Middle schoolers visit campus, share lessons in leadership

I am the voice. I will lead, not follow. I will create, not destroy. I am a leader. I am a force for good. I am a force for peace. I will defy the odds. I will set a new standard. I will step up, step up.

12:05 p.m., July 17, 2003--As Russell Kramedes delivered the last line of his rousing chant, he scanned his audience in the Perkins Student Center fiercely, almost rebelliously, then relinquished the microphone and returned to his seat amidst thundering applause and cheers from 30 of his peers. It was a performance, by any standard, that exhibited dignity and grace. All the more so considering that Kramedes is 12 years old and entering the eighth grade—a year typically defined by social angst and self-consciousness.

GEAR UP Director Melva Ware addresses eighth graders from Alexis I. du Pont Middle School during their recent campus visit.

Given Kramedes’ mission, his poise might not be so remarkable, however. A participant in GEAR UP, a summer enrichment program that grooms middle-school students for academic excellence, Kramedes, along with 30 of his classmates from Alexis I. du Pont Middle School, is committed to fearless self-expression. Another goal is working toward a college scholarship. To assist him and fellow GEAR UP participants in both these goals, the Delaware Center for Teacher Education hosted a daylong conference at UD on Friday, July 11.

Directed by Melva Ware, a coordinator at the Delaware Center for Teacher Education, GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) began in spring 2002 to serve the growing population of academically challenged students in Wilmington schools. While not that new a concept, the program gained immediate attention at Alexis I. du Pont Middle School, which has the highest poverty rate among Delaware middle schools and which draws a large number of “at-risk” students.

Now enjoying its second year of success, the program, which runs daily from 8 a.m. to noon at the school, boasts a dedicated corps of students, teachers and facilitators.

Based on the premise that students invest in activities that interest them, GEAR UP offers an array of student-inspired pursuits, including the reading and discussing of collaboratively chosen books and the writing and performing of hip-hop and rap tunes. The GEAR UP conference held at UD offered participants yet another avenue of interest to explore.

Attended by Provost Daniel Rich; Timothy Barnekov, dean of the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy; and Leland Ware, Louis Redding Chair of Law and Public Policy, the event included a campus tour, hands-on activities at the Morris Library and a question-and-answer session with conference facilitators.

Advice from a panel of outstanding Delaware scholars who participated in programs similar to GEAR UP during middle school filled out the agenda.

“If I have one caution for you eighth-graders, it’s ‘work hard,’ because when a college sees that, it knows you didn’t slack off,” Winslow Simmons, a scholarship recipient entering UD as a member of the Class of 2007 this fall, said.

“Work hard and study hard, but try to find a balance that allows for family, friends and community involvement,” Jennifer Dodenhoff, a 2003 UD graduate and the first member of her family to go to college, said.

UD sophomore scholarship recipient Garth Spencer lent still a different perspective. “All leaders possess different qualities, but one thing they all have in common is passion,” he said. “If you’re passionate about what you do, you’ll succeed. That’s why I have one thing to say to you: Always dream big.”

Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photo by Duane Perry

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