Garrett Howlett was recently named to the teaching/administrative role, which will have Howlett teaching two courses at Mount Airy High School, working with STEAM teachers throughout the district, and leading related initiatives. Howlett earned three bachelor of science degrees from Appalachian.

Students from Appalachian State University worked over the span of five months and recently presented City of Elizabethton officials with two presentations for potential renovations of Covered Bridge Park. Parks & Rec, the Elizabethton Arts & Cultural Alliance and the Elizabethton IDEAS Group spearheaded the efforts to utilize the resources available by the university to help with progress at the park.

A recent survey conducted at Appalachian State University showed that about 46 percent of students had experienced food insecurity in a one-year period. The college took action by opening a food pantry, and making it available to faculty, staff and students. It’s now been operating for just over a year.

Hodges, who is 18 and currently attends Appalachian State University, said that his goal is to hopefully make a career out of music. His new CD, titled "Release Me," features 11 songs written by Hodges that make the rounds between edgy folk, Americana and bluesy, driving rock, with a recurring lyrical theme of love and loss.

Appalachian’s $38.2 million north end zone project is moving down the field with approval by the university’s board of trustees on Friday. The trustees unanimously voted to endorse the 87,400-square-foot mixed-use development that will replace the Owens Field House, which was built in 1972 and which leaders say has “significant deferred maintenance issues.”

Appalachian State University Police announced last month that its officers are officially trained and equipped to administer the anti-overdose medication Naloxone. Naloxone counters the effects of opioids in the system and can be effective at bringing someone out of an overdose episode, according to University Police Chief Andy Stephenson.

Dr. Daniel Caton, a professor in Appalachian’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, has worked with local governments in Wilkes and other counties to seek ordinances regulating outdoor lighting.

An advocate for students who are at-risk or have disabilities, she’s now among the state’s top school administrators. Bessemer City High’s Meghan LeFevers has been named the 2018 North Carolina Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year by the North Carolina Principals & Assistant Principals’ Association, or NCPAPA.

A partnership between Appalachian State University Outdoor Programs, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, and Virtual Blue Ridge, AMPC celebrates the unique people, places, and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians and attracts entries from across the United States.