GearUp

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for

Undergraduate Programs

is what GEAR UP is all about. GEAR UP supports early college preparation and awareness for students who att
end middle and high schools that have 50% or more of their students receiving free and reduced lunch. This is funded through a $31.7 million grant awarded to Fairmont State College by the U.S. Department of Education. Visit the Fairmont State GEAR UP site by clicking on the logo at the top.

2008 8th Grade Class Trip!

With the help of GearUp funding 16 students from the 8th grade class and several parents and teachers took an end of the year trip. The first stop was at the Great Wolf Lodge in Scotrun, PA near the Pocono Mountains. Once there, students enjoyed an indoor water park, consisting of 11 slides, a wave pool, lazy river, and lily pad pond! Staying there overnight we headed to New York City the next day. The students saw the sky line of New York City and a great view of the Statue of Liberty from Liberty State Park. There we met Tucker County native Mike Goss who conducted our tour of the city, including stops at Engine 54 Firehouse, Rockefeller Center and a view from the "Top of the Rock" (traveling 67 stories in 43 seconds!). We made a trip through many city blocks and arrived at the Minskoff Theatre to "The Lion King", which was fantastic! After the show we enjoyed pizza at John's Pizzeria and boarded the bus and headed to Wildwood, NJ. After a late night picnic at the Blue Palms Motel, a few of us arose early to see the sun rise at the beach. The rest of the day was spent on the beach and the boardwalk, riding 6-person bicycles and soaking up the sun. Thank you to all who made the trip possible by supporting fund raisers, giving donations, and chaperoning.