GWU Searight PACE

We are beyond proud to wrap up our Academic Skills Accelerated Program (ASAP) — a GWU Searight PACE and Pinnacle Classical Academy partnership.

Over the course of three incredible weeks, students showed up every Tuesday and Thursday ready to learn, grow, and be challenged in ways that go far beyond a traditional classroom. Here's a glimpse at what they tackled:

🤖 AI & Cybersecurity — Students explored the rapidly evolving worlds of artificial intelligence and online safety, getting hands-on with tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot while learning how to protect themselves in a digital world.

💰 Personal Finance & Budgeting — From building budgets to understanding mortgages, credit cards, and entrepreneurship, students got a real-world crash course in what it takes to be financially independent.

📋 Project Management — Students dove into industry-standard methodologies, built project teams, and even participated in a full project management simulation.

🩺 Medical Terminology — Root words, prefixes, suffixes, and medical vocabulary came to life as students built a foundation in the language of healthcare and the health professions.

🌍 Global Food Systems — Students examined sustainability, climate change, population growth, and how global food trends shape what ends up on our plates.

🎓 Making the Most of College — The closing session equipped students with real insights to thrive in college.

The program concluded with a student showcase of sustainability projects and presentations by Pinnacle and Gardner-Webb administrators.

This past week, we welcomed an extraordinary group of young leaders to the Gardner-Webb University campus — and what our scholars accomplished this week was truly something to be proud of 🎓

Our scholars were challenged to think as real-world problem solvers, diving deep into one of today's most critical issues: food deserts in the United States. Working collaboratively in teams, students researched the communities most impacted, identified nutritious food solutions, mapped supply chains from source to community, and developed strategies to drive meaningful, lasting change.

We are incredibly proud of the dedication, intellect, and heart each scholar brought to this program. It was truly an honor to have you on campus.

The future is in great hands. 🤝