TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama and Shelton State Community College are hosting a two-week Summer Enrichment Academy for Davis-Emerson Middle School students. The program began June 6 and runs through June 17.

During the program, 25 students from the Tuscaloosa County middle school are attending morning classes in mathematics and reading, and participating in cultural arts activities. Afternoon activities include field trips to Desoto Caverns, American Village, the McWane Center and campus tours of Shelton State and UA.

As part of the program, Dr. Rachel Shuttlesworth and Chris Humphries constructed a genuine Plains teepee on the Shelton State campus, as students learned about the Plains Tribes of Native Americans in the southern region of the country.

The Summer Enrichment Academy is an annual event made possible through GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), a federally funded project administered through the UA Center for Teaching and Learning. The GEAR UP Project, initially funded by the U.S. Department of Education with a $1.1 million grant, works in collaboration with local partners who contribute a 50 percent financial match through cash and in-kind contributions. GEAR UP Partners include local service and civic organizations working hand in hand to improve academic achievement, reverse school attrition rates, reduce the number of at-risk students, and increase the number of students enrolling in postsecondary education.

The GEAR UP Summer Enrichment Academy will culminate with an awards ceremony at 10 a.m., June 17, in the W. C. Jones Educational Center at Bailey Tabernacle C.M.E. Church, located at 1117 23rd Avenue in Tuscaloosa.