UNC Asheville to Host Sixth Annual Computer Literacy Program;
WNC Middle School Students to Hone Skills during Week-Long Camp

Some 80 underserved middle school students from across Western North Carolina are gearing up for UNC Asheville’s sixth annual Computer Literacy Program. The boys’ camp will be held from June 26-30, while the girls’ camp will be held from July 5-9. Students will stay on the UNC Asheville campus during the program, which includes building computer skills, leadership and diversity training, and team-building exercises.

During this unique summer camp, students will engage in week-long projects. One project, “Immigration: People of This Region, Their History and How They Came to Be Here,” will introduce students to the slave trade, the displacement of the indigenous populations, and the patterns of migratory workers. Students will then create a PowerPoint presentation based on what they’ve learned. In another class, students will study databases and use one to analyze DNA evidence from a fictitious crime scene to determine the guilt suspect. At the conclusion of the camp, students will have a chance to exhibit their new computer skills at a reception for their families, program faculty, members of the UNC Asheville community and Congressman Charles Taylor.

Students from 14 area schools will attend the program, including A.C. Reynolds, Asheville, C.D. Owen, Cane River, Cherokee Central, Clyde Erwin, East Yancey, Enka, Flat Rock, Hendersonville, North Buncombe and Valley Spring middle schools as well as Kipp Academy and the Randolph Learning Center.

The Computer Literacy Program is sponsored by UNC Asheville and the Education and Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas.

For more information, call UNC Asheville’s Distance Learning and Extension Office at
828/232-5122.

Media Contacts:

• Dr. Elaine Fox, UNC Asheville Distance Learning and Extension Office Director, 828/232-5122
• Jill Yarnall, UNC Asheville Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526