Welcome back to school! It’s hard to believe how quickly summer has passed. With the craziness at the end of last school year, I hope everybody is rested, relaxed, and ready for a great new school year. We are now in Year 2 of Nevada Department of Education’s fourth GEAR UP project and we’re looking forward to a great year. In this second year, we will be serving over 7,100 Nevada students in grades 7 – 12, at five middle schools and three high schools. Our expanded partnership with the Nevada System of Higher Education will include GEAR UP First-Year College Advisors on each of the seven NSHE campuses, an increase in the number of students served by the UNR Dean’s Future Scholars program in northern Nevada, and the launch of the UNLV GEAR UP ASPIRE Scholars Program, focusing on STEM learning and exploration for middle and high school students in southern Nevada.
We all know that the first half of 2020 brought about unprecedented challenges for those us serving students across Nevada, but that’s nothing in comparison to how these uncertain times have affected our children. In this coming school year, Nevada GEAR UP is prepared to not only help students process the changes they’ve experienced, but to also be a consistent support, and a positive presence in school and in their daily lives as they move forward under the “new normal”. The educational landscape in these upcoming months may be much different for our students than in the past, but our students are resilient! As we plan for the year ahead, the GEAR UP team is privileged to be part of their journey as they prepare for college and career success!
