What are GO Centers? Where are they located and who benefits? These are the questions that were answered at the GO Center training sponsored by the North Texas Tech Prep Consortium and Workforce Resource on April 23, 2005 at Iowa Park High School.

Education. GO Get It. That is the message of the new College for Texans campaign launched to send more Texans to college. GO Centers will serve as the primary point of coordination between campaign efforts and local communities. GO Centers will serve as centers of energy and effort in each school and community. GO Centers will assist the campaign in mobilizing local resources that will be critical for Texas to help students seek and succeed in higher education.

The most critical element of a GO Center is the group of peer educators that manage the center. They are the G-Force students who help create the momentum in other students to go to college. G-Force students are college bound and are willing to help others become college bound. G-Force members can be high school students, college students, community members, or organizational G-Force members. All G-Force members are willing to be trained and present materials to students and adults and participate in various GO Center activities.

Iowa Park High School volunteered to host the G-Force training on Saturday, April 23, 2005, from 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. The "Racing To Win A College Education" training was conducted by Student Team Ministry. The training consisted of pit crew meetings, general sessions, driver certification, drafting schools, instant replay sessions, Reality Store, information on mentoring, financial aid, scholarship information, and other items G-Force students needed to know for maintenance of a GO Center. Refueling (food) was sponsored by Burkburnett ISD with Midwestern State University providing snacks with drinks. Midwestern State University also sent students to be trained as collegiate G-Force students to help promote higher education.

GO Centers currently established include: Hirschi High School, Harrell Accelerated Learning Center, Bowie High School, North Central Community College, and Iowa Park High School. New GO Centers are being established in the following schools: Burkburnett High School, Henrietta High School, Graham High School, Crowell High School, Chillicothe High School, Byers High School, and Vernon High School.

If you would like more information on GO Centers and G-Force students, call the North Texas Tech Prep Consortium at 940-696-8752, and speak to Romona Vaughan, Tech Prep Director at extension 3249, or Peggy Knaup, Assistant Tech Prep Director, at extension 3246.