The nonprofit is leading the state’s educational attainment goal of ensuring 2 million North Carolina adults hold a college degree or high-quality certification by 2030.
Federal financial aid gained through completion of the FAFSA creates a path to college for many of North Wilkes’ students; however, obstacles can prevent some students from completing the financial ad application.
“Dealing with COVID and the fact that we had very few seniors who weren’t remote learning last year made FAFSA completions a bit more difficult,” said Glenn Miller, North Surry High School counselor.
North Surry reached out to students and families directly to encourage completion of the FAFSA. “I called and spoke with every family last year encouraging them to complete the FAFSA if attending college was even a remote possibility,” said Miller. “I used our school system’s cultural liaison to reach out to Spanish speaking families and help them.”
“FAFSA completion is a leading predictor of whether or not a student will attend college and graduate,” said Cecilia Holden, myFutureNC’s president and CEO. “The 2020-2021 school year was difficult for students and teachers, but schools across the state stepped up to the challenge by not only encouraging students and families to complete the application but also assisting them with what can sometimes be a difficult process.”
The $500 grant will support North Surry’s future FAFSA completion efforts and assist the school with the development of its college-going culture.
Nearly 500 North Carolina schools participated in the 2021 FAFSA Challenge. Participating high schools competed among similar schools by senior class size and location, in two categories: overall FAFSA completions and FAFSA completion growth.
View a complete list of 2021 FAFSA Challenge winners. In the coming days, myFutureNC will launch the 2022 FAFSA Challenge.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
Be First to Comment