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Five eighth-grade students at Oak Hill Middle School are being recognized as the 20222023 REACH Scholars.
According to the REACH website, the REACH program was launched in 2012 as the first needs-based mentorship and college scholarship program. REACH stands for Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen and it currently serves 180 school systems throughout the state of Georgia.
“I think the REACH Scholarship provides an amazing opportunity for students who may not have the opportunity to go to college without the support the program provides,” said Amy Taylor, eighth grade student counselor. “And this year, we have a fantastic group of students selected.”
This year’s scholars are Jaliyah Anderson, Ashley Aragon Perez, Jerliondus Armstrong, Felicity Garza and Addyson Marquez. These students were chosen through a longer process that began with nominations by their seventhgrade teachers, followed into an application process, and finished with an interview phase. As the highest scoring students at the end of the process, they were selected as REACH Scholars.
By receiving this title, according to the REACH website, the REACH Program takes several actions to pave the way of success through high school towards college. First, each scholar must sign a contract along with their parent or guardian to maintain a 2.5 HOPE-Calculated GPA, remain crime, drug and behavior issue free, and meet with a volunteer mentor and academic coach until they graduate from high school. Parents or guardians also sign a contract as a promise to promote healthy relationships and work with their child to stay on the path towards graduation.
The school must also commit to providing a mentor and an academic coach for each of their scholars. Mentors will meet with the student every week for a minimum of eight times per semester. According to the REACH website, mentors are recruited, trained and monitored by the REACH School Systems. On the other hand, the academic coach is provided by the school and meets with the student once a month to ensure they are on track.
Scholars can earn up to $2,500 each school year in high school for meeting program requirements. If they received the full amount for all 4 years, then they will have a $10,000 scholarship to be used towards the cost of attendance while enrolled full-time at a HOPEeligible college in the state of Georgia.
“Each of our REACH Scholars deserves this honor and have been working very hard,” said Taylor.
The REACH Scholars will be recognized at the Signing Ceremony on Nov. 15 at Oak Hill Middle School. The program will be in the theater at 9 a.m.