Working with Justin and seeing him grow as a person and tutor has been a pleasure for all who work with him. His maturity, leadership ability, and constant desire to improve himself has made him irreplaceable.

Justin, thank you for all the hard work and dedication you bring to the students, teachers, and GEAR UP program!

Sixth grader, Sierra Stephens, was nominated by GEAR UP staff at FMS for Student of the Month during the ’08-’09 school year.  Sierra always had a positive attitude.  Along with her great outlook towards school, she possessed great organizational and time management skills.  Sierra was conscientious about keeping up on her homework and checking her grades on Skyward, our school district’s online grading system.  Her willingness to help was always appreciated!  Sierra, however, also struggled with some math concepts.  After persistently trying her best, she would always ask for help when she didn’t understand something.  Tutors Betty White and Linda Ames were a big help to her in the after-school program.  Mrs. Ames spent many hours helping Sierra understand the concepts in math that were hard for her.  And, she didn’t quit when homework time was over.  She often went back to the library after snack time to complete any unfinished work.   Sierra was also willing to help other students study or learn concepts towards good citizenship and learning.  Sierra’s experience with Frontier’s GEAR UP tutors, coupled with her own initiative and tenacity, may just be the reason for her success today as a seventh grader!

This brief article concerns the importance of GEAR UP tutor Mr. Steve Selk and his interaction with students here at St. John-Endicott High School. As a GEAR UP Site Director/Tutor he spends time on a daily basis, as his schedule permits, with my geometry class, comprised solely of sophomores. Mr. Selk has a great appreciation for the subject of mathematics. Because of his great interest, quick ability to learn, and strong connection with the students, Mr. Selk has been able to help and lead students toward understanding in a way that I cannot. They listen closely to his suggestions as he provides abundant one-on-one assistance. Steve possesses many qualities I feel contribute to his strengths as a tutor. He is positive, always friendly and smiling, patient, a good listener, intelligent, accessible, and always encourages students. For the reasons listed here, I feel very fortunate to have Steve’s input and his valuable assistance with the students in my geometry class, as they are mostly students who have traditionally struggled with mathematics. Steve Selk is an incredible asset to our entire learning environment here at St. John-Endicott High School.

317 Clarkston High School freshman and sophomores took the Pre-Standardized Achievement Test (PSAT) on October 14th, 2009.  The PSAT is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It is a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT, a test that is often required for acceptance into college.  It also gave students a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools.  Clarkston GEAR UP covered the $13 fee per test so that every freshman and sophomore could receive the opportunity to take this test.