More than 200 students from George County Middle School spent the day on the Perkinston Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Friday, Feb. 20, as part of a program called Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP Mississippi). Primarily funded through a grant from the United States Department of Education, GEAR UP Mississippi is a collaborative effort of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, Mississippi State Board for Community and Junior Colleges, Mississippi Department of Education, and various organizations and community groups.
The program for the day included scenes from “Grease,” a Perk Players production and a tour of the campus. “Getting students to think about college at an early age will hopefully get them excited about the opportunities available to them, “ said Michelle Sekul, dean of Student Services at the Perkinston Campus. “If we can make these students see the wonderful opportunities available to them through a college education, we hope it will encourage them to stay in school through high school, to graduate and to attend college.”
