Last year, when a student was having trouble in class, they could come in right before school started to get help from a teacher. Now, as a result of the teacher meetings in the morning, students can still come in if they notify a teacher of their intentions, but they have to be done at 7:45 a.m., a full 45 minutes before school starts. To counteract this gap in available help, two new initiatives have been started including tutoring provided by National Honors Society members before school and English and math labs during the school day provided by teachers. “I think it’s a good idea and could benefit a lot of kids,” said junior Jesse MacMillan. These resources provide students the ability to seek help in ways that weren’t available last year.

These new opportunities allow students to experience a different way of teaching. “The [learning] labs allow students to get extra help from teachers they don’t have,” English teacher Sarah Snively said. In the labs, students get to meet with teachers and get one-on-one attention to help with subjects such as MLA formatting, logarithms, and just general grammar and math skills. The NHS tutoring in the morning typically has two members from NHS who are willing to help other students who are struggling in classes. “We can also help with almost every subject that is offered here,” said senior NHS member Andrew Phares. “They [the students] mostly just work on stuff on their own and then when they get stuck they ask a couple questions,” said junior NHS member Sami Mauch. The school is hopeful that these new programs will help students who are struggling find the help they need. “Sometimes students fall through the cracks because of demand on teachers and learning needs of the students aren’t met,” Snively said. Snively said she hopes that by having the labs that the school can start to fix the problem.

So far, students have been satisfied with these new programs and have found them extremely beneficial. Junior Kathy Mathieu has gone to NHS tutoring for help with college algebra a few times. “I was gone for a day and missed an important section in the chapter so I needed to come in,” she said. Mathieu said that she got the help that she needed. “It was the day of the test and without the help I would have failed it,” said Mathieu. Junior Mickaela Lewis explained that she has has taken advantage of the math lab. “I was falling behind from being gone and I needed some help getting caught up,” said Lewis. Junior Bryson Krull said he has used the math lab to help prepare himself for upcoming tests in college algebra. “I like the labs because it’s more one-on-one and you can ask a lot more questions,” Krull said.

Mathieu’s one complaint about the NHS tutoring is the time it’s available. “It’s early in the morning, which sucks, but the students in there know the classes so it’s really helpful if you are
behind or struggling,” she said. Others say that they wish more people knew about this opportunity. “I thought more students would come and find help especially since so many people weren’t happy with the morning meetings,” he said. “I just don’t think enough people know about these opportunities,” Phares said.

NHS tutoring is available to all students Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 7:45 in the distance learning room 1519. The learning labs are available in first, second, and fourth periods. The writing lab is in room 2106 and the math is in 1106.