SALEM, Virginia. – High school students in Virginia have a unique opportunity to take free courses at Roanoke College as classes begin Wednesday.
Roanoke College received $3 million to establish its first laboratory school, Explore at RC.
The pilot test will take place on Wednesday and about 21 high school students have registered for the laboratory school this fall.
Students in this program spend half their day at Roanoke College and the other half at their high school.
Quinn Bowens, an 11th-grader at Salem High School, said she was looking forward to taking the classes on Wednesday.
“I hope it will benefit me because I want to go to college, take a four-year degree, so it will help me get used to college life and get used to turning in my assignments on time and not being late,” Bowens said.
She plans to take introduction to public health and crime lab chemistry. After graduating high school, Bowens plans to attend either Roanoke College or an HBCU such as George Mason or Bowie State University. Afterward, she hopes to become a pediatrician or obstetrician.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will help and benefit me in the future,” Bowens said.
Explore at RC is open to 10th-12th grade students from Virginia. Roanoke College currently has a partnership with Salem City Schools to provide transportation for children.
Not only are the courses free for students, but so are the books.
The goal of the program is to give high school students the opportunity to gain initial experience before entering a college campus.
“That feeling of success is what we want to create in the first few years when the freshmen sometimes have a hard time getting going. After high school, college is a completely different thing, and they don’t have that kind of path to get there. It’s a little more natural path where we can still provide them with some support, and then they go back to high school in the afternoon,” said Lisa Stoneman, chair of Roanoke College’s education department.
Roanoke College expects four students, including Bowens, to graduate in the spring.
While registration is closed for the spring, students will be able to enroll later this year for the 2025-2026 semesters. Roanoke College expects to admit up to 40 students next year, with that number expected to increase over the years.
Staff encourage students and families to contact them if they would like to learn more about the program.
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