The GEAR UP summer enrichment program for Banks School, Pike County High School and Goshen High School wrapped up Thursday with a fun day for students.

The summer enrichment focused on math and English skills, allowing the students to continue what they had learned in the past year and get a jump on things coming up in the next year.

“The goal was to improve their math, reading and English skills over the summer before they actually started taking classes,” said Joanne Kilpatrick, GEAR UP team leader for PCHS.

Students were able to have fun while learning, as well. “The program was a mix of classes and fun time for outside activities,” Kilpatrick said.

In the English classes, students focused on reading skills, short stories, grammar, parts of speech and one essay. The math classes allowed students to further their learning of skills they had learned in the previous year.

“Overall I think it was a success,” said David Fleming, PCHS math teacher. “The kids seemed to really enjoy the lessons. I taught my kids last year, and I knew what they needed to go over again and what we didn’t get to.”

GEAR UP, which was funded in part through a $49 million, seven-year grant awarded to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The program allowed the nearly 200 students participating locally to take a trip to Auburn University, allowing them to see the life of a college student and see the atmosphere of a large university. Caleb Foster and Amaghie Lampley, seventh-graders, both enjoyed the Auburn trip the most out of all the activities during the program.

“It taught us what it was like to be a college student,” Lampley said. “If I go to school there, it would be fun.”

Both students entered the program so they would have something to do in the summer, and they said they were excited to “get something out of it.”

“I learned how to make a budget and a brochure,” Foster said. “That’s something I wouldn’t normally learn during the school year.”

Lampley agreed, adding that he was ready to take on the next school year with the knowledge he gained from the GEAR UP summer enrichment program.

“It gave us a head start in all of our skills,” Lampley said. “We will be familiar with it when school begins.”

The students ended the summer program with an outing to the Party Pad in Troy.