In the Media

The Community Music School at Appalachian State University held its fifth annual Scale Olympiad on Saturday, Nov. 10, for High Country area pre-college pianists. Almost 30 students demonstrated their technical and theory skills, earning ribbons and rosettes for varying levels of mastery.

Within Appalachian State University, many students have made the transition from the military to college or are aspiring veterans. At App State, veterans are celebrated in a variety of ways, especially through offering extensive programs designed for students in the military, most notably Appalachian’s ROTC program. The ROTC program helps to ensure smooth transitions within an educationally-stimulating environment.

Students from the Eastern Band of the Cherokee high school on the Qualla Boundary in North Carolina are learning about their tribal roots this weekend on a trip to New Echota and the Major Ridge Home/Chieftains Museum. "I don't want to depress them," said Appalachian State University Professor Allen Bryant at Chieftains Saturday. "I hope to inspire them. This house was built by a Cherokee leader."

Recent surveys show that two-thirds of students at Appalachian face issues with food security while one in five people in Watauga county are food insecure. However, measures are being made by the community in order to alleviate some of these issues.

Understanding how to peacefully live alongside others and care for all people regardless of differences were the main points the Rev. Jesse Jackson conveyed to Boone audience members on Oct. 18.

Five years ago, Appalachian State was initiating its transition to the FBS level. Now, as of this week, the Mountaineers (5-1, 3-0 Sun Belt Conference) are among the top teams in Division-I football.

Fifteen Appalachian State University students in Scott Ludwig’s Relief Printmaking course hand-printed, engraved and painted wood blocks to display along the Beech Tree Trail, an easy 1-mile loop within Elk Knob State Park in Todd, N.C. The project is part of a revitalization of the Elk Knob Community Heritage Organization’s Art Plan to promote sustainability of the Elk Knob communities’ culture, heritage and natural resources.

Colleges often go about recruiting rural students in the wrong way, admissions experts say. But they can commit to better practices if they recognize "rurality is different everywhere." Colleges need to be engaged in communities in ways that are responsive to their needs, said Rachel Fried, program coordinator at GEAR UP, a federally funded college access program at Appalachian State University.

Preventing an extra single degree of heat could make a life-or-death difference in the next few decades for multitudes of people and ecosystems on this fast-warming planet, an international panel of scientists reported Sunday. But they provide little hope the world will rise to the challenge.