Published: July 02, 2009 09:09 am      

High school students ‘gear up’ for college

As 55 rising high school sophomores from around Kentucky watched, rockets were launched Wednesday at Eastern Kentucky University.

Fired by a gun-powder type propellant, the rockets soared above 20-story Commonwealth Hall before they separated and released a parachute then drifted back to earth.

The launches were one of the final experiments of science classes conducted as part of the GEAR UP Academy that EKU played host to for the past three weeks.

While the launches were part of an applied math and physics problem, they are symbolic of what GEAR UP seeks to accomplish, said Academy Director Paige Young.

EKU Provost Rodney Piercey, who once worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, spoke to the students and explained the math and science of how rocket trajectories are plotted, said GEAR UP science instructor Chris Peters.

“He told the students a splash down point could be predicted to within 20 yards of where a rocket would be found,” Peters said.

GEAR UP, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is designed to get high school students to think about attending college and to take courses that will better prepare them to succeed in college, Young said.

On GEAR UP’s Web site, gohigherky.org, is a graphic of the space shuttle with the words, “You’re the rocket. College is the fuel.”

Each day of the academy, the students had sessions in math, science and English, plus career exploration.

From the comments of students who participated in two mid-morning rocket launches, the academy was achieving its objectives.

“Science wasn’t one of my favorite subjects until I came to the GEAR UP academy,” said Brooke Griffin, who attends Covington Holmes High School.

“Mr. Peters has really made science interesting. He’s had us doing mostly hands-on experiments.”

The students learned mixing corn starch and water creates a substance that is neither liquid or solid, Griffin said.

“Depending on whether it’s stirred slowly or rapidly, it can be more like a liquid or a solid,” she said.

Griffin said she will be more motivated to study science when school resumes this fall because her career goal is to be a pharmacist.

After high school, Griffin said she will likely attend Northern Kentucky University, which is near her home.

“I now know what academic track to follow if I want to achieve my dream of becoming a broadcaster,” said Mark Deaton, who attends Newport High School.

“I also know that with financial aid, I will be able to afford college,” he said. “I used to think that college would be too expensive for me.”

One of his GEAR UP counselors guided him through university Web sites that explained broadcasting majors and financial aid programs, Deaton said.

He foresees attending Western Kentucky University and majoring in broadcasting.

“GEAR UP has opened my eyes to what college is going to be like and how challenging it will be,” said Taryn Wallingford, who attends Fleming County High School.

She hopes to attend the University of Louisville and study psychology and criminal law.

GEAR UP partners with numerous high schools, conducting enrichment programs during the school year, and has had one-week summer programs in the past.

“The three-week academy at EKU this summer is the first and only GEAR UP program of its kind in the Kentucky,” Young said.

The academy concludes today.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.