The 2nd Annual Appalachian Youth Leadership Summit: Applications Now Open!

High school juniors and seniors entering the 2025-26 school year: Are you ready to develop your leadership skills, collaborate with peers, and take on real-world challenges? The Appalachian Youth Leadership Summit (AYLS) is back! From June 10-13, 2025, students will gather at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN for a four-day leadership retreat designed to […]

Building Homes and Community in Letcher County

Shellie Williams realized her calling was to work with children from early on in her career, starting out at a childcare center in 2000. Now, she has been a Full-Service Community Schools Coordinator at Letcher County Central High School for two years. “There’s no place like Letcher County,” Williams said, calling to mind her hometown. […]

Middlesboro Independent School District’s Innovative Literacy Program: The Phonebook

Two teenage students holding a copy of a children's book titled I Got Rythm

Bringing Stories to Life Middlesboro Independent School District, in collaboration with Partners for Rural Impact’s Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program, is using a creative solution to keep the love of reading alive in their community: The Phonebook. This unique telephone-based storytelling platform allows students to record and share their own stories, which younger students […]

Clear Vision, Bright Futures: Leslie County Schools Focus on Vision Issues

Students seated in a school library having vision exams

Clear Vision, Bright Futures: Leslie County Schools Focus on Vision Issues Students received vision exams from UPike College of Optometry students Leslie County, KY – During the last two weeks of school in Kentucky, all students in grades 3-8, 10, and 11 take the required Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA). This important academic milestone, along with […]

‘It Takes a Village:’ The Whole Child Approach in Letcher County

Wynn stands with a student holding a certificate

‘It Takes a Village:’ The Whole Child Approach in Letcher County For Mandy Wynn, returning to the world of academia to pursue her GED and higher education sparked a passion and purpose for serving her community. She now embodies that purpose every day in her role as Student Success Navigator at Jenkins Middle High School […]

A Mentor’s Mission to Uplift and Inspire Barbourville Students

A group pf high school students wearing medals and tshirts that read "Barbourville Science Olympics"

A Mentor’s Mission to Uplift and Inspire Barbourville Students There are two things Travis Mills is passionate about: education and Appalachia. With a rich background in education, Mills has been a guiding light for students in his community for years. He is the proud recipient of 17 Green Leaf Awards and counting—an honor bestowed upon […]