With the GEAR UP office closing at the end of this year, it is going to be difficult to cope without it. But don’t worry just yet; Wenatchee School District has a plan. The College Mentor Program, which has been present at the school since the 2004-05 school year, will help students with the next step in moving forward with their education.

The two programs, GEAR UP and the College Mentor Program, are two completely separate programs that run on two different funding sources but have similar ideas. GEAR UP, which works with sophomores, juniors, and seniors to get ready for college, operated the Homework Center and had helped students with academics. The organization’s grant expires at the end of this school year, but staffers are here at the high school for limited hours.

“The Wenatchee School District GEAR UP grant is in it’s final year of funding,” GEAR UP Senior Cohort Coordinator and College Mentor Program Coordinator Jim Broome said via email. “The WSD GEAR UP staff has not left, we have just reduced our hours.”

The transition with the College Mentor Program will affect the seniors the most this year. Although, they are still able to get the support that they need this year from their mentors.

“A big component is not just what they do to help the seniors,” GEAR UP Site Supervisor Angela Prater said. “It’s community volunteers that are matched up with the seniors.”

The College Mentor Program is going to help students apply to college, help them apply for scholarships and financial aid, and even in choosing which college to attend.

The program is mainly for seniors and students in the spring of their junior year, but there will be more programs to benefit for other grades. The current freshmen have their own MOSAIC GEAR UP staff through Central Washington University that is going to be supporting them through their senior year.