Barbourville High School and GEAR UP Determined to Invest in their Seniors

by Peyton Mills and Hunter Bargo

As the latest semester at Barbourville High School kicks into high-gear and classes begin anew, a handful of prospective students are continuing their education in a first for the school: a dual credit class through local Union College taught on campus, in an attempt to make such opportunities available to a wider variety of students. Despite this monumental step forward, however, there was one crucial detail left to examine, and it came in the form of payment. College courses are notoriously expensive, and while this particular class was much more affordable than a typical course, some students were concerned about having the money to pay. Indeed, the cost alone threatened the ability for many students to take the class our school had worked so hard to obtain.

Concerned, Brandon Simpson, the teacher at the helm of this project, set out to find a solution. He contacted Courtney Murphy, our GEAR UP coordinator, who immediately related to the issue and began working tirelessly to procure the funds in order to pay for any student willing to challenge themselves and take the class. “There’s no reason to pay for college when you can get scholarships that pay for it,” Murphy said on her reasoning, and with this year being GEAR UP’s first granting services to high school seniors, it was the perfect time to pitch funding this class to her supervisor.

Courtney Murphy (above) works through GEAR UP to help seniors
 with various post-graduation concerns. (Photo by Pamela Williams.)

GEAR UP has three major goals: to increase academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education; to increase rate of high school graduation and participation in postsecondary education; and to increase student educational aspirations and student and family knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing. Murphy stresses the importance of these goals not only for college, but also for careers outside of or instead of college. But ultimately, it is about supporting students no matter their choice to better themselves, and Murphy, Simpson, and GEAR UP alike showed this willingness in the most sincere and important of ways.