Asheville City Schools Foundation

Our final Board of Directors meeting of the year wasn’t all business! 🏊‍♀️

Tonight, we celebrated Executive Team member, D. Tyrell McGirt, and student board member, Aidan O’Donnell, as their board service comes to an end. D. Tyrell has served on our board since 2022 and Aidan spent all four years of his high school career serving. Thank you both for your leadership and service - we will miss you so much!

A huge thank you to board member Erin for opening her home and hosting us poolside as we wrapped up another incredible year. Here’s to doing WHATEVER IT TAKES for all ACS students to thrive. 💙

A HUGE shoutout to Luella's Bar-B-Que for feeding us tonight! 5 stars all around for this partner in education! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4th graders from LSH stepped back in time with a visit to Oconaluftee Village, where they experienced what life was like for the Cherokee people in the North Carolina mountains during the 18th century. Through hands-on learning and storytelling, students explored the experiences, contributions, and resilience of the Cherokee people while deepening their understanding of the many individuals and events that have shaped North Carolina's history.

We're proud to help make experiences like this possible through our Cougars Explore Field Trip fund, ensuring students can connect classroom learning to meaningful, real-world experiences.

The tassel has been turned! 🎓

Congratulations to Asheville High School and SILSA Class of 2026. We are so proud of all you’ve accomplished and can’t wait to see where your next chapter takes you!

A special shoutout to the Class of 1976 who is celebrating 50 years since their own Asheville High graduation! The class generously awarded two $2,026 scholarships this year to 2026 grads Tucker Ramey and Harrison Kirshner! The closing remarks of graduation were delivered by ‘76 alum, Peter Sprague, who welcomed this class into the ranks of the alumni.

Thank you, Class of ’76, for investing in the next generation and spending time at your Alma Mater this evening. Thank you to the parents, families, educators, community members, and our incredible school district for supporting these young leaders every step of the way!

Once a Cougar, always a Cougar!

ClassOf2026

We wrapped up the year the best way we know how: good food, great people, and celebrating the students in REAP and DREAM! ☀️

At this year’s High School Programs Picnic, we celebrated our graduating seniors and a year of growth. DREAM welcomed its largest cohort yet with 24 students, DREAM Bridge finished its first full year with 14 ninth graders, and REAP stayed strong with 42 amazing student leaders! These groups have learned together, traveled together, had brave conversations, and found joy through it all this year.

Thank you to everyone who has poured into these young leaders. 💙

This year, ACSF awarded more than $265,000 in scholarships to 52 graduates attending 30 different colleges and universities, so we had to celebrate! Students spent the night taking photos with friends and family, connecting with scholarship donors, sharing their future plans, and celebrating everything they have accomplished together. ❤ It was an evening filled with joy and community.

Students, families, and guests also got a "first look" at our alumni poster display featuring 12 AHS/SILSA graduates. In partnership with Land of Sky’s P20 campaign, this project was created to highlight the many paths our alumni have taken after graduation and to inspire the next generation of students as they begin their own journeys.

Thank you to our ACS and ACSF staff, Board of Directors, alumni, donors, community partners, families, and students for celebrating with us! Your support continues to create opportunities for Asheville City Schools students every single day. We also want to thank Poppy Popcorn and Devil’s Foot Brewing for the popcorn and drinks, along with 67 Biltmore and AVL Cake Lady for the delicious food and cupcakes that made the celebration even sweeter. 🤝

With the support of an ACSF Educator Innovation Grant, students at Isaac Dickson Elementary are experiencing literacy in a hands-on, meaningful way through culturally connected Literacy Kits created to support multilingual learners. Each kit pairs a carefully selected book with real objects tied to the story. From coconut shells and seashells to tropical leaves and sand, these kits are helping students build vocabulary, background knowledge, and stronger reading comprehension skills!

The books were chosen with students and families in mind, including stories that reflect the cultures represented within the school community. As students read The Biggest Soap, a story set in the Pacific Islands, they weren’t just learning new words... they were making connections, asking thoughtful questions, and seeing pieces of their own cultures and experiences reflected in their classroom!

Thanks for partying with us at this year’s IRL Celebration! 🎉

Students, siblings, families, and staff enjoyed an evening of fairy hair, henna art, carnival games, prizes, and lots of fun celebrating another incredible year of IRL. ❤️

We are so thankful for every student, parent, staff member, board member, provider, and community partner who helped make last Friday so special. For 16 years, IRL has created meaningful spaces for Asheville’s young people to learn, grow, and connect, and this celebration was a beautiful reminder of that community!

A special thank you to for coming out to celebrate with us, and to Jennifer Bennett of Duke Energy for sharing such thoughtful remarks with our families and supporters. We are incredibly grateful to for sponsoring this event and continuing to invest in opportunities for our students and community.

Hot day + sweet treat + supporting Asheville students? Say less 🍦☀️

Stop by The Hop Ice Cream and Pop! Bubble Tea at the North Asheville location today because 10% of purchases will be donated back to the Asheville City Schools Foundation! 💛

We’re so thankful to The Hop Ice Cream and for also helping make Friday’s IRL Celebration extra sweet with ice cream and boba for our students, families, staff, and supporters. Pictured here are DREAM members and ACSF Board Chair Dr. Amieris Lavender enjoying their treats and celebrating an incredible year of IRL fun, friendship, and connection!

Go cool off, grab your favorite flavor, and support ACSF!!

We had so much fun celebrating the senior class during Senior Decision Day 2026 ❤️🎓

Whether they’re committing to college, career, or service, students were celebrated with ice cream, lots of cheers, and a little preemptive alumni swag 😎

Here’s to the Class of 2026 and the newest leaders graduating from Asheville City Schools!