August 30, 2019 – Upward Bound operates in two phases each year, the academic phase, which provides academic support during the school year at Bradford High School and at scheduled bi-weekly Saturday sessions, and a summer phase that provides a six-week summer program to enrich students academically as well as providing opportunities for educational and cultural experiences.
Each year, the Upward Bound program closes the academic year with a banquet. This year, the banquet was held in May at the Charley E. Johns Conference Center, Starke, Florida. The event provided a catered brunch for participants and their guests.
The program also celebrated the completion of the program’s 2018 – 2019 academic year by including a three-day, two-night trip to Atlanta, Georgia, for Upward Bound participants. In Atlanta, students explored three of the country’s widely recognized colleges; Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College. Students were given a guided tour of each institution and learned the history of each. In addition to the college tours, the students embarked on a cultural enrichment adventure which included the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, the CNN Headquarters, Georgia Aquarium, Coca Cola, and took time for a group picture in front of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights: Civil Rights Museum.
The trip was educational and an excellent way to close the academic year and to send off our school seniors who graduated from high school.
During the first four weeks of summer sessions, students met Monday through Thursday at the Andrews Center Cultural Building for educational and cultural activities. Friday’s were reserved for field trips to various college campuses like the University of Florida, University of North Florida, and Flagler College.
The six-week summer session began June 24, with a trip to UF’s SIM lab. Students had a great time learning about STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) education and career opportunities from University of Florida SIM lab experts. Plus, discovered STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Mathematics) careers from the Florida Museum of Natural History.
The last two weeks consisted of Summer STEM camp. Guitars, Rocketry, Robotics Advanced Technological Education (GRRATE) partnered with Upward Bound to premier their curriculum for ISC1006 – Wide World of Science, which began in the fall. Upward Bound students selected an area of interest and were transported to the hosting centers; Andrews Center Cultural Building for Robotics; Watson Center for Rocketry and Davis Center for Guitars. Students assembled robots and wrote code, built and launched rockets and built electric guitars. Exposure to STEM careers and hands-on experience are lifelong skills the students will have forever. View the timeline and photo gallery by visiting the SF’s Upward Bound Facebook page.
Upward Bound program is currently recruiting for 2019 – 2020 year, which begins Sept. 1, the first day for Upward Bound students will be Sept. 7. For additional information, visit SF’s TRIO Upward Bound program webpage.