FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 11, 2009

Spokane-area GEAR UP student selected for national leadership summit 

     OLYMPIA—Haley Galik, a sophomore at West Valley High School in Spokane Valley, has been selected to attend the 7th Annual National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) Youth Leadership Summit in San Francisco July 18-22.

     One of only 30 GEAR UP students nationwide selected to attend the summit, Galik is believed to be the first Washington resident to participate. The summit is held in conjunction with the NCCEP/GEAR UP National Conference Annual Conference.

     GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, a federal program designed to increase college attendance and success among K-12 students.  

     Haley, the daughter of Kevin Galik and Kelly McColgan, was selected through a competitive application process based on academic achievement, leadership experience, an essay, and letters of recommendation. She and her fellow student leaders will create a report during the summit with recommendations on what educators should consider when designing strategies and programs to improve student achievement.

     The report also is intended to help business and community leaders, policy makers and educators understand issues important to students related to improving student success and strengthening the education system as a whole.

     The summit will culminate when the students make an oral presentation on their report to more than 2,000 attendees at the NCCEP/GEAR UP Annual Conference.

     In addition to the Washington State federal GEAR UP program which partners with the Governor’s office, the University of Washington, College Success Foundation and a number of national, state and local organizations, Washington is the only state in the nation that has its own, state-funded GEAR UP program.

     Additional information about GEAR UP is available on the HECB website at www.hecb.wa.gov/collegeprep/gu/guindex.asp

About NCCEP: NCCEP maintains offices in Washington, DC, and Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and leads education reform efforts in both countries. NCCEP works with education partnerships funded by the U.S. federal government, the government of Mexico, public and private foundations, and corporations from both the United States and Mexico. For more information about NCCEP and the Youth Leadership Summit, visit www.edpartnerships.org or contact NCCEP at 202-530-1135.

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For more information: Susan St. George

(360) 753-7834 or susans@hecb.wa.gov