Announcements

Gear-Up Youth Leadership Summit- All GEAR UP students who will have completed the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade by the end of the 2009 academic year are encouraged to apply. For more information and to download an application, please click here.

Gear-Up Youth Venture- Seed grants of up to $1,000 to teams of students who have identified a problem in their community and want to create a community-benefiting venture. For more information and to download an application, please click here.

Parent Leadership Award- NCCEP will recognize five GEAR UP parents and/or family leaders who have made a significant contribution to a GEAR UP program. For more information and to download an application, please click here.

Family Coordinators Talk with Students and Parents at the Topeka District College Fair

October 8, 2009

Topeka, Kan. — Hundreds of students and their parents gathered at the Kansas Expo Center on Thursday, October 8 despite the rainy weather.


Juniors and seniors from all Topeka Public School District high schools attended the annual College Fair to collect information from prospective colleges they might attend after high school.


Sherlice Spicer, family school coordinator for Highland Park high school, talks to Christine Stanton, Highland Park high school counselor, at the Topeka Public School District College Fair. Spicer said, "It's important for students to see all the post secondary educational opportunities available because it gives them options."

In addition to colleges, the GEAR UP grant had a booth with information on financial aid for parents and students. Family school coordinators from all over the district ran the booth and answered parents' and students' questions.


"A lot of parents don't know what they need to get their kids into college, especially ones that didn't go to college themselves," said Chad Brown, family school coordinator for Topeka West high school.


Family school coordinators for Topeka high school, Kareem Thomas and Dean Pearson organized and planned the GEAR UP booth at the College Fair this year.


"Some students see us in the high schools, but they don't know what we do," Thomas said. "The fair gives us an opportunity to increase our presence and show the students that we're here to help them."