SALEM, Va. – Virginia high school kids will have the unique opportunity to take free courses at Roanoke College as classes start on Wednesday.
Roanoke College was awarded $3 million to start its first lab school, Explore at RC.
It pilots on Wednesday and about 21 high schoolers are signed up for lab school this fall.
Students in this program will spend half their day at Roanoke College and the other half at their high schools.
Quinn Bowens, a junior at Salem High School, said she’s excited to take the classes starting Wednesday.
“I hope it benefits me because I wanna go to college, into a four-year class, so it will help me get used to the college life [and] get used to getting my assignments [in] on time and not doing them late,” said Bowens.
She plans on taking Intro to Public Health and Chemistry in Crime Lab. Bowens either wants to go to Roanoke College or an HBCU like George Mason or Bowie State University after graduating from high school. She is then hoping to become a pediatrician or an OB Tech.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it will help me and benefit me for the future,” said Bowens.
Explore at RC allows Virginia students in grades 10-12 to apply. Roanoke College has a partnership with Salem City Schools to provide transportation for kids right now.
Not only are the classes free for students, but so are books.
The goal of the program is to allow high school kids to get their feet wet before they step foot on college campuses.
“That feeling of accomplishment is what we’re hoping to generate in those first couple of years where sometimes freshmen have a hard time getting going. They get out of high school and then college is a completely different thing, and they don’t have that kind of walkway to get to. It’s a pathway that’s a little more natural where we can still offer some support and then they go back to their high school in the afternoon,” said Education Department Chairperson Lisa Stoneman with Roanoke College.
Roanoke College said it expects four students to take classes in the spring, including Bowens.
While registration is closed for the spring, students can enroll for the 2025 to 2026 semesters later this year. Roanoke College expects to accept up to 40 students next year, with that number expected to increase over the years.
Staff encourage students and families to reach out to them if they are interested in learning more about the program.