HODGDON, Maine — What would you do with $50,000? How about $350,000? It is a great question to have to answer, and SAD 70 is answering that $50,000 question for the next seven years under an exciting grant award titled, “Gear Up.”
The Gear Up grant is an opportunity for SAD 70 students in grades 7-12 to focus on their future and understand that a post secondary education is key to their success. Numerous studies have shown that today’s younger generation have to be involved in a form of post secondary study, whether it is college or a training program, in order to survive financially. SAD 70 now has even more resources to continue to make that happen for it’s students.
Gear Up stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. It is a federal grant and has been awarded to twenty six school districts in the state. The grant is managed by Syntiro, a company that provides assistance and resources to various schools so that each receiving school carries out the goals of the grant. The understanding between the grant winning schools and Syntiro is that money will aid all Gear Up schools in creating a college going culture and assist students in searching out pathways to future post secondary opportunities.
SAD 70 will receive a total of $350,000 over a seven year period. The district just finished year one of the grant and has already been approved for their year two plan. Budget money came in for the past school year for all Gear Up schools and must be completely spent within the set time frame. SAD 70 utilized their grant money in year one to establish the program, begin the awareness process, support some key positions, and give opportunities to students to get involved in a college going culture.
With every grant there is a lot of administering and data gathering. Joe Fagnant, who teaches the Jobs for Maine’s Graduates (JMG) program at Hodgdon High School, was hired by SAD 70 to be the coordinator of the grant.
“It is a great fit for what I do on a daily basis”, stated Fagnant. “The JMG program I carry out is all about getting students to move towards their future goals. The Gear Up grant has many similar expectations and truly supports students moving beyond high school into a post secondary plan. With this money, we can do some amazing work with students at both the Mill Pond School and Hodgdon High School.”
Fagnant came on board as the district’s data steward at the beginning of the grant cycle, before moving on to coordinator. Bernadette Willette, guidance director, began the implementation of the grant in 2014-2015.
“We were a Gear Up school in the past, so I was familiar with the grant components. We began activities for our students throughout last year and through the summer. There are some nice changes with this current model that were different in the past”, added Willette. “Students will receive some wonderful help, and it gives us an excellent opportunity to provide support and activities for our students.”
The money has already allowed SAD 70 to create a college going culture, a key component of the grant. Money has been supporting college visits and tours, tutoring at Mill Pond School, paying for early college textbooks for juniors and seniors, financial aid education nights, and supporting other aspects in their yearly plan.
“What the grant offers our students is full support in making choices to map out their future”, said Hodgdon High School Principal Mary Harbison. “It is great for us to have students experience college visits to see what campus life is like. The grant covers travel and food expenses, so students have no financial burdens to attend these trips. Our early college classes taken by juniors and seniors were supported by the Maine Aspirations program and now all the textbook expenses will be covered by Gear Up money. Again, no burden for our students makes it easier on families to continue working towards college and career goals.”
“The year two plan for the district is to continue to provide opportunities for students to connect to colleges. We will be taking trips to colleges for high school students and also for our seventh and eighth grade students. We would also like to offer parents the opportunity to accompany their children on trips. I believe we need to have parents engaged in these activities to see what is in store for their families”, added Fagnant. “In this day and age, we can not have students waiting until their senior year to start making choices. Schools and programs have become more selective, and getting students to understand future careers and the required schooling they will need, has to begin at a younger age.”
One of the requirements of the grant is to have a district College Access Team (CAT). This team is made up of administrators, teachers, parents, students, and community members. The CAT team meets monthly to plan activities, review key components of the grant, and focus energy on how to create a college going culture. SAD 70 already has many components in place in the district to support student success.
“We are fortunate to have received several major grant awards for our district,” said Scott Richardson, superintendent of schools. “Besides Gear Up money, we also receive funds from the MELMAC Education Foundation which has very similar college access goals. SAD 70 is in a great position to get our students to the next level of education. Our students are supported by the two grants, Upward Bound/TRIO, Jobs for Maine’s Graduates, the Bridge program at Region Two, early college courses, and dual credit courses through the University of Maine at Presque Isle. The 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants for both Mill Pond School and Hodgdon High School support extra assistance in After School Programs for students to be successful both academically and with the necessary life skills to achieve their goals after graduation. All of these options can give SAD 70 students a headstart to future successes.”
Most of SAD 70 7-12 students are eligible for Gear Up funding support. Since SAD 70 was a Gear Up district in the past, all of the current seventh- and eighth-grade students along with juniors and seniors are eligible. A majority of the freshmen and sophomores have been identified through the grant requirements.
“Maine just moved to working in a cohort model, so every student that enters seventh grade becomes a Gear Up student and continues to be a Gear Up student through the length of the grant. For example, a current seventh grader this 2015-2016 school year will receive Gear Up support their entire school time spent with us including the summer after they graduate” clarified Fagnant.
Parents and community members that have questions about the grant can contact Fagnant directly at joefagnant@msad70.org. They also can visit www.gearupme.org. The Gear Up Maine program identifies and assists students and families from economically disadvantaged backgrounds starting in grade seven to aspire to, prepare for, enroll in, and successfully complete a post secondary education. Gear Up Maine is led by Syntiro with support from the University of Maine at Farmington and partner organizations serving 63 schools and 6000-7000 students in Northern, Central, Western and Down East Maine each year. GEAR UP Maine is funded by the US Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education from 2014 to 2021.
