Programs and Activities

PEPP provides field trips to enhance the PEPP “classroom” environment, to allow the PEPP students to have “hands-on” experiences, to be exposed to both the Penn State Berks Campus and the University Park campus, and to reward PEPP students with good academics, attendance, and attitudes.

To help the PEPP students appreciate the arts, the Partnership has sponsored field trips to plays and shows at our local theatre, the Sovereign Performing Arts Center, and to Goggle Works, a center for the arts that represents such diverse arts as glass blowing, wood carving, metal work, ballet, independent films, and more.

At PEPP Reading, we have sponsored, along with the Science and Math faculty of Penn State Berks, Math, Science, and Technology Days on the Berks Campus. PEPP students generally get to participate in 3 to 4 workshops on these days, get a guided tour or visit to the bookstore, and have lunch. PEPP high school students have also participated in an Engineering Day on campus for the past two years, where they have had an opportunity to do a "hands-on" engineering challenge and learn about careers in engineering.

PEPP Reading has promoted familiarity not only with the Penn State Berks campus through field trips, but we also took PEPP high school students to the Penn State main campus at University Park in March 2010 for an all-day trip on a chartered bus which included a tour of the campus, lunch in one of the dining halls, meeting with former PEPP Reading Learning Assistants, and a presentation by the Admissions Office.

In May 2010, PEPP Reading sponsored a one-day Scholars Trip to Washington, D.C. for the top 10 PEPP students at each site who met or exceeded the PEPP criteria in academics, attendance, and attitude. The chartered bus trip included driving by the U.S. Capitol Builidng and the White House, a tour of Arlington National Cemetery, lunch at Union Station, the afternoon at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, and dinner at Olde Country Buffet on the way home. Everyone enjoyed the day!

Finally, the Partnership provides fun field trips to reward PEPP students who were successful in PEPP for that semester and/or year. In December of each year, PEPP Reading has sponsored a trip to Body Zone Sports and Wellness Center where students can play soccer, basketball, volleyball, arcade games, go ice skating, and have lunch. In late April/early May of each year, we have had reward trips to the Reading Phillies, and picnics at the Berks campus with all sports fields available.   

In May 2008, PEPP Reading reserved 175 tickets at the First Energy Stadium to see the Reading Phillies in the Third Base Picnic Area, which provides each person with an all-you-can-eat hot lunch buffet. Approximately 40 PEPP students were also given the opportunity to go onto the field in the pre-game and hold a large American flag while the National Anthem was being sung.

                             

Annual Programs

Math, Science & Technology Day -- Each semester, PEPP Reading brings approximately 50 PEPP students to Penn State Berks campus to participate in several "hands-on" math, science, and technology workshops taught by Penn State Berks Instructors and Professors. In addition, the PEPP students are treated to lunch and hear about various math and science majors that are available at Penn State Berks from a Career Services counselor. It is a great day in which the professors are very creative in developing workshops that allow the student  to learn or enhance concepts in a fun and interactive way! One semester, the Partnership invites high school students and the other semester, specific grades from the middle schools are invited.

Body Zone Sports & Wellness Center -- In December of each year, PEPP students who have successfully met the "Three A's of PEPP--Academics, Attitude, Attendance"--are invited to go to Body Zone Sports & Wellness Complex where they can participate in ice skating, basketball, indoor touch football, indoor soccer, and enjoy a lunch at the Complex's Bistro.

PEPP Scholars Trip For the past two years, PEPP Reading has sponsored a Scholars Trip where the top 10 PEPP students at each site are invited to attend a fun and educational trip with PEPP Site Supervisors, PEPP Learning Assistants, and PEPP staff. Our first Scholars Trip to GoggleWorks Center for the Arts occurred in February 2009. The students participated in a series of workshops provided by local artists from the Goggle Works as well as a lunch and PEPP awards banquet. In May 2010, our Scholars Trip was an all day trip to Washinton, D.C.

PEPP Reading Spelling Bee-- Our first annual Spelling Bee for middle school PEPP students took place in March 2009. Our Spelling Bee Master was Mr. Ray Dobisesky, Reading High School PEPP Site Supervisor, and we had three high school PLAs serve as Spelling Bee Facilitators. We gave trophies to the top five contestants and certificates of participation to all contestants. A total of fifteen PEPP students participated. Our second Spelling Bee took place in March 2010 with a total of nineteen PEPP students and, again, we gave trophies to the top five spellers.

Be A Penn Stater For a Day -- This event brought (30) 10th and 11th graders (15 of them PEPP students) to the Penn State Berks Campus for an entire day, assigning each student with a Penn State student, who was their mentor for part of the day. In addition to experiencing a day in the life of a Penn State Student, PEPP members had opportunities to meet faculty and staff from various departments and offices on the campus, participate in workshops, get a tour of the campus, shadow their mentees in their classes and have breakfast, lunch, and dinner on campus. Our first "Be a Penn Stater for a Day" was in March 2009 and it was repeated in March 2010.

End of Year PEPP Celebration Event -- At the end of each academic year, PEPP Reading honors and celebrate the hard work that our PEPP students have put forth and the resulting progress and success they have achieved with a special event. Here are some examples of what we have done in the past:

In May 2008, the Partnership took approximately 150 PEPP students to an all-you-can-eat buffet at the Reading Phillies and enjoyed a fun afternoon watching baseball.

In April 2009, we had an all-you-can-eat picnic at Penn State Berks and the students could use the playing fields there to participate in volleyball, touch football, basketball, soccer, and enjoy hanging out with other PEPP students, PLAs, Site Supervisors, and PEPP staff.

 

Other regular activities that take place in PEPP Reading throughout the academic year include a "Lecture Series" of guest speakers from the local community. These speakers talk to PEPP students at their sites during regular PEPP hours about local educational and job opportunities and motivate the PEPP students to stay in programs like PEPP to be successful in college and the local community. Many of the speakers serve as role models for the students since they are well-known business owners, journalists, politicians, former Reading School District graduates, teachers, current Penn State Berks students, Penn State Berks alumni, and law enforcement officials from their own local neighborhoods.