Celebrating National TRIO Day

State Sen. Sara Novak, left, joins Anaconda Junior/Senior High School students Alaina Moore, Casey Sweet, Sadie Schultz and Ashley Porter, Special Education Director and Curriculum Coordinator Norah Barney, students Alicia Lovell, Katelynn Moses and Kyson Moore, along with Montana Tech TRIO staff Kaitlyn Kerr and (not pictured) Matt Buerkle in celebrating National TRIO Day on Feb. 20 at the Hearst Free Library. TRIO/Upward Bound staff and students participated in icebreakers, performed community service at Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Head Start, met with local leaders to discuss the importance of TRIO programs, and hosted a students in leadership meeting. The Council for Opportunities in Education website states: “Established by Congress in 1986, National TRIO Day encourages communities to focus on educational access, academic persistence, and the power of college opportunity to change lives and strengthen the nation. This event celebrates the work of the Federal TRIO Programs, which were first created through the landmark Higher Education Act to remove barriers to postsecondary education.” Leader photo: James S. Rosien