News Releases

Stringtown GEAR UP Students visit the Gathering Place

Twenty-four GEAR UP students from Stringtown High School recently traveled to Tulsa, OK, to tour the Gathering Place. Guest Service Lead Jai’Monique Ferguson greeted the students and briefly discussed the park and its mission. The tour began in Williams Lodge, where students learned the history and construction of the park, which opened in 2018. The George Kaiser Family Foundation saw the need for Tulsans to have a welcoming, natural space where the community could explore

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Stringtown GEAR UP Students tour Seminole State College

Twenty-six GEAR UP sophomores and juniors from Stringtown High School recently traveled to Seminole, OK, to tour the campus of Seminole State College (SSC). Caitlin Brown, Recruitment Specialist, greeted the students and gave them a brief overview of the admissions process. Each incoming student is assigned to a financial aid specialist who helps make the transition to college easier. After the introduction, Brown guided students on a walking tour of the campus, including the Business

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Stringtown GEAR UP Students Participated in a Virtual College Day

Twenty-eight freshman and sophomore EOSC (Eastern Oklahoma State College) GEAR UP students from Stringtown High School recently participated in a virtual college tour day. EOSC Admissions Recruiter Karen Darby met with students in their classroom and gave them an overview of Eastern and the many opportunities the college offers. With locations in Wilburton, McAlester, Idabel, and Antlers, the school is readily accessible to students in southeastern Oklahoma and is an affordable option. Darby discussed financial

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Stringtown GEAR UP Students Toured Local Community Historical Sites

Twenty-eight freshman and sophomore GEAR UP students from Stringtown Public Schools recently participated in an educational field trip that highlighted local historical events and places. Stringtown faculty members Matt Sandmann and Beth Murray, GEAR UP Education Coordinator Denise Lovell, and Atoka Museum Director Cindy Wallis guided the students during the excursion. Students began the day with a presentation covering the 1975 musical event 48 Hours in Atoka. The historical gathering was held at a local

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Eastern Oklahoma State College GEAR UP sponsors virtual Chad Cargill ACT Test Prep Workshop for GEAR UP sophomores

550 area high school sophomore GEAR UP students from 30 schools learned how to better prepare for the ACT as they attended a virtual, three-hour workshop presented by Chad Cargill, Founder and President of Cargill Consulting, Inc. The workshop was sponsored by Eastern Oklahoma State College’s GEAR UP—Ignite Belief grant program. During high school, Cargill knew he needed to earn scholarships in order to attend Oklahoma State University. During his freshman year in high school,

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Eastern Oklahoma State College GEAR UP Partner Schools Receive Technology During COVID-19 Pandemic

Eastern Oklahoma State College GEAR UP recently purchased a variety of technology items for area GEAR UP schools to assist with the schools’ needs for virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each GEAR UP school indicated its immediate need to help conduct virtual education for students. GEAR UP spent over $194,650 on laptops, headsets and Chromebooks. The technology was distributed to cohort schools based on the requested need. Eastern received a $17 million federal

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Stringtown eighth and ninth grade GEAR UP students tour Atoka Museum and Civil War Cemetery

Twenty-nine Stringtown eighth and ninth grade GEAR UP students recently toured the Atoka Museum and Civil War Cemetery located north of Boggy River in Atoka. Students were given a walking tour of the property, which includes a Civil War cemetery—the only in Oklahoma, several historical homes, and a church. The church has been relocated from Boggy Bend in the northeast part of the county to the museum site, and was started by “Boss” Harrison, a

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Stringtown GEAR UP students tour the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

Twenty-eight GEAR UP students from Stringtown recently traveled to Oklahoma City to tour the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. The Museum was created to honor “those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever” by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Students began the day in the Memorial Museum with an interactive learning experience, a chronological self-guided tour through the story of April 19,1995. Their

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Stringtown GEAR UP students tour East Central University

Thirty GEAR UP students from Stringtown recently traveled to Ada to tour East Central University (ECU). The seventh and eighth grade students began the day in the Regents Room located in the Student Union with a brief introduction to ECU and collegiate life given by Admissions Recruiter Alyson Chapman. Chapman explained the admissions process and encouraged the students to begin preparing now by working on grades, having good behavior, and monitoring their social media accounts.

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