Wheeling Middle School Students Experience Wheeling University
Derek Redd Trending
Students from Wheeling Middle School got a taste of the college life Thursday morning as guests of Wheeling University.
WMS students were able to experience aspects of the university's nursing, engineering and athletic programs, took a tour of the Challenger Center and quizzed a panel of Wheeling University students about their experiences in higher education.
This was the first time Wheeling Middle students have visited WU's campus, said Krista Zambito, a Title I reading teacher at the middle school, a WU alum and the person who coordinated the trip at the middle school.
"A lot of the kids don't even know that this college exists here," Zambito said. "So we thought it would be a great idea to have them come and see the campus and do some fun activities and just get the word out."
WMS students broke up into groups and rotated through the different aspects of the university. They tried to light a light bulb using just a wire and a battery with Col. Robert Yahn, an assistant professor of engineering. Jill Emery, chair of the nursing department, showed kids the school's Anatomage table, a 3D anatomy and virtual dissection platform. WU men's basketball coach Chris Richardson greeted students and helped show them around the athletic department.
Challenger Center Director Jackie Shia offered a glimpse into that building, and several WU students fielded question after question from the middle schoolers about what college is like for them.
Katy Smith, an eighth grader at Wheeling Middle, was taken by the size of the campus and how the university's buildings were spread out, a difference from the single building she sits in for middle school.
"One day, we're going to be in their place, so it's going to bring us all together," she said. "I feel like its going to make things easier and make us less nervous when we get to college."