Step Up
What is Step Up?
The Step Up Challenge is a unique opportunity for Tulare County schools to engage students in a project-based learning challenge throughout the course of a school year. Each year, there is a new theme for the project, but the goal is always to make a positive impact on the school and community. The Challenge Team consists of one advisor and 10 (or more) team members. There is a Challenge Summit each year, that helps the team and advisor begin the project planning process. Here, the team learns about strategies to work with others and complete the project effectively. They also learn about the project process: submitting a proposal, implementing the project, working with community partners, and reflecting on the project. Recently, the Challenge has included an optional presentation of the project, which, for the 2018-19 school year, took place at the Fox Theatre before the Red Carpet Awards.
UPHS' Legacy of Step Up
In 2011, UPHS' Step Up Team won the Best Overall project and approximately $3000 for the school. Their project sought to increase suicide awareness by making and sharing a moving and informative video.
In 2015-16, UPHS' Step Up Team won the Sustainability Award and $2500 for their project. The project helped raise awareness in Goshen Elementary to encourage parents to become more involved and interested in their students’ education. The Step Up Team helped establish Goshen Elementary's first PSO (Parent Support Organization) and brought in community partners and organizations to help parents learn about important topics: bullying, health, and safety.
In 2017-18, UPHS' Step Up Team won the Meeting the Need Award and $1000 for their project. This challenge project raised awareness about UPHS students who are unable to provide their own proper lunches, and it developed a mode of providing access to food by creating a school food pantry, using resources from local businesses and organizations within the community to fairly distribute food items to students in need.
In 2018-19, UPHS' Step Up Team won the Impact Award and $1000 for their project. The UPHS’ Step Up team project’s 2018-19 project involved promoting literacy by establishing a library at Blue Oak Academy elementary school, because, as a new school, they lacked a school library and working with students after school. The project addressed the needs identified by gathering books and donating these to Blue Oak Academy to help them establish a school library. Additionally, the project further promoted literacy and reading by visiting Blue Oak Academy after school program and reading with students. The team raised over 1,000 books for Blue Oak Academy to begin developing a library which all students could access.