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GEAR-UP Summer Program Goes to Class at USF

Blake High teachers Joshua Lujun and Sabrina Watford view student's bridge building project at GEAR-UP summer program.

Classes have ended for most high school students in Hillsborough County, but a group of approximately eighty-five students in the GEAR UP program at Blake High School are getting a taste of campus life at the University of South Florida during a three-week academic, social and cultural enrichment program.

GEAR-UP, Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program, is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and is also supported locally by the Children's Board of Hillsborough County. The program began in 1999 at Franklin Middle School as the entire 7th and 8th grade classes became the first group of Hillsborough County students to participate in the five-year nationwide program designed to prepare low-income students for success in postsecondary education. Since that time, caseworkers for GEAR UP have stayed with the students, who will be entering the10th and 11th grades at Blake this fall.

"GEAR Up is unique because it provides long-term mentoring and tutoring over a period of five years, and it helps children stay on track for college," said Ruby Joseph, principal investigator of two GEAR UP programs in Tampa. (A summer program is also being held for Memorial Middle School and supports the 6th and 7th graders. It is held on their school campus.)

“We chose to have the Blake program on the USF campus this summer so that the students can experience campus life, have access to special guest speakers, visit different colleges (Business, Engineering, Nursing and Medicine) and classes around the campus. Visits to different departments and colleges have proved to be beneficial providing new information and insight,” added Ruby Joseph. “During one such visit to the engineering department, students learned about the robots that were used during the 9-11 rescue and recovery. Some students have also been involved in ‘job shadowing,’ where they shadowed professionals in and around campus as they performed their work. These students saw an infomercial being shot, observed a physical therapist at work, spent time with a social worker in a local hospital and two students were given a comprehensive tour of the University's police department.

The three-week program at USF from June 2-20 includes hands-on academic activities each morning. Blake High teachers Joshua Lujun and Sabrina Watford have provided a special math project for students, in which they design bridges using balsa wood. During the last week, the whole class will determine the most efficient bridge by using their math skills in conducting a number of weights and measurements. The English teachers, Lashondra Howard and Elizabeth Walker have focused primarily on activities that improve student communication skills; while the science teachers Newton and Maurer have highlighted forensic science and helped students analyze crime scenes. Students have visited Emory Riddle College and Bethune Cookman college as part of an educational field trip. A visit to the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), and ice skating are scheduled for the final week.

The GEAR UP summer program also strives to improve students' social interaction skills and behaviors through recreational activities such as basketball and swimming. Case managers, Theo Bell, Roderick Barnes and Electa Davis provide support and guidance helping to reinforce positive attitudes and values in order to ensure that students get the most benefit from the program. Additional support, monitoring and mentoring are done by the Project Director, Project Manager and other staff including a team of tutors and mentors, most of whom are currently students at USF.

To round things up, GEAR UP students will stay on campus at USF during the last week (June 15-20) of the summer program. The residential piece of the Summer program will include daily focus on science, technology, business or math. The week will also include guest speakers, Tyrone Keys, who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987 & 1988, and in 1991, founded All Sports Community Service, Inc. an organization that provides challenged youth guidance in their pursuit of higher education. He will speak June 18th at 11 am. Additional speakers will include a USF police officer Stg. Karen Pierce, Arthur Hollist, Associate Professor from the University of Tampa, an FBI forensic scientist, and a public affairs representative from Verizon. Evening activities will include reflection time during group rap sessions and goal setting.

Congressman Jim Davis will discuss GEAR UP with Project Manager, Bryce Pride on City of Tampa Television (CTTV), Channel 15 Monday June 16. CTTV will visit a GEAR UP class sometime during the last week, June 17-19th. The interview and footage from their campus visit are scheduled to be aired several times during late June and early July.

Additional information on the federally funded GEAR UP program can be found at http://www.ed.gov/gearup. Read more about the Tampa program at http://gearup.fmhi.usf.edu/, or contact Ruby Joseph at 813-974-9339 or project manager Bryce Pride at 813-974-6186.

The Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS) is a department of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida. The faculty and staff of CFS are committed to enhancing the development, mental health and well-being of children and families through leadership in integrating research, theory & practice.

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