Happenings

There are many happenings that you and your family can participate in during the NCHE Thrive! Conference. This section gives you a list of these many opportunities. You will find more details on the web page for each.

Teen and Alumni Activities
NCHE plans social activities to encourage the friendships of our teens and alumni. The activities include a cotillion-style dance with an emphasis on instruction and a games social. We also offer educational opportunities such as workshops planned just for them, a college fair and a not-college fair.

College Fair
Explore colleges and universities at the Thrive! College Fair. This opportunity is provided to help connect NC homeschooling families with great opportunities for further education. For the purpose of qualifying for the Thrive! College Fair, a college is an educational institution that offers an associate or bachelor’s degree. College admissions representatives are invited to join our one-day event on Friday,10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., located in Piedmont 1 in the Benton Convention Center. This room is next to the vendor hall.

Thrive! Not-College Fair
You’ve already chosen a path that looks different from the norm. Why should “after graduation” be any different? The Thrive! Not-College Fair connects homeschool families with options such as trade schools, apprenticeships, gap year programs, military options, and workforce training—real alternatives to the traditional four-year degree. Meet program representatives, ask questions, and explore what’s possible for your student’s next chapter. The Not-College Fair will be on Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., located in Piedmont 1 in the Benton Convention Center. This room is next to the vendor hall.

Graduation
NCHE hosts a state-wide homeschool high school graduation ceremony on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

Mentoring
Experienced homeschoolers will be available at the conference to answer your homeschooling questions as well as help you weave through the maze of the vendor hall and curriculum choices.

Regional Gatherings
Gatherings are scheduled for homeschoolers from each of our 9 regions to gather and meet each other. The regional gatherings are at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday evening.

Special Gatherings
There will be a time to gather with others who are in special circumstances of homeschoolers. The special gatherings for this year will include: special needs, parents of preschoolers, multicultural homeschooling, and dads. The special gatherings are at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Chess Tournament
The K-12 chess tournament is on Thursday from 1:30-5:30 p.m. in the Gallery Ballroom. Preregistration is required.

Sensory Room
The NCHE Sensory Room is a calm, low-stimulation space designed to support regulation, emotional reset, and sensory relief during the 2027 Thrive! Homeschool Conference. Large conferences can be overwhelming due to noise, crowds, bright lights, and constant transitions. This room exists to remove those barriers so families can participate more fully and confidently.

ASVAB Career Exploration
The ASVAB CEP (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Career Exploration Program) is the only comprehensive and completely no-cost career planning resource that empowers students nationwide to align their strengths and interests with a post-secondary plan. The CEP involves three assessments: (a) the ASVAB, an aptitude test that estimates your capacity for academic and vocational endeavors; (b) the Find Your Interests (FYI) inventory, which identifies job activities you would like to perform; and (c) the Work Values Situational Judgment Activity (WV SJA), which identifies what you most value in, and desire to receive from, the work  you do.