My name is Amanda Bollinger. I am an eighth grader at Clarkton School of Discovery (CSD). I am part of what will be known as the last cohort of the original Project Challenge (PC) program, otherwise known as the Academic and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) program. Yes, you read it correctly: I am in “the last” cohort of the PC class at CSD. At a Bladen County School Board meeting last year, it was announced that the Project Challenge program at CSD will no longer be the same after this year. As a student in the previous PC class at CSD, this decision makes me wonder. Is this a transportation issue like the one presented at the meeting? Can the PC class be replicated and offered at each middle school with the same success CSD had? Can our county hire and keep certified AIG teachers at each middle school? Will each school have a PC class that can justify certified AIG teachers? So many questions that have not been answered. This preface brings us to a couple more questions: Is this the end of the AIG program at Bladen County Schools? Or will it be the proverbial phoenix bird that will rise from the ashes?
As a current student in the program, I am coming today as an ambassador to communicate my support for the AIG program. In my three years in the PC class, I can attest that the program has played a vital role in my academic success at our CSD. This program challenges and motivates my classmates and has helped us advance our abilities. All PC members have developed skills that foster creativity, critical thinking, and leadership skills essential for future success.