EducationQuest Foundation has awarded nearly $45,000 in grants to 69 small Nebraska schools, including in the Panhandle, for its 8th Grade Campus Visit Program.
Grants are awarded annually to help districts such as Crawford, Hemingford, and Gordon-Rushville to send their 8th-graders to visit a relatively close college campus.
EducationQuest Vice President of Grants and Scholarships Eric Drumheller says the goal is to get young students on college campuses early so they can envision themselves living and learning there.
Drumheller says the visits are especially useful for students who doubt their abilities because first-hand experiences are the best way to show students that higher education is possible.”
Grants are small, ranging from $210 to $850, but in many cases are the difference for a school district being able to send its 8th-graders on such trips.
EducationQuest has awarded 647 grants totaling more than $380,000 to Nebraska schools since the program began in 2011,