Autumn 2008
GEAR UP is excited to move into Room 169 at Wayne Memorial High School this year! Beginning in October, we will offer our students the following services during the first semester:
• Tutoring and Mentoring during the regular school day
• Lunch Writing Programs
• Youth Venture Community Service Student-Designed Project: Building a Generation of Change Makers
• College Quest with the Girls Scouts
• D.A.V.I.D. Boys Leadership Program
• After School Pass Program Support
• After School Algebra Support
• The Algebra Project Mentoring Program with Adams Middle School
• ISS Support from 7 am – 10 am
• Career Guest Speakers
• Family Events
• College Tours
• and more!
Please contact Melissa Calabrese at wayne.westland.gearup@gmail.com if you are interested in learning more about our program.
Teen Poetry Group at the Westland Library
Students, please reserve your seat on the GEAR UP van if you'd like to join us!
"The Teen Poetry Group is still going strong and we have more, exciting poetry sessions for the fall, including a special workshop with UofM professor and poet, Keith Taylor (check out his website at: www.keithtaylorannarbor.com). It would be great to have a healthy turn-out for this event in October (the first of its kind here at the library and, hopefully, one of many to come). We'll combine with the Adult Poetry Group for this special event event."
Fall Workshop Dates include:
• Monday, September 8 7 - 8 p.m. Room C
• Monday, October 6 6 - 7 p.m. Room A
• Monday, November 3 7 - 8 p.m. Room C
• Monday, December 1 7 - 8 p.m. Room C
Please contact Andy Schuck for more information:
Andy Schuck
Reference Librarian
William P. Faust Public Library of Westland
6123 Central City Parkway
Westland, MI 48185-9118
phone: 734.326.6123, ext. 240
email: andy.schuck@westland.lib.mi.us
Summer 2008
Activities included:
• GEAR UP Summer Camp, June 2008 at EMU
• GEAR UP Math Camp, August 2008 at EMU
• Girls Leadership Overnight Trip to Chicago, August 2008
• EMU Football Tailgate Party, August 2008
Spring 2008
The Adams GEAR UP dance team raised close to $800 in an effort to provide a service for the Westland Community. With the help of Mayor Wild and the Westland Historical Commission, students and the community will be planting a butterfly garden! The city will have a plaque placed within the garden to commemorate the extraordinary work of Adams Middle School GEAR UP students.
Why a butterfly garden?
Well, just about everyone loves butterflies. Their movements and color add beauty to our environment. However, the benefits of a butterfly garden go well beyond beauty. It can also be a wonderful tool for helping children learn about ecology, native plants, and insect life cycles. Beyond that, butterfly gardens can help return native plants to the area, and preserve threatened species in danger of loosing their habitats.
Butterflies and moths are arthropods belonging to the insect order Lepidoptera. Their life cycle consists of four phases: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and finally butterfly. They serve as pollinators and are a source of food for some animals. As such, their presence is an indicator of the health of the environment.
When does the gardening begin?
The ground breaking took place on Saturday, April 26, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you would like to join us for other gardening events, please contact Melissa Calabrese, the Wayne Westland Site Coordinator at wayne.westland.gearup@gmail.com.
What is the designated location of the garden?
The address for the site is 857 North Wayne Rd. It's between Cherry Hill and Marquette Rd, closest to Marquette.
I would like to support GEAR UP. How can I be involved?
• GEAR UP students will continue working in the garden this spring, summer and autumn. Please contact Melissa Calabrese if you are interested in planting, teaching, or exploring the world of gardening with our students and their families.
• What does it take to become an art therapist? What about a fire inspector? How do I become an environmental engineer or a beautician? Professionals are invited to visit Wayne Memorial High School at lunch to share information about their career with our 9th grade students. Would you like to share information about your career? Please contact Melissa Calabrese, the GEAR UP Wayne Westland Site Coordinator at wayne.westland.gearup@gmail.com
• Become a tutor or mentor. Please visit our tutor tab to learn more about our tutoring and mentoring program.
• As always, we also welcome donations for materials and food.
Background Information:
In the summer of 2006, Eastern Michigan University was awarded a six-year grant from the United States Department of Education. This grant, known as GEAR UP (which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), serves schools in three local districts – Ypsilanti, Willow Run and Wayne-Westland. The GEAR UP program follows students in the Class of 2012 through the summer following their high school graduation.
Through a wide variety of programs and events, GEAR UP's goal is to motivate and help these students to greater academic achievement and increase the number of students who apply and attend a post-secondary school.
GEAR UP students benefit from many programs, including tutoring, mentoring, college visits, weekend programs, summer programs, and much more.
GEAR UP not only focuses on students, but on their families and schools as well. Events and workshops on the financial aspects of college and how to choose the right school help our students' families along their journey to college.