The Dayton GEAR UP summer program took off on June 22 with Kathy Somers-Schirm leading the activities and striving to make the experience enjoyable for the students.  The goal was to make the program a hands-on learning environment that was educational and fun.  The focus was on science, math, and history; and included a variety of classroom, outdoor activities, and field trips.

We started with science and math activities.  The students practiced math skill while estimating deer populations.  The students also learned about fish and fish habitat.  Biologist Tom Schirm brought in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife salmon trunk to learn about salmon, and followed with an activity with the students acting as fish to show how fish interact with their environment.  Biologist Schirm also brough two hands-on displays to show hour our environment ties together.  An upland habitat table showed how land use practices effect the land and stream stystems.  The  Rolling River display allowed the students to form two different river channels and shows how erosion  changes the rivers shape.

Dayton Middle School students had a chance to explore science this summer.  They built their own volcanoes - and had them erupt - using a various different methods, including Mentos and Diet Coke.  From volcanic eruption to rocket launching.  Building a launch pad and rocket the GEAR UP students began their space exploration.  OK, our rocket was launched using water pressure, not quite enough to make it to outer space, but still a great event. 

One of our next adventures was to build a Rube Goldberg Machine that would crush pop cans.  The machine had to have a lever, a switch, and a pulley.  In groups of three, tentative blueprints were made, from there the building progressed.  By the end of the week we had some really complex looking can crushers, but would they work?  One by one each group took turns showing off the "complexities" of their machines and crushing cans. 

Tutoring the students has provided insight into some of the challenges that children face today. Bullying, peer pressure, social standing in the grade, being smart, being disadvantaged all play such a huge part of how children learn. Frustration with the students is a daily feeling. However the ability to give those one or two children the time and space to learn in at their own speed and in their own way has been rewarding.

Catherine is a typical 6th grade cohort student.  She started this year with college being the furthest thing from her mind.  Why should she think about college, after all she is only 11 and college is still eight years in the future?  Then she became part of the GEAR UP program. 

It started off with a tee-shirt.  That was pretty cool.  Then she went to Walla Walla Community College for the signature project event.  The speaker was pretty cool and she had the chance to learn about what programs a local college can offer.  Then it was the I’m Going to College Event at WSU Tri-Cities.  Catherine had a chance to learn about bugs and other careers as well as financial aid information.  Next it is on to WSU Pullman for a campus visit. 

Now Catherine is thinking about college more and more.  She knows she has several options available to her and many different ways to pay for her college career.  Although she may not know what she wants to be when she grows up, she will be successful, because college will be her first stop after high school and then on to a career.