Uwharrie Charter Academy

Today we held our annual district kickoff event at the high school. We heard from UCA board member Rebecca Mead, UCA Superintendent Dr. Chris Wheat, and all three principals from our Elementary (Mrs. O’Brien), Middle (Mrs. Priest) and High schools (Dr. Smith). We also had the opportunity to celebrate our Beginning Teachers of the year, Distinguished Educators, and Teachers of the year.
This year’s District Teacher of the Year award went to Mrs. Suzanne Bryant from UCA Middle.
Every year, UCA starts the year with a purposeful theme. This year, Dr. Wheat challenged the UCA staff to simply “Rise Above”. 🦅

Football: Anyone who wants to play middle school football will need to report to Mr. Boggs’ classroom when the bell rings. Football players can be picked up from the student parking lot behind the high school. Players will need to bring both cleats and tennis shoes. Anyone wanting to tryout for any sport will need to have a valid NCHSAA PPE physical form uploaded into final forms.

EXCITING NEWS FROM UWHARRIE CHARTER’S CAREER ACADEMY!

We are thrilled to announce that one of our student internships has officially leveled up into a Pre-Apprenticeship Program!

This milestone was made possible through an incredible, forward-thinking collaboration between ApprenticeshipNC, Career Launch, Clapp’s Convalescent Nursing Home, Davidson-Davie Community College, and UCA’s Career Academy.

Pictured: Congratulations to our students, Lillie O’Brien and Chloe Lovingood!

Through this NCCL Pre-Apprenticeship program, Lillie and Chloe are receiving amazing benefits, including:

Travel stipends to assist with transportation costs

Equipment reimbursement

A $500 success stipend upon program completion

Continuing Education: The option to apply for Davidson-Davie Community College’s Health Sciences Apprenticeship program to further their education at no cost to them!

Supporting Our Business Partners: Work-based learning is a win-win! Our business partner, Clapp’s Convalescent Nursing Home, receives reimbursements for all onboarding and resource support, as well as a $500 stipend for their pre-apprenticeship mentors who guide our students every step of the way.

It Takes a Village! UCA’s Career Academy cannot thank ApprenticeshipNC, Career Launch, and Clapp’s Nursing enough for their support of authentic vocational training for our students. A special shoutout to the dedicated individuals who brought this program to life:

ApprenticeshipNC: Mr. Bunn & Mr. Yarborough

NCBCE’s Career Launch: Charlie Milling, Lindley Hille, & Christina Hutchinson

Davidson-Davie Community College: Holly Myers

Clapp’s Convalescent Nursing Home: Grant Hollowell, Dana Campbell, & Michelle Lowe

Thank you all for your vision, support, and dedication to shaping bright futures for our students!

Summer Break? More Like Summer Career Building!

While many spent the summer relaxing, these dedicated UCA Career Academy students were out in the field gaining real-world experience and taking huge steps toward their future careers!

We are incredibly proud to highlight these 9 hardworking students and their impressive summer accomplishments:

Lillie O’Brien & Chloe Lovingood spent their break at Clapp’s Nursing Home, providing compassionate care to residents while actively working to obtain their Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certifications.

Emma Howell dove headfirst into the pharmaceutical field while interning at Prevo Drug. She has been mastering pharmacy operations, delivering exceptional customer service, and gaining invaluable experience to prepare her to become a pharmacy technician!

William Dalton, Cody Hogan, & Zach Peters rolled up their sleeves at various Thomas Tire and Automotive locations, gaining hands-on experience in general automotive maintenance and learning what it takes to work as a technician day in and day out.

Savannah Brown logged over 100 hours interning at EmergeOrtho, shadowing both physical and occupational therapists to learn the ins and outs of what it takes to jump into these rewarding healthcare fields.

Amya Brewer spent a major chunk of her summer interning at Caffeine Cruiser, learning how to be a barista, craft a variety of beverages, and serve her local community.

A huge thank you to all of our incredible business partners—Clapp’s Nursing Home, Prevo Drug, Thomas Tire and Automotive, EmergeOrtho, and Caffeine Cruiser—for providing our students with authentic vocational training and real-world opportunities. We couldn’t do this without your support!

Huge shoutout to Mrs. Hammer for working on the district’s new lunch schedules!

What an incredible night for Uwharrie Charter Academy! We are celebrating some major milestones for our Eagles through the Apprenticeship Randolph program!
New Journeys Begin:
Congratulations to two of our rising seniors who officially signed with local business partners tonight to kick off their journey with Randolph Community College’s Apprenticeship Randolph program!
Levi Pumarlo signed with Hubbell Industrial Controls and Evan signed with United Brass Works.
Through this outstanding “Earn and Learn” program, Levi and Evan will attend classes at RCC tuition-free, earn an hourly wage for their time both on the job and in the classroom, and apply real-world concepts every step of the way. UCA could not be prouder of these two students—we wish you both the best of luck!
Full-Circle Success: The celebrations don’t stop there! UCA Class of 2022 graduate Katie Newsom took the stage to receive her diploma and officially complete the Apprenticeship Randolph program!
Katie signed with Post Consumer Brands upon her graduation in 2022 and has been building her career with them ever since. Today, she steps forward with an Associate Degree and four years of valuable work experience under her belt—all at zero cost to her.
We see you, Katie, and we are so incredibly proud of your dedication and achievement!

Check out our Men’s Basketball Team serving the community! 🦅🏀