KIPP Tulsa Students Visit NSU

TAHLEQUAH Examining a real human skull, learning to write in Japanese and designing the layout of a house are not what most seventh-graders are doing on the first day of school. But for the 81 students in the class of 2014 at Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) Tulsa College Preparatory thats exactly how the first day of school was spent.

The Northeastern State University College of Education hosted a special field trip for the students, teachers and parents from the Tulsa academy on Monday, Aug. 11 at the Tahlequah campus.

We want to encourage the option of pursuing a college degree at a young age, said Dr. Allyson Watson, assistant professor of Educational Foundations and Leadership. Often when kids are in the seventh grade, they begin to think about what they want to be when they graduate and we want to present them with the option of attending NSU.

In addition to touring the Tahlequah campus and learning about the different programs, student organizations and athletic teams available for students, the students also participated in a number of hands-on activities to explore the areas of math, forensics and social studies.

Representatives from the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Education and Science and Health Professions each made demonstrations to the students on a few different areas they can study when they attend college. Dr. Mike Wilds, associate professor of Criminal Justice, gave a demonstration on the field of forensics. Dr. Andrew Vassar, associate professor of Humanities, and the students from Japanese student association JNSU, showed the students how to make Japanese calligraphy. Dr. Martha Parrott, associate professor of Math, lectured students on using innovative ways to solve math problems.

Each of these professors represents a living person working in the field they are interested in, said Watson. These students are focused on obtaining a college degree and by bringing them to Northeastern, we help them consider becoming potential RiverHawks.

Founded in 2005, and in partnership with Tulsa Public Schools, The KIPP Tulsa Academy is a free, public college preparatory middle school geared toward students from educationally under-resourced communities.

The students also had lunch with NSU President Dr. Don Betz. During a brief talk with the students, Betz encouraged them to reach for their dreams and work together to achieve their goals.

Theres one way that all of you are going to be able to accomplish all of your goals, said Betz. Take care of each other and work together. Collaborate because none of us can get the job done alone.

8/12/2008

Published: 2008-08-12 00:00:00