Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness

for Undergraduate Programs

WHAT DOES GEAR UP STAND FOR?

The Appalachian GEAR UP Partnership serves approximately 30,000 students from 17 school districts in western North Carolina. Appalachian GEAR UP strives to create capacity in the districts that changes mindsets around college access and college attendance in a sustainable way. The goal is that the impact of Appalachian GEAR UP will be felt in the districts even after the grant has ended.

IHE PARTNERS

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College�Blue Ridge Community College�Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute�Catawba Valley Community College�Isothermal Community College�Appalachian State University

Mayland Community College�McDowell Technical Community College�Southwestern Community College�UNC Asheville�Western Piedmont Community College�Wilkes Community College

SERVICES

Student & Family Services: �Financial Aid Support Financial Literacy�Mountaineer Expeditions (Campus Visits)�Bus Tours�MasteryPrep Services�Family Design Nights�GEAR UP Guarantee

Professional Services:

Counselor Network

Project IMPACT

Postsecondary Data Analysis & Action Planning

Supporting the Successful Transition to College

Academic Innovation Conference

RESEARCH SAYS IT MATTERS

• First college visit during middle school matters �(particularly for rural students).
• Educational field trips are beneficial and provide college knowledge.
• Campus visit in earlier grades are more predictive of Post Secondary Education.
• Exposure to college campuses helps students with the college decision process.

Polk

• The program launched in Polk County in December 2024, beginning with 6th and 7th grade students at Polk County Middle School.
• Polk County participates in GEAR UP 3.0, in partnership with Appalachian State University.
• We are currently in the second year of the seven-year grant cycle.
• The grant currently supports students in grades 6–8 and will expand next year to include grades 6–9.

WHY

• Because… GEAR UP is far more than a program, it is a network changing the lives and communities in Western North Carolina.

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• Because… collaboration with our partner schools and the higher education institutions opens doors for our students that they might not have seen otherwise.

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• Because… all students deserve access to postsecondary pathways.

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• Because… North Carolina needs to develop talented, trained, and certified workers (My future NC).

Polk

Through GEAR UP in Polk County, we have been able to:

• Equip our 6th-grade classrooms with electricity kits to enhance hands-on learning in science.
• Purchase drones for our summer drone camp, fostering student engagement in STEM fields.
• Acquire robots for our robotics camp, offering students an opportunity to explore coding and engineering concepts.
• Host the mobile planetarium from the Roper Mountain Science Center in our school library, providing students with an immersive astronomy experience.

Polk

We have also been able to:

• Offer a stipend for a staff member to teach the robotics camp, ensuring the program remains free and accessible to all participants.
• Provide stipends for teachers who worked on July 21st for the Jump Start program, designed to help 6th-grade students transition successfully into middle school.
• Partner with the KidSenses Museum, which generously provided a free science demonstration for our students, enriching the Jump Start experience even further.
• Visit a college campus last year and plan to visit several more this year, including Isothermal Central College earlier today, Blue Ridge Community College on November 21st, and Appalachian State University in March.

Polk

• Through the grant, a Postsecondary Leadership Team has been established, comprising of representatives from the middle school, high school, and the Central Office.
• The team collaborates both in person and virtually with representatives from the National Postsecondary Strategy Institute.
• Together, they focus on developing and implementing strategies to enhance postsecondary success for all students.
• We also plan to implement the MasteryPrep program with our 8^th grade students who are enrolled in Math 1.

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Drone Camp