Wareham School Committee member Geoff Swett is establishing a scholarship fund to allow more students to attend a rigorous summer academic program held by Cape Cod Collaborative and hosted at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

In 2014, the Advanced Studies and Learning Program (ASLP) is expanding from about 150 kids to about 200 going into grades eight and nine. Of those slots, about 10% are designated for Wareham kids.

Swett  pointed out that Wareham is unlike many communities, in that the income gap doesn’t correlate so closely with the achievement gap.

In other words, there are some low income students in this town who are very bright, and qualify for ASLP. This scholarship fund is meant to close the funding gap for bright students who can’t pay the tuition.

With about half of the students in Wareham Public Schools on free or reduced lunch, Swett worries that there are smart, qualified kids in town who could be left out of the program because they’re unable to pay.

“The number of things we do for advanced kids is not enough,” said Swett. “I think it’s critically important that we do something for these high achieving students.”

The intensive three-week residential program focuses on STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) oriented classes. Students also take humanities courses such as improvisation, painting and musical creativity.

Joseph Gomes of Wareham attended the program in eighth grade and is now a stand-out student at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Over the summer of 2013, he worked as a mentor at the ASLP program. He’ll graduate in June 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Facilities Engineering and a minor in Energy Management.

“It was a really good introduction,” says Gomes of his experience as a middle school student. “It was academic work that was related to the real world.”

The intense program prepares students for the breakneck academic pace of college before they’ve even started high school.

Gomes says his experience in the program as an eighth grader helped to set him on the course he’s currently on.

“After that I had a set mindset to do some kind of engineering,” Gomes said. He encourages kids to start thinking about the future, even if it seems eons away.

“If you challenge yourself now, it helps you down the road when your applying to colleges and universities,” he advised.

Gomes serves as the Regimental Training and Retention Officer at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, heading up a team that is responsible for helping freshman adjust to life at the college.

Swett’s hoping that the scholarship fund will ensure that any child who meets the academic obligations, is able to meet the financial obligation as well. Tuition is $1,317, in addition to a non-refundable &60 application fee.

The program is for students entering grades eight and nine.

“This is an age where they are still curious and want to explore areas ,” that their peers do not, says Vice President of Enrollment Management at Mass. Maritime Academy Elizabeth Stevenson.

“Within the three week program they’re all interested in these programs, they all want to excel, and they all want to be the smartest one,” Stevenson said.

In orer to qualify, a student’s past two combined English and math MCAS scores must rank in the top 10% of their school district.

Students must also meet certain requirements regarding character, which are judged by letters of recommendation from two teachers and a principal or guidance counselors.