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Participation in a 4-H school
enrichment program at her Indianapolis school has sparked Oni
Thomas' interest in all things green. Photo by Tom Campbell.
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Purdue students do a number of things with the middle school and high
school students at the center, ranging from helping with homework, playing
games, or just talking.
Morris says the goal of the program is to expose students to the opportunities
afforded by getting more than just a high school education. "For
some, it may just mean going to a vocational school," Morris says.
They even turned the tables on the students, busing them up to West
Lafayette during their spring break in April for a one-day tour of campus
that included tours of Mackey Arena, a residence hall, classrooms, and
a ride on the Boilermaker Express.
"I'm not sure any of these kids would have the opportunity to visit
a college campus without this program," Morris says, "so this
is a unique experience for many of them."
Including Marcus Bigbee, 15, a Shortridge Middle School student who
wants to go to college to study engineering.
"I really want to go to college," he says, "so learning
what I need to do to get into college has really been helpful."
It's a long way from teaching kids better ways to plant corn.
"A lot of people see this as a change, but we see it as growth,"
says Gordon. "In no way are we abandoning our club kids. We'll
always protect and have the club program, because it is so important.
But I think we can expand to touch the kids in a school or community
setting, too."
"We used to have more kids in the club settings, but kids have
changed, families have changed, so we've had to change how we deliver
programs. We have been stretched in some ways to see how we can get
to kids."
Contact Gordon at janet_gordon@ces.purdue.edu
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