An Oxford school has sent a letter to 149 colleges as part of the Aspire Higher program.
By Jim Smedley
Staff Writer

OXFORD – College T-shirts, hats, bumper stickers, paraphernalia and memorabilia.

It doesn’t matter – Madison Avenue Elementary School will take them.

Principal Jane Fahey began a campaign several weeks ago to get as many college items as she could to give to students.

She just wants students to be thinking about college, talking about college and then go to college when they graduate from high school.

“As a district we’re talking to kids at a younger and younger age about going to college,” Fahey said. “Now, we have all these kids saying ‘I’m going to college someday,’ but they don’t know what college is.

“Having these kids get paraphernalia from colleges might spark their interest,” she said. “It might turn into a reality someday.”

As of last Friday, the school had sent letters to 149 colleges in the country. The letter deals with the Aspire Higher program and notes that only 65 percent of SAD 17 high school graduates go on to higher education.

The letter states that the efforts now begin in elementary school. Schools in the district have scholarship programs with local businesses, and with banks where elementary school children can begin saving for college. Schools also have a career day and tour of nearby campuses.

So far, the school has received about a dozen T-shirts and a multitude of other items, including pennants, pens and bumper stickers.

Fahey said her goal is to get all of the 159 students in the elementary school a T-shirt (their favorite item).

Fahey said she selects a T-shirt winner by a drawing every Monday at an assembly. Teachers randomly give out other objects. Students who win items have to research the college that sent the item they won and then send a thank-you letter.

She said colleges from Maine to California have sent items. Some of the universities are Temple, Syracuse, and Utah, and the Southern College of Optometry in Tennessee.

Southern College of Optometry?

“They were surprised, but happy, to get a letter from us,” Fahey said. “We have heard from some who said donations were not in their budget, but most have donated and sent us nice letters. They said they were glad to support our efforts to plant a seed.”

She said items from colleges seem to arrive every week and that more letters would be sent.

Fahey said the school would be glad to accept college paraphernalia from anyone who might have something from their alma mater.

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