Hello and Happy Autumn! As we reflect on the summer and beginning of the school year, let's look at what's to come in the following months, as the holiday season inches closer...

GapBuster is happy to announce a successful and productive 2013 college tour, with eye-opening experiences and exciting prospects for our students' futures.

Students embarked on a six-day college tour throughout the South, with stops in Virginia, the Carolinas, Atlanta and Miami. The colleges visited by GapBuster included the University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, North Carolina A&T University, North Carolina Central University, Winston-Salem University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Emory University, Clark Atlanta University, University of Miami and Florida International University.

The southern setting for this year's college tour afforded participants a sampling of institutions, from the University of Richmond, a classic liberal arts college nestled in the Virginian woods, to the University of Miami, where students walked on paths surrounding lakes with crocodile warnings. Each college was a unique experience and through daily reflections, the trip-goers were able to identify what they liked and disliked about schools, and learned their own tastes and preferences.

Several students said they had found their "dream school," calling "see you next year!" to future classmates as the group walked down the sidewalk.

At each information session and tour, students gained a better understanding of what college academics and daily life were like, as well as criteria they would need to meet to be admitted to schools. While some students balked at the challenges of college life, such as the size of dorm rooms, others were energized by the opportunities afforded through studying at a university. Every student felt encouraged by the choices available to them, and by the opportunities that are within their reach.

On October 9, GapBuster along with its community partners held a grand reopening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Enlightenment bike shop in the CEP building in Riverdale, MD. GapBuster is happy to forge new ties in the community along with strengthening longstanding partnerships, so we were grateful for the participation of Proteus Bicycles, Community Forklift, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 21006, and the University of Maryland Bike Shop.

Students, Bike Shop Managers and GapBuster staff had been working diligently for weeks leading up to the reopening, cleaning and restoring the shop to working order. The ceremony marked a new chapter in GapBuster's offerings to the community, and further cemented the CEP as a true Center for Partnerships.

We were so happy to have members from each of our partnerships present to speak, as well as Rub� Nicol� P�rez-Howard (Miss Central America Belleza Latina 2013, Youth Leader for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Former Youth Nutrition Educator for University of Maryland Extension, EFNEP), Bike Shop Managers Yostin Huerta and Noe Flores (students at Parkdale High School), and UMD Director of Community Engagement Gloria Aparicio-Blackwell.

GapBuster is always accepting donations of bikes, helmets and related gear, so feel free to call or stop by our offices!

Photos from the event and of students and volunteers cleaning the shop can be found here!

GapBuster has participated in NSBE Jr. activities for years, and 2013 is no exception! We are stationed in Wheaton High School and Sligo Middle School for afterschool activities for teens, though we are revving up students at our Prince George's County center with the Nascar Ten80 challenge, which we hope to bring to competitions.

NSBE Jr. focuses on enhancing the education received by African-American and other minority pre-college students, as well as influencing these students to become tomorrow's corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders. In this spirit, NSBE Jr. is the quintessential recruitment, teaching, and preparation device for the NSBE. 

On Friday, November 8, GapBuster students from Sligo Middle School, Wheaton High School, Parkdale High School and Bladensburg High School will travel to Charlotte, NC for the Region 2 NSBE Convention and tri-mathalon. Students will be competing in the NSBE Jr. NASCAR challenge.

The Ten80 Student Racing Challenge: NASCAR STEM Initiative™ is a league in which middle and high school students practice the art of being professionals. Young men and women, supported by a community of mentors and educators, collaborate and compete in ways that mirror business & marketing executives, engineers, technicians, green transportation designers and professional motorsports teams.

Middle and High School Students in grades 9-12 will compete using electric radio controlled (RC) cars to create products and work together in ways that parallel the arduous preparation of NASCAR teams in the weeks, months and years leading up to each race. Student teams showcase their work and compete over the internet, locally and nationally in categories including project management, race engineering, aerodynamic design, alternative energy, creative engineering and graphic design.

The purpose of the NSBE NASCAR Ten80 competition is to increase Black students' capabilities when preparing for advanced and college prep classes for high school. It will allow them to get a jump start on college academics and critical thinking to aid in his or her development as a future engineer.

We are still accepting students into our NSBE Jr. chapters and onto our NASCAR teams. Volunteers are also welcome. Please call our office at 301-779-4252 if interested.

Wednesday, December 4 

6:30-9pm

Silver Spring Civic Center