Oak Hill Middle School (OHMS) hosted a ceremony earlier this month to recognize its 2024 Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen (REACH) Scholars.
According to the REACH website, the REACH program was launched in 2012 as the first needs-based mentorship and college scholarship program in Georgia. The mission of REACH is to ensure that Georgia’s students have the academic, social, and financial support needed to graduate from high school, access college, and achieve postsecondary success.
“The REACH scholarship helps to identify students who have the potential to succeed if they are provided with the proper support,” said Amy Taylor, eighth-grade student counselor.
This year's scholars are Dustin Aragon-Perez, Tristen Bazemore, Layla Johnson, Hayden Poole, and Kalli Suggs. These students were chosen through a longer process that began with nominations by their seventh-grade teachers, followed by an application process, and finished with an interview phase by a panel made up of Georgia Power representative Greg Tyson, Georgia College & State University representative Dr. Veronica Womack, and Central Georgia Technical College representative Carrie Dietrich. As the highest scoring students at the end of the process, they were selected as REACH scholars.
“During the spring of the student’s seventh-grade year, their seventh-grade teachers nominate them based on potential. Then, there is a nomination packet they must complete with references, and we sort through these nominations to see who matches based on need,” said Taylor. “We try to focus on first-time college students in a family, but it is not a requirement. Then, in the fall, the interview panel interviews the students, and we score students for both processes. The five highest scorers become the new scholars.”
By receiving this title, according to the REACH website, 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. During the ceremony at Oak Hill Middle School, parents and students signed a contract committing to these requirements.
“The contract is a commitment to attendance, to good behavior, and to maintain a 2.5 GPA,” said Taylor. “The ceremony represents their official commitment and recognition as a REACH scholar.”
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.
“Following the ceremony, Communities in Schools will help locate mentors for the students that will meet with them twice a month and I, as their academic coach, will meet with them once a month,” said Taylor. “They will continue to have an academic coach and mentor as they transition to high school as well.”
Scholars have the opportunity to 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 toward the cost of attendance while enrolled full-time at a HOPE-eligible college in the state of Georgia.
“Students will receive this money when they graduate and it will go to the college of their choosing,” said Taylor. “Each of our REACH Scholars deserves this honor and will work hard to earn the full amount.”