July 16, 2007

For the past 40 years, Lyon’s College’s APPLE Project has had "appeal" for area high school students interested in going to college.

And on Saturday, Feb. 24, organizers will host an event celebrating those 40 years of academic success with an alumni reunion from 1 – 3 p.m. in Edwards Dining Hall.

The APPLE Project – Accelerated Program of Personalized Learning and Enrichment – works with eligible high school students who have the academic potential and desire to succeed in postsecondary education.

The Project is a TRIO program. Sponsored by the Council for Opportunity in Education, TRIO programs are committed to "providing educational opportunity for all Americans regardless of race, ethnic background or economic circumstance."

For more info on TRIO programs, go to: www.trioprograms.org.

Since 1967, Lyon College has offered an Upward Bound program serving high school students in North Central Arkansas.

The goal of this program, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Education, has been to increase the number of high school graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds who enter college and persist to become college graduates.

APPLE Project students make a long-term commitment from their 9th-grade summer through their summer of graduation from high school to weekly school-year attendance for tutoring, counseling, and enrichment and to the six-week summer program of college-preparatory and college-credit classes.

Lyon President Dr. Walter Roettger said many wonderful success stories attest to the program’s benefits.

"This College considers the Upward Bound Project a worthwhile and needed program in this area," he said. "Moreover, we have very skilled leadership that assures its vitality."

Dr. Bruce Johnston, vice president for Student Life and Dean of Students, agreed.

"The program is valued on this campus and Lyon College is proud to serve as the host for this valuable service to the young people of the area in and around Batesville," he said.

Through a 24-week Academic Session, a six-week Residential Summer Session, as well as a Bridge Component for its most recent high school graduates, the APPLE Project offers college-credit and college-preparatory courses.

The program also offers academic tutoring; learning skills development such as computer, study, and library skills; career counseling; academic advisement; personal counseling; cultural, social, and recreational enrichment; and an academic climate strengthening the students’ sense of well-being and security within a postsecondary environment.

Kim Boehm serves as the APPLE Project director.

She graduated from Harding University in  2002 with a master's degree in Education (M.Ed.). She graduated from Lyon College in 1992 with a B.A. in English. Before coming to work with the APPLE Project she taught English, Spanish, and speech at a local high school.

For more information on the project, contact her at: kboehm@lyon.edu, or at (870) 698-4263.