Feather River College reports that Navigation Day was another huge success for local students who enjoyed a beautiful day on the FRC campus. Plumas and Sierra county ninth graders were left inspired, said organizers, as Navigation Day is designed to help set students’ sights on college after graduating high school.
This year’s event offered a glimpse into what a collegiate atmosphere is like, and because it is held at FRC, there was a marked emphasis on unique, hands-on learning experiences through the many FRC career technical education programs.
In attendance were ninth graders from nearby high schools, which included Quincy, Portola, Loyalton and Plumas Charter. All students were able to take a campus tour, attend a College 101 session to help prepare them for what to expect from college, and then experience some true hands-on learning from a variety of CTE programs.
Local students had the opportunity to choose from various engaging programs at the college, such as exploring fire science skills through environmental sciences, examining fish at the fish hatchery, learning ranch skills though agriculture and equine programs, watching real-life nursing demonstrations through allied health, and a creative drawing exercise hosted by the studio arts program. Students ended the day at the Perch and were treated to a free lunch and some FRC swag.
“Overall, it was a great experience for local high school freshmen,” said Nick Maffei, director of marketing, communications and outreach at FRC. He expressed his happiness with how the day went and his excitement to continue this annual event.
“It is important to demonstrate how accessible college is for our local students by having an institution like Feather River College right here in our own backyard,” said Maffei. “Our hope is that students really start to consider attending FRC while in high school through co- or dual-enrollment programs, so they have a head start on college once they graduate high school. We are here to help kids discover their passion, which hopefully leads to fulfilling careers in and around Plumas County.”
All told, there were about 150 high school students in attendance. Maffei said his favorite quote from a local high school student that day was: “I never really knew about all of these cool programs at FRC. Plus they told me college is free for me since I’m a local, so I feel like I need to go here now.” Maffei said that made all the efforts in planning the event worth it.
More information about educational opportunities is available at http://www.frc.edu.