What:
Photo and news opportunity as students, parents, educators, higher education
officials and local business leaders gather to honor more than 140 students
from East Middle School and Ponca City High School. The evening ceremony will
be a celebration of the students’ academic performance. Activities include
dinner, remarks from Oklahoma State Regent Carl Renfro and presentation of
Oklahoma Scholars certificates. Oklahoma Scholars is a recognition program,
sponsored through a partnership between the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
Education and ACT Inc., to acknowledge students who score in the top five
percent of students taking ACT’s EXPLORE or PLAN tests. The EXPLORE
test for eighth-graders and the PLAN test for sophomores is designed to help
students with academic preparation for college and career interest development.
The event is sponsored by Pioneer Bank and Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness
for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), a federal program created to develop
students’ potential and help students, as well as their families, better
prepare for college.
Who:
Eighth- and 10th-grade students and their parents
When:
6 p.m., Monday, May 5, 2003 – the awards presentation will begin around
6:30 p.m.
Where:
Ponca City High School Commons, 927 N. 5th Street
Why:
To recognize student achievement and to encourage students in their future
studies. In addition, the evening will help students and their parents become
aware of the importance of planning for college. This is especially important
for first-generation college students — students who come from families
with no higher education experience.
Speakers:
Carl Renfro, Oklahoma State Regent for Higher Education; Chief Executive Officer
and Chairman of the Board, Pioneer Bank and Trust, Ponca City
Dolores Mize, Oklahoma GEAR UP State Director and Associate Vice Chancellor
and Special Assistant to the Chancellor, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
Education
Bill White, Superintendent, Ponca City Public Schools
Dr. Linda Powers, Principal, Ponca City High School and Director of Secondary
Education, Ponca City Public Schools
Sharon Scroggins, Principal, Ponca City East Middle School
Elaine Thomas, Counselor, Ponca City East Middle School
The U.S. Department of Education awarded Oklahoma with a state GEAR UP grant totaling $20.5 million in August 1999. The grant has been matched by more than $25 million from state and partner resources. With funds totaling $45.5 million, GEAR UP receives 45 percent of total funding from the federal government and 55 percent from other organizations.
