Contact: Estella Zavala or Susan Cergol, 225-6437
Posted on: January 28, 2002

Thirty-eight mentors will be honored at a dinner for their work with students in the GEAR UP and Building the Future programs at Wakefield Middle School, 101 W. 44^th St., at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 29 in the school’s cafeteria.

Nearly 200 people, including students and parents, are expected at the event. After the dinner, students will present their mentors—composed primarily of local Rotary club members—with certificates and lapel pins.

GEAR UP, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is an expansion of the Building the Future Program, currently operating at Wakefield. In February 1998, the University of Arizona and Tucson Rotary Clubs teamed up to create the program to make a commitment to pay for the UA education of 101 third-graders at C.E. Rose. These students are currently eighth-graders. The Building the Future program will provide them with tuition waivers if they meet the university's criteria for admission.

The proposal was one of 164 partnerships in the nation to be funded by the U.S. Department of Education and only one of two in Arizona to be selected. The grant will allow Wakefield, the university, TUSD and various community partners to provide enhanced services not only to Building the Future students but also to those from Wakefield's other feeder schools including Hollinger and Mission View elementary schools. After the students have advanced through Wakefield, the program will follow them to Pueblo High Magnet School to further ensure their success.

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