On Friday October 30th, eighty-two 8th grade students ventured to Pullman to take a tour of the Washington State University campus.  The other seventy-two 8th grade students at Lincoln Middle School followed the same route and schedule the following Friday, November 6th.  The day was meant to be a door opener to a major university for the 8th grade students of LMS.  Students received a tour of the major elements of the WSU campus and were able to experience a glimpse into college life.

Upon arrival, students were greeted by current WSU students and led into a classroom where 8th graders could ask questions of 5 college students such as "what are your majors, what is your favorite thing about WSU, what is there to do when you are not in class, what are your favorite classes?" On November 6th, there was also a special treat as Butch made a special appearance and students were able to have their pictures taken with the friendly cougar.  After the initial meeting, students were split into 4 groups and rotated through touring 4 different places; the Compton Union Building (CUB), the WSU Creamery, the Museum of Art, and the Conner Museum.  At the CUB, students got a walk through of the building and got to see what was available there.  The WSU Creamery consisted of a video telling about how the cheese and ice creams are made and a little bit of background about how Washington State University became involved in developing a creamery.  At the Museum of Art students got to walk around and look at the art displays of famous artists and works of art from students at WSU. Finally at the Conner Museum the 8th graders saw life sized animals ranging from birds to cougars and turtles to deer.

The real step into college happened at lunch when students got to eat at the Northside Cafe; here they got to see what a real campus lunch looks like.  All of the 8th graders were impressed with the variety and quality of food they recieved.  Following lunch students were wowed by the Chemistry club with a fast paced presentation, then charmed by the birds from the raptor club.  The day ended with a hike to the new Student Recreation Center where the 8th graders received a tour of the many activities that were happening at the SRC.  Although it was a long day full of hiking and hills the 8th grade students from Lincoln Middle School were happy to have had the opportunity to visit a major university and the buzz among the crowd on the bus ride home was, "I want to go to WSU!"

On Thursday October 22, 2009, 22 GEAR UP students traveled to the Spokane Convention Center in Spokane Washington to attend the Spokane National College Fair.  The college fair allows the opportunity for students to interact with admission representatives from a wide range of postsecondary institutions to discuss course offerings, admission and financial aid requirements, college life in general, and other information pertinent to the college selection process.

While there, students were each given a sheet of paper requiring them to personally talk to at least three postsecondary institutions asking questions such as, "why should I attend your school?" They were also asked to grab a brochure, pen, or pamphlet indicating they visited that particular schools booth.  Along with the college fair, 30 minute break-out sessions were being held, including Financial Aid 101, All You Need to Know About College Admissions, and a session that talked about the ins and outs of the Navy, Army, and Air Force. Each Clarkston student was required to attend at least one of these break-out sessions, most attended two or three.

Students appreciated the opportunity to attend this massive event and were astonished by the number of colleges and postsecondary prospects that were in attendance.  Even though Clarkston is a fairly large high school, students still commented on the amount of people that were packing the many booths and presentations.  This is definitely an event that Clarkston GEAR UP will continue to attend in years to come, especially as college nears for our freshman and sophomores!

19 GEAR UP students from Clarkston High School journeyed to Washington State University on Saturday, September 19, 2009, to attend the annual "Future Cougar Day." Students were accompanied by Pat Sobotta, Clarkston GEAR UP site director, and tutors, Veronica Konen, Whittney Bonfield, Mandi Weber, and Jane Ann Nagle.  This function is put on by Washington State University giving students the opportunity to visit with faculty at the academic fair, take a tour of campus, learn more about a particular academic area of interest, enjoy a pre-game barbecue, meet with a speaker to ask general questions, and cheer at the WSU home football game.

Upon arrival students were split into areas of interest and grouped with one of the Clarkston GEAR UP tutors.  Some of the academic interests included Biology, History of Music, Sports Management, and Animal Science.  Within these goups students first got a full tour of campus visiting the Compton Union Building, the food courts, the main library, bookstore, and even a complete tour of one of the dorms.  After the tour, students went to a building that pertained to their interest and received a tour followed by a presentation.  In biology students talked about H1N1, History of music talked about just that, the history of music particularly jazz and rock & roll, and Sports Management talked about athletic training and the career possibilities.  Next was the hamburger barbecue that was accompanied by a presentation by a WSU administrator.  While eating, students could ask questions and found out about different clubs and activities that the university has to offer.  The final event of the day was Washington State University defeating South Methodist University in Martin Stadium.

When students were asked what was the favorite part of the day most answered, "the tour was really cool, but I liked the game too!"  One student commented on how neat it was to see the dorms and find out about all the activities that were offered for students to get involved in.  Most of the students said they had never been to WSU football game before and were awestruck by the amount of people in attendance. "Future Cougar Day" was a success for the freshmen and sophomores of Clarkston High School and is an event that Clarkston GEAR UP will be attending for years to come.

186 freshman at Clarkston High School participated in a day that was all about them!  Freshmen were escorted off campus on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009, to the Clarkston Valley Boys and Girls Club where students were split up into groups of about 18 and sent off in 10 different directions.  The 10 rotations were devoted to helping freshmen feel more comfortable with high school and to help them settle in and answer any questions that had developed thus far.  "Freshman Information Day" was designed as a way to make sure freshman have started their year off right!

The 10 different stations included, (1) Concerns: What are your fears for HS, things you like about HS, (2) Goal Setting: Setting realistic goals, each student wrote down 5 goals and put them in a "time capsule" that they will open at the end of 9th grade year, (3) Relationships: What are the social concerns for HS, peer pressure and decision making skills, (4) Drugs/Alcohol: An awareness of what to expect from other peers and making choices, (5) GEAR UP: What the goals of GEAR UP are and what is available at CHS, (6) Educational Talent Search: Goals of the program and how they work with GEAR UP, (7) Activities: How being involved in HS will make a connection with academcis, (8) Harassment: How to deal with put downs, and what zero tolerance means, (9) Credits and Transcripts: Explanation of what a credit is and how transcripts work, and (10) Study Skills: How to take notes, study for test and use of the academic planner.