CUMBERLAND COUNTY – This summer, Roane State Community College – Cumberland County campus will join Verizon Innovative Learning, the education initiative of the Verizon Foundation, to introduce more middle school girls, especially those in rural parts of the country, to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills.

Launched in partnership with the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), the 2-year program was piloted last summer at five community colleges and will expand to 16 community colleges, engaging over 1,500 students.

Kicking off this summer with a three-week intensive learning experience during July 9-27, 2018, 60 girls from local middle schools will attend courses at Roane State Community College Cumberland County campus in augmented and virtual reality, coding, 3D design, entrepreneurship and design thinking principles.

Following the summer, the students will participate in monthly Saturday sessions throughout the academic year where they will develop a technology solution for a community problem that aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In addition to the summer camp and monthly engagements throughout the year, participating girls will receive at no cost:

  • A Verizon Ellipsis 10 tablet to keep, provided that they attend 80 percent of the camp programming (3 weeks of camp in July and monthly Saturday sessions through the following May)
  • Breakfast and lunch every day of the summer camp
  • Transportation to and from field trip events during the summer

Verizon Innovative Learning gives free technology, free access and innovative curricula to students impacted by the digital divide to help them realize a brighter future. To date, Verizon has invested $200 million in this initiative and has reached more than one million students.

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