Victor Rojas Named GEAR UP Professional of the Year
GARDNER, MA – August 02, 2021 – WGAW1340.com – Victor Rojas Named GEAR UP Professional of the Year – The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) initiative is one of the largest and most effective programs focused on increasing college and career readiness of low-income students in communities nationwide. GEAR UP targets entire grades of students, partnering with local organizations and business, and matching Federal Department of Education funds with local contributions, allowing projects to support large number of students. The program focuses on Fitchburg High School, Fitchburg, MA in conjunction with Mount Wachusett Community College, Gardner, MA. GARDNER, MA – August 2, 2021 – Victor Rojas, Assistant Director of GEAR UP, has been named GEAR UP Professional of the Year by the National Council for Community Education Partnerships (NCCEP) at their annual conference.
According to Mount Wachusett Community College, Gardner, MA, the “Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)” initiative is one of the largest and most effective programs focused on increasing college and career readiness of low-income students in communities nationwide. GEAR UP targets entire grades of students, partnering with local organizations and business, and matching Federal Department of Education funds with local contributions, allowing projects to support large number of students. The NCCEP leadership awards honors students, family leaders, community partners, and professionals from the GEAR UP community.
Fitchburg residents who are members of the class of 2024 & 2025 will receive services through GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) throughout this academic year.
Program GoalThe primary goal of GEAR UP is to provide participants with the academic support and preparation necessary to increase their chances of academic success, and post-secondary success. GEAR UP program staff are located at Longsjo, McKay, & Memorial middle school. GEAR UP will continue to offer services to each of the students enrolled in the classes of 2024-2025 until graduation.
What is GEAR UP?
GEAR UP is a seven-year initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and administered by Mount Wachusett Community College, in partnership with Fitchburg Public Schools. Additionally, GEAR UP has several community partners that contribute time and resources to support grant goals and objectives. This partnership mission is two-fold: to provide cohort students with intensive academic, recreational, and family based interventions; and to provide the public school districts with a sustainable, system-wide infusion of instructional and curricular reforms that lead to improvements in teaching, learning, and curriculum design.
GEAR UP supports the students of Fitchburg through collaboration with existing programs and activities. GEAR UP is funded 50% by the U.S. Department of Education, and federal funds are matched dollar for dollar by state and local community resources. Total funding for this year from the U.S. Department of Education is $669,600.
According to the college, the GEAR UP Professional of the Year is awarded to an individual who is committed to the GEAR UP movement and the goal of ensuring that college access and success is available to all students. Through their work with GEAR UP, the awardee demonstrates the passion and perseverance to assist low-income students in their quest to attain a college education.
Visit mwcc.edu to learn more about the GEAR UP Fitchburg program.
Jury Convicts CRESPO
in 2016 Fitchburg Murder
WORCESTER – August 5, 2021 – Jose Crespo was convicted of first degree murder in the 2016 killing of a Fitchburg man, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.
36-year-old Mr. Crespo, of Newark, New Jersey, was also found guilty of home invasion; aggravated kidnapping; two counts of kidnapping; armed robbery while masked; and arson.
The Superior Court jury deliberated for a day before delivering its verdict. Judge James G. Reardon Jr. scheduled sentencing for Tuesday.
The first degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.
The victims of the Dec. 3, 2016 home invasion at 122 Laurel St., Fitchburg were 24-year-old Kevin O. Cabrera-Soto, his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s 7-year-old son.
Mr. Cabrera-Soto was found dead in an apartment at that address where a fire had been set. The woman and her son escaped the fire.
An autopsy later revealed that Mr. Cabrera-Soto died of homicidal violence from blunt force trauma with thermal injuries.
42-year-old Ramon Millan, of Bridgeport, Conn., who was also charged with murder in the case pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
A third defendant in the case, 36-year-old Wilfredo Muniz, 36, of Bridgeport, Conn., was indicted under the intimidation of a witness statute for misleading a police investigation. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation.
DA Early said “Our prosecutors, Assistant District Attorneys David P. Feraco, Louis Tosches and DonnaMarie Haran, did an excellent job in trying this case and working to obtain justice on behalf of the victims,” “And I’d like to thank the jurors for their service in this trial, which was the first murder trial held in Worcester since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Leominster is the second largest city in Worcester County Massachusetts with a population of around 42 thousand people. It was incorporated as a town in 1740, and chartered as city in 1915.
Leominster has a strong manufacturing heritage and is home to Twin City Plaza and the Mall at Whitney Field.
Leominster has numerous parks and playgrounds including Doyle Field, the Doyle Community Park & Center, and the 4300 acre Leominster State Forest.
Leominster High School has a long tradition of excellence in sports, most notably football.
To reach the school department call:
Leominster Public Schools: (978) 537-7700
Elementary Schools: Fall Brook, Frances Drake, Johnny Appleseed, Northwest, Priest Street
Middle Schools: Samoset, Skyview
High Schools: Center for Technical Innovation Education, Leominster Center for Excellence, Leominster High School
Organizations in this community include:
Leominster Historical Society: (978) 537-5424
Recent happenings in this community: Google News Search
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