Thirty students from an elementary school in Washington, D.C., spent two days on campus this month as part of a joint program between the Elon Academy and a nonprofit group dedicated to helping under-served youth prepare for and succeed in college.
Elon Academy staff greeted the 4th, 5th and 6th graders from Amidon Elementary School upon their arrival on May 16. The school students and nine chaperons began their first visit to campus with lunch in Harden Dining Hall.
Students spent the afternoon creating weather newscasts in the McEwen building television studios; designing pillowcases in Mooney building as a way to “dream” about their futures; and taking part in hands-on chemistry activities in the McMichael Science Building.
Faculty and staff members Kelly Murtagh, Eryn Gradwell, Connie Book, Jeff James and Karl Sienerth helped lead the activities.
Elementary school students also spent time at Beth Schmidt Park for a picnic and a performance by the “Twisted Measure” a cappella group. The next day, wearing Elon Academy polo shirts, the students painted picture frames in Arts West, attended a presentation by the Elon admissions office and took a tour of the campus book store. 
The visit culminated in a picnic in the Community Garden before leaving the campus.
The students’ visit was part of a leadership and service project that the Elon Academy Alpha class has been working on this spring in partnership with the College For Every Student (CFES) Foundation. Elon Academy scholars worked in different leadership teams to plan components of the visit. The local high school sophomores served as hosts and mentors for the Washington students as they experienced a college campus.
Launched by Elon University in 2007, the Elon Academy is an intensive three-year academic enrichment and leadership development program for local high school students who are typically underrepresented on college and university campuses. It combines a month-long residential program over three successive summers with follow-up experiences during the academic year for both students and families.
College For Every Student (CFES) — formerly Foundation for Excellent Schools (FES) — is a nonprofit organization committed to raising the academic aspirations and performance of under-served youth so that they can prepare for, gain access to, and succeed in college.
Since its founding in 1991, CFES has worked with 380 public schools to help thousands of under-served students in grades K-12 take steps toward college. The CFES approach emphasizes mentoring, active school-college partnerships, and student leadership programs that help students improve academic performance and attendance, develop personal and academic goals, and ultimately ensure that they graduate from high school and attend and succeed in college.
Over the last two years, 96 percent of CFES high school seniors have gone on to college.
– Information from Katie Kilgariff
Administrative assistant, Elon Academy