Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - From the classroom to the dorm room, approximately 100 kids from urban areas in Milwaukee and Madison get a taste of life on campus during the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's annual summer pre-college. The three-week program is in its 12th year at UWP.

Jordan Byers, a seventh grader who attends James C. Wright in Madison, said the experience is a good way to get a sense of what life in college will be like.

"It's fun to stay in the dorms and room with other people and see how college students live. We also attend classes, like one we're going through now on alternate forms of energy. And some of the most fun comes when we do the extra things, like going canoeing and taking a nature hike in Governor Dodge Park," she said. Byers said she would like to major in math education when she attends college.

Many of the students mentioned canoeing as one of the highlights of the first week, finding it both fun and educational.

"It's easier than I thought it would be. Before I went in, I was really worried about tipping, but I learned that if you just follow safety rules, it will be okay. Nobody tipped over and we had a great time," said 13-year-old Cybel Veliz.

On the subject of safety, Fred Gillespie of Keefe Avenue Middle School in Milwaukee, found the lessons on bike safety helpful. Gillespie would like to enter the world of business and become an entrepreneur after (and maybe during) college.

"I never knew how to signal that I was making a turn or slowing down but now I can do all the right safety motions," he explained as he demonstrated.

The students may attend three camps during the college: Bike-A-Rama; Leadership and Career Exploration; and Computer Camp. All are designed to help students build skills, gain confidence and develop an understanding of the opportunities and challenges they will face as they begin to think about college.

Vince Reynolds, a teacher for the program, said this is an exceptional experience for any teacher.

"It's great to have them here and watch their accomplishments," said Reynolds as he timed their progress around the Bike-A-Rama obstacle course in Memorial Park. "They're not competing against each other, but rather measuring their own improvement by seeing how much they improve their time and performance. Later, as a group, they will make their own video on bike safety, so they can apply some of their knowledge in the field and as a teaching tool," he said.

Reynolds said it is second nature for him to be part of the pre-college team. "I have a passion for teaching and working with kids, so this is wonderful for me. They're a great group and I see great things for them in their future," he said.

And the future is now connecting with the past through the pre-college program. LaJodie James, a 12-year old student at Craig Montessori in Madison is the younger sister of Shaunte James, a UWP alumna, class of 2005, who worked as a counselor for pre-college in 2005. Shaunte stays connected with the program and even makes referrals through her work for the Urban League in Madison.

"This is a great program for younger kids coming from urban areas. Some of these kids would not be able to afford a program like this without the funding UWP receives. It helps them experience what life is like in the classroom and in the residence halls, and I am so grateful that UWP continues to support it. Going to UWP is one of the best decisions I ever made" she said. Shaunte also works at M & I Bank in Madison.

LaJodie hopes to follow in her sister's footsteps and attend UWP after she graduates from high school, majoring in pre-law with the goal of someday becoming a judge. This is not her first trip to campus.

"I've come before when I visited Shaunte and even back then I always thought the campus was beautiful. I would really like to go to college here myself," she said.

That's the kind of feedback the staff, under the direction of Carl Wesley, retention coordinator for UWP and coordinator of the pre-college program for the past five years, likes to hear. The camps are funded through the Department of Public Instruction with help from the UW System and are open to students in grades six through 12. Anyone interested in learning more about the program may contact Wesley at (608) 342-1555.

Contact: Carl Wesley, coordinator, UWP Pre-college Program, (608) 342-1555, weselyc@uwplatt.edu

Prepared by: Evelyn Martens, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, martense@uwplatt.edu