At secondary school, Gear Up program does its job

MOSES LAKE - Grants for focused projects are a part of school life; some of them work, some of them wither away. The Gear Up program, at least in the opinion of staff and participants at Columbia Basin Secondary School (CBSS), is working.

The Gear Up program is designed to follow students from middle school through high school and one year beyond, said Columbia Basin coordinator Jennifer Ruiz. At Columbia Basin, the program is sponsored through the Tri-Cities campus of Washington State University.

"We encourage kids to think about college," Ruiz said, and provide guidance in classes and activities to prepare for college. "We do lots of little things, just to make kids think about going to college," teens who might otherwise think they couldn't make the cut for post-secondary education.

And at Columbia Basin, the program provides extra support for students and parents who need it, Ruiz said.

"We kind of help the kids learn how to learn and learn good habits," Ruiz said. Gear Up provides tutoring for students, both after school and in class.

The ups and downs of school financing mean that some programs that could help kids have been cut back, said school counselor Jenny Woodall. "Gear Up has kind of filled in some of those holes," she said.

The program also has provided additional teacher training, extra computers and technical support for students. Woodall said it's had an impact. "I don't think, I know it's made a difference for kids here."

The program, and Ruiz in particular, push the students involved, work to give teens reasons to keep studying, said Columbia Basin Principal James Yonko. "She doesn't let the kids give up on themselves," Yonko said. "They don't ever give a chance for the kids to not want to succeed. I think the kids buy into that."

Ruiz works to give every student in the program a way to succeed, even if it means some unorthodox thinking, Yonko said. "She's trying to get the kids to open those doors. Or at least open the door for them. She may have to push them through a little bit."

Gear Up has proved to sophomore Lynna Lattin that if she stays on task and does her work then benefits follow, including the chance to do fun things, she said. Lattin was one of the participants in the program's annual convention at the WSU campus in Pullman.

Experiencing a few days on campus, working on college preparation, has made a difference in her outlook, Lattin said. "It (Gear Up) has prepared me if I want to go to college." Post-secondary education is a more realistic goal now, she said. "It's a bigger goal than what it was in sixth and seventh and eighth grade. I'm actually putting more effort into work than I was."

Sophomore Dean Preston was enrolled in Gear Up with the other qualifying kids in his sixth grade class. Ruiz encouraged him to take advantage of the after-school tutoring; he's in there every day that he has homework, he said. He's also learned a lot about organizing schoolwork, and the classes he needs to work toward his chosen field.

As for post-secondary education, Gear Up has him thinking more about it, he said. He's planning to be an auto mechanic, he said.

Part of the Gear Up program is visiting colleges; each group tours the campus and hears a presentation from admissions officers. Ruiz said she's trying to arrange visits for as many CBSS classes as possible.