CSU brings “college feeling” to Fort Lupton High School

     Fort Lupton High School students spent the day and evening of Nov. 7 hearing from CSU representatives on why they should aspire to higher educational opportunities after high school as part of the university’s Alliance High School Partnership Program.
    The all-day event, deemed CSU Day/College Access Night, brought all kinds of visitors to the high school including CSU President Dr. Anthony Frank and several college professors who presented in various classes throughout the day.
    In an evening presentation to students and their families, Dr. Mary Ontiveros, CSU vice president for diversity and associate vice president for enrollment and access discussed the Alliance High School Partnership Program, while former and current FLHS students told the large audience about the program’s impact on their life and education.
    The CSU Alliance program began around five years ago. It was the brainchild of Ontiveros, who said the idea of the program came about organically to further the college’s mission of increasing access for those who “due to economic or social conditions, had not previously been offered full participation in the academic enterprise.”
    “I’ve been at CSU for 42 years, as a student and administrator,” Ontiveros said. This gave her access to a number of people and offices that became essential partners in building the Alliance program.
    Ontiveros worked with people in financial aid, ethnic studies, high school administrators, counselors, teachers and students to figure out what it would take to get more students moving on to college after graduation.

Photo by Emily Dougherty

Fort Lupton High School students attended a night class on Nov. 7 hosted by the Colorado State University’s Alliance High School Partnership Program. Fort Lupton is one of 10 high schools in the state with access to CSU programs and resources that encourage students and their families to make college an expectation.

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Photo by Emily Dougherty

Mary Ontiveros, CSU vice president for diversity and associate vice president of enrollment and access, CSU President Dr. Anthony Frank and FLHS Principal Alice Sueltenfuss worked together to plan Fort Lupton’s CSU Day and College Access Night on Nov. 7.

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    In September 2006, she and a CSU statistician identified 40 high schools across Colorado that would benefit from a partnership with CSU. They were chosen based on the percentage of students eligible for the free or reduced lunch program; racial and ethnic makeup; number of first generation college students; and schools that represented diverse geographic regions of the state.
    Eventually, they narrowed the list to 10, and Fort Lupton High School was one of those.
    “The schools make up the Alliance Partnership,” Ontiveros said. “Our goal is to work with the community, the school, the counselors, the principal, the student and teachers to transform the school in to one where going to college is an expectation.”
    The program officially launched in 2007.
    “We believe it is within our mission statement to provide access and to develop programs that provide access to students because that’s what our history is all about,” Ontiveros said.
    Through the Alliance Partnership, students at the 10 high schools have opportunities to visit CSU, meet faculty and staff, and learn about admissions and financial aid through different orientation programs.
    A summer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program is held yearly. Students can apply for one-week sessions where they live and eat on the CSU campus and get hands-on experience in emerging fields of science.
    The Alliance Partnership also benefits teachers at the 10 partner schools. Middle school teachers can apply for a six-week research program with the CSU Department of Atmospheric Science. They receive stipends, classroom supplies and college credit.
    The CSU Day and College Access Night was one event planned through the Partnership to empower parents and families of first-generation college students to inform them that higher education is attainable and affordable.
    “This is the first year we’ve done this,” Steve Woodruff, FLHS counselor, said. “We’re trying to get across the importance of moving on after high school.”
    According to Woodruff, many of Fort Lupton’s students will be first-generation college students. The CSU College Access Night was part of educating the parents on the logistics of college, as well as the importance of supporting their kids and encouraging them to seek higher education opportunities.
    Representatives from many of CSU’s Access Center organizations also attended the College Access Night.
    Through the Access Center, individuals connect with different programs that lead to the promise of a college education. The Access Center includes the Alliance Partnership, Talent Search, Upward Bound, Bridge Scholars, Educational Opportunity Center (EOC), Reach Out and Dream Project.
    According to Miel McCarthy, academic coordinator with Upward Bound, their goal is to help high school students develop academic skills and the motivation to complete high school and enter college. Students receive academic advising, after-school tutoring, weekend study skills workshops and opportunities to visit colleges and universities.
    McCarthy said they do a lot of outreach in different communities and school districts in the Northern Colorado area.
    “There is a lot of interest here today,” she said.
    Nickie Archibeque with the EOC said parents at the access night were also showing interest in continuing their education.
    The EOC assists adults in furthering their education with information on postsecondary educational opportunities, admissions and financial processes, scholarship information, career exploration, student loans and deferment and more.
    As part of the evening event, former and current FLHS and CSU students spoke on the importance of continuing education and the impact of parental support in making that decision.
    Velia Munoz spoke as a CSU and first generation college student. When it came to applications for colleges, scholarships and financial aid, it was sometimes difficult to understand the terms and processes, never having experienced it before.
    “Being supportive of your kids, parents, moms, dads and siblings is irreplaceable and invaluable,” Munoz said. “You are the most important source of support for your children.”
Violeta Saenz agreed. She is a FLHS grad and a CSU alumna.
    “[College] is not just a process for the student; it’s a process for the parents. You guys will be learning and growing together, and it will be a phenomenal experience,” Saenz said. “A college education can be difficult, but it’s achievable. Always keep that in mind.”
    She added that both students and parents should take advantage of the networks provided through the CSU Alliance Partnership, as well as the aid of the FLHS counseling center.
    The Alliance Partnership is not a recruitment tool, said Ontiveros. However, if a student from any of the 10 partner high schools decides to go to CSU, they will receive $2,500 every year for four years to help them go to college.
    “If your family demonstrates financial need, we will guarantee that we will pay your tuition and fees for four years,” Ontiveros said. “Those of you who are freshman or sophomores or juniors or younger, please know that there is at least one school in this state that will pay your tuition and fees if your family cannot afford that.”
    “If a student decides to go to CSU, that’s awesome. That’s just frosting on the cake. Our primary goal is to get families and students to think about going to college, period. If they decide they want to go to the other school with the buffalos, that’s fine. If they decide to go to the local community college, that’s fine. As long as they go to college,” Ontiveros said.
    A major stimulus for starting this program was because of Colorado’s ranking of the education attainment gap – which refers to the disparity in academic performance between groups of students, specifically the troubling performance gaps between African-American and Hispanic students and their white peers.
    According to Ontiveros, Colorado is the second worst in the country after California.
    “We need students to complete higher education. We just do,” she said. “As a nation, we are failing our students. We are losing our competitive edge, in part because we are failing to get students into college.”
    Fort Lupton High School joins Adams City High School in Commerce City, Centauri High School in La Jara, Central High School in Pueblo, Hinkley High School in Aurora, John Mall High School in Walsenburg, Montezuma-Cortez High School in Cortez, Rocky Ford High School, Sierra High School in Colorado Springs and Trinidad High School as part of the CSU Alliance Partnership.
    For more information on the CSU High School Alliance Partnership, visit www.accesscenter.colostate.edu/alliance.