College. It's not a dream. It's a plan.

The Okanogan Valley GEAR UP Project (OVGU) serves 1557 middle and high school students in Brewster, Bridgeport, Lake Chelan, Manson, Omak, Oroville and Tonasket school districts, isolated agricultural communities located in North Central Washington on the east slope of the Cascade Mountains. The program provides services in each middle and high school building for four years to build a sustainable culture of college-awareness and preparation by the project's end. GEAR UP is a discretionary federal grant program designed to increase the number of low-income students prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. Through GEAR UP partnerships, local schools, community-based organizations, businesses, and institutions of higher education work together to strengthen academic programs and students services in the schools so that students are prepared academically and financially to enter and succeed in college. GEAR UP is a key part of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.

Using a collaborative K-16 partnership approach, GEAR UP programs seek to:

• Serve whole grade-level cohorts in order to raise expectations of all students.
• Provide comprehensive academic and student support services to students beginning in 6th or 7th grade and continuing through high school graduation.
• Focus on key transition points and facilitate student transitions between grade and school levels.
• Inform students and parents about college options and financial aid earlier in the education process.
• Promote vigorous academic coursework based on college entrance requirements.
• Build the foundation for enduring institutional change that will result in ongoing support for all students to enter college.