Phuture Phoenix hosts 400 Edison Middle Schoolers, April 13

UW-Green Bay will host its second annual Phuture Phoenix Campus Experience for Edison Middle School eighth graders on Thursday, April 13.

UW-Green Bay’s signature Phuture Phoenix program collaborates with Title I schools and encourages students to graduate from high school and pursue a post-secondary education. The program has hosted more than 18,000 fifth-grade students during its annual campus visits since it began in 2003. To help support the campus experience for eighth graders, there will be more than 85 UW-Green Bay students serving as role models and group leaders and more than 30 UW-Green Bay faculty members volunteering their time to deliver mock lectures.

The eighth-grade campus experience differs from the fifth-grade trip, as the Edison students will actively participate in a wide range of college activities, including a financial literacy seminar, admissions and advising sessions and an abbreviated lecture delivered by a UW-Green Bay professor, in a self-selected area of study. Additionally, all eighth graders will tour the Kress Events Center, on-campus housing and the University Union to experience what a “day in the life of a college student” feels like. Director of Phuture Phoenix, Mary Sue Lavin, will emphasize to students that once they enter high school, “everything counts.”

“Grades, participation, extracurricular activities, attendance and positive attitude are all building blocks to an enjoyable high school career that leads to post-secondary success, a fulfilling career and meaningful involvement in one’s community,” said Lavin. “We are excited to give the eighth graders this experience on the UW-Green Bay campus. We feel the more ‘touches’ we can provide, the more likely students are to pursue post-secondary educational opportunities.”

Phuture Phoenix is a coordinated program to inspire academic success and alert children to educational opportunities that are available to them. College prep starts early, and the Phuture Phoenix campus experiences offer students a first-hand look at the necessary steps to pursue and attain higher education goals, as well as everything that a university education can offer. Phuture Phoenix programming helps prepare elementary school students for college early, said Jenny Woldt, fifth-grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary School.

“You have to start in kindergarten, get it in their brain that they are college bound no matter where they come from, and that they just need to work hard in school and work hard in their community, and they can get there.”

Included in this spring’s campus experience are expanded partnerships with the Kress Events Center and UW-Green Bay’s Office of Residence Life, making it possible for every eighth grader to experience two essential elements of college life — recreational opportunities and on-campus housing.

More information about Phuture Phoenix is available at http://www.uwgb.edu/phuturephoenix/

About the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a comprehensive public institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs to 6,700 students. The University transforms lives and communities through exceptional and award-winning teaching and research, innovative learning opportunities, and a problem-solving approach to education. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu.

 

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