Seventh graders from Sheffield Area Middle/High School spent Wednesday getting to know the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

The Warren-Forest Higher Education Council partnered with Pitt-Bradford and the Warren County School District to allow the 29 students to visit the campus and get to know some of the academic programs.

Students broke into two focus groups upon arriving at the campus. Each group spent half of the day with the Broadcast Communications program, and the other half of the day with the Science division.

Broadcast Communications advisors and students from Pitt-Bradford helped Sheffield students create and produce a 40 second commercial. In the science focus group, students observed how quickly bacteria can grow and learned some helpful hygiene tips from Pitt-Bradford students and professors.

Wednesday’s field trip was just part of the Hi-Ed’s effort to allow county middle school students to see local colleges. Youngsville students traveled to Penn State Behrend on October 26, Beaty students will go to Behrend on April 20, and Eisenhower students will head to Jamestown Community College on May 11.

“It’s good to get the kids out to see these local, quality universities,” said Hi-Ed School to Work Coordinator Jesse DeLoof. “We want them to see that college within an hour of their homes is a real possibility.”

Pitt-Bradford provided lunch for the students, while transportation for the event was paid for by the Hi-Ed.

“I really want to thank Bob Dilks of Pitt-Bradford for helping this come to fruition,” DeLoof said. “I’d also like to thank the school district for allowing us to do this, and Carrie Warner from Sheffield for being a big help as well.”