They really help those kids who need encouragement to stay in school. The Bancroft family members are among more than 800 middle school, high school and college-aged students whom Fort Lewis College targets each year for tutoring, counseling and mentoring support to help them negotiate the academic and social challenges of the educational system. The programs are funded by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and offer three stages of support to students who might not otherwise graduate from high school, let alone college. And in recognition of their service to educating Colorado students, Gov. Roy Romer has declared Tuesday, Feb. 25, as Colorado TRIO Day. Fort Lewis College's TRIO programs identify promising students, prepare them to do college-level work, provide information on academic and financial aid opportunities, and provide tutoring and support services to students once they reach college.
All services are free.
We provide the support they need. At Fort Lewis, Talent Search offers services to 600 middle school and high school students each year in Mancos, Cortez, Durango, Ignacio and Pagosa Springs. During 1995-96, for example, 99.4 percent of middle school participants and 98.5 percent of high school participants successfully completed the academic year and advanced to the next grade. They help with college admission and financial aid applications. Then one day, he was sitting with one of the Talent Search counselors, who picked up the phone, called the admission office and just handed the phone over to Harmey.