Harper Woods

Middle school students visit Wayne State University

By April Lehmbeck
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo provided by June Teisan Harper Woods seventh-graders spent a day last week at Wayne State University for the start of the GEAR UP program, which will track their progress through their first year of college. Photo provided by June Teisan Harper Woods seventh-graders spent a day last week at Wayne State University for the start of the GEAR UP program, which will track their progress through their first year of college.

HARPER WOODS — Fostering a drive to continue education beyond high school is something best started early, which is why the GEAR UP program is taking Harper Woods seventh-graders under its wing.

The GEAR UP program is offered through some of Michigan’s college campuses. It’s a grant program that works to encourage students to pursue higher education.

“We have known for an awful long time if you’re going to do educational intervention, middle school is as late as you can start,” Wayne State’s MI-GEAR UP Director William Robinson Jr. said of the importance of encouraging students to make college a priority early on.

Harper Woods was chosen to participate this year; the program will follow the seventh-graders through high school and their first college year, helping them along the way. The program kicked off with an orientation at Wayne State University last week.

“I actually like it,” said Diamond Kelly, a seventh-grade student at Harper Woods Middle School. “It’s helpful. It’s a good way to get us prepared.”

Wayne State University is working with several schools this year, including Harper Woods Middle School and its students. They also are finishing up with seniors from other schools from an earlier grant. The program previously ran through the end of high school, but it will now follow the students through their first year of college.

“We’re making a seven-year commitment to work with you,” Robinson told the students.

Over the years, student activities have included visiting some of the separate schools within the university based on student interest and a financial aid information program later in high school.

At the end of their experience, students can compete for a major scholarship through the program.

“I really appreciate the fact that we’re working together with an outside organization to get our kids zeroed in on long-range goals,” Harper Woods seventh-grade science teacher June Teisan said at the event.

Many times, students at this age focus on what’s going on later in the day or on their weekend, Teisan said.

While the idea is to get the students thinking about college, each campus that offers the GEAR UP program does not aim to get the students to pick their own college, but to help them move toward any one of the two- and four-year options in the state.

The students will visit the college throughout their time in the program, and GEAR UP representatives will come to Harper Woods to get to know students and parents. The program provides academic support and other opportunities.

For the orientation last week, the students were split up by gender.

“You’re trying to get their attention, trying to get them to concentrate,” Robinson said.

They started in the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, where they watched a video on Keith’s major contributions to law as a judge who took on two presidents. The video included information on the civil rights movement in conjunction with Black History Month.

Using this facility was also a way to showcase a new gem on the campus.

“His judgments have stood the test of time,” Robinson told the students about Keith.

The students then moved on to workshops, where they completed activities to learn more about each other, college and university terminology, and started thinking about their future goals.

“Staff spends a lot of time explaining and talking about education,” Robinson said.

The students seemed to enjoy their experience, as well, with loud cheering heard during one of the workshops and excited chatter when they were able to eat lunch in the residence hall with college students.

“One thing that I really like about the campus is it’s so big and the cafeteria is awesome,” said student John Barnes, who added that it got him thinking about college. “There’s so many things that ordinary schools don’t have. This is making me think a lot more about going here. It’s not like an ordinary school. It’s cool.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer April Lehmbeck at alehmbeck@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1043.