Thanks to generous financial support from the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools and the Evjue Foundation, the library at Memorial High is the place to be from 4-5 PM. Recognizing the need for a place to do schoolwork after the end of the school day, librarians Renee Hoxie and Kris Brown planned an After School Study Center where students and teachers could meet together to finish projects and work on improving achievement.

By the end of first semester, the students had logged almost 2000 visits to the center. Average attendance per night is almost 50.

Teachers are coming to lead group review sessions or to work with individual students.

A wide spectrum of students is attending and they willingly share their knowledge with each other. Freshmen and sophomores make up the majority of participants and they are forming excellent study habits by learning independently and in small groups. Athletes who have late practice can come to finish their homework before they play their sports.

Students who do not have access to technology at home can finish projects and receive instruction on how to use the software.

It is now common to hear members of our school say, "Meet me in the library!"

Gear Up! has great promise for encouraging students to be successful in school. The JMM library is the hub of the school from 7:30-4 p.m. every day and now we are proud to be able offer our community the same instruction and service from 4-5 p.m.