Let the Games Begin: FAEOPP Summer Olympics Coming to Tallahassee

The Florida State University Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE) will partner this month with the Florida Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (FAEOPP) to host the 40th Annual FAEOPP Summer Olympics.

The games will be held July 16-18 at The Florida State University in Tallahassee and at East Gadsden High School in Quincy. More than 800 middle and high school students from throughout Florida who participate in their local Upward Bound, CROP, Educational Talent Search and Gear Up programs will compete for bragging rights and first-place trophies.

“What a wonderful event through which to highlight the academic and physical talents of some of our most deserving youth,” said Angela Richardson, director of the CARE program at Florida State.

Students will compete in more than 20 academic and sporting events. Regarded as the biggest event of the year for FAEOPP, the Summer Olympics will emphasize the association’s goals of assisting economically disadvantaged students as they make plans for college while also helping them graduate and become productive citizens.

A general schedule for the FAEOPP Summer Olympics is as follows:

• Thursday, July 16 -- The games begin with an opening ceremony at 1:30 p.m. in Tully Gym on the Florida State campus.
  

• Friday, July 17 -- All activities will be held at East Gadsden High School.
  

• Saturday, July 18 -- The games conclude at 3 p.m. in Tully Gym.

All events are free and open to the public.

With funds provided by the U.S. Department of Education, The Florida State University sponsors a number of programs, including Upward Bound and Student Support Services, that are designed to motivate and support Florida State students from disadvantaged backgrounds. These programs, which are administered by the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement, include outreach and support initiatives targeted to serve and assist low-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities as they progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to undergraduate and graduate college studies.

The Florida Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel is a statewide organization of personnel who work with disadvantaged students. The association assists students from low-income backgrounds as they seek to become the first in their families to attend college.