GEAR UP

GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is the Bray Center's pre-college preparation program serving students in grades six through 12. For close to 10 years, nearly 200 students annually receive a wide variety of support and mentoring in the effort to prepare them for college entrance upon high school graduation. The end goal combines enrollment in a post-secondary education facility (four-year university, two-year college, technical school, etc.) with the resources (grants and scholarships) necessary to pay all costs. All they have to do is the school work to get there. Parents are engaged as well as school personnel, creating a team of support for each youth. Eligibility requirements include low-middle family income qualification for free or reduced lunch, and willingness to participate.

Starting in sixth grade, students and parents are introduced to ideas about what courses to select as electives to best prepare them for the pre-college coursework in high school. They are given opportunities to visit college campuses, and some stay for a week during the summer in dorms - attending workshops in college classrooms. The physical and emotional experience of being "in college" plants seeds which are near impossible to contain. Also in middle schools, agency GEAR UP staff present bi-weekly Life Skills sessions in the schools during lunch/study period. Although elementary age students aren't technically enrolled in this program, GEAR UP staff also drop-by elemntary school lunch periods just to be seen and to interact with up and coming GEAR UP students. For all on-site school activities, school staff are extremely supportive and take the greatest care to insure proper district guidelines are adhered to.

Once in high school, GEAR UP program participants are steered not just toward completing the basic requirements for high school graduation. Details of the over-and-above requirements including Geometry, and extra courses in foreign language, literature, etc. for college entrance are emphasized. Building a resume of extra curriculars and community service is encouraged and facilitated based on student interests. For those who are more likely to attend a two-year college or technical school, another focus is designed to accomodate the pursuit of their skills and talents. Students who complete the Bray Center's GEAR UP program achieve a 97% high school graduation rate.

During their Junior year, GEAR UP students are encouraged to sign up for and take the ACT test. Preparation workshops are offered to help achieve the best outcome for these test scores. Waivers for the cost of these tests are arranged for active GEAR UP students.

As graduation approaches, Bray Center GEAR UP staff meets with students and parents to help identify where they will apply for college and how to complete the application process. Come January of the Senior year, financial aid paperwork begins. From assistance for parents needing to file federal tax returns to completing the FAFSA (Pell Grant), and other grant and scholarship forms, the Bray Center GEAR UP staff is able to access enough resources for parents to be able to pay for full tuition and expenses for up to five years of full-time college enrollment for their child.

GEAR UP is a federally funded (US Department of Education) national program (in several states), which is administered in Wisconsin through the state Department of Public Instruction at seven locations state-wide.