Beginning with a procession of 30 UD and community mentors who have supported the academic and personal development of the students, the ceremony honored 64 Gear Up students who completed high school this spring. Of these 45 seniors and entering college freshmen were honored for academic achievement, including 20 who had grade point averages of 3.5 or above. UD will welcome 20 Gear Up students into its 2008 freshman class.
Among the achievements of students:
- 73 percent earned Algebra 1 credit by the end of ninth grade;
- 52 percent took honors mathematics and science courses above the Algebra 1 level, as compared to 22 percent of underrepresented students nationwide;
- 36 percent took one or more advanced placement courses;
- 40 percent had cumulative high school grade point averages of 2.5; and
- 25 percent had cumulative high school grade point averages of 3.0.
Of special note, in 2006 two Delaware students--Achsah Joseph and Elvio Diaz--were among the 34 students nationwide to be selected as delegates to the national Gear Up Scholars Youth Leadership Summit in 2006, and Diaz also won the national Gear Up image design contest in 2007.
Merrie Pritchett, Delaware home-school relations coordinator, also won recognition as one of five recipients of the National Gear Up Parent Leadership Award.
At the ceremony, Melva Ware, project director in the Delaware Center for Teacher Education, said, “These results reflect the efforts of a dedicated community of parents, education professionals and the students themselves who adopted as their mantra a commitment to step up to defy odds that predict negative outcomes for many and set a new standard,” adding the entire UD community is “immensely proud of them.”
The Delaware Gear Up Program has served the graduating class for six years, and another smaller class will graduate next year. The grant funding ends in 2008.
Article by Sue Moncure
Photo by Duane Perry
