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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 6, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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December 6, 2012
 
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School seeks additional volunteers for program By NATALIE JOHNSON natalie@masoncounty.com In high schools across the county, increasing class sizes are becoming an ever-present problem, making it difficult for teachers to spend time in- structing individual stu- dents. CHOICE Alternative School's tutoring pro- gram puts volunteer tu- tors from the community into the classroom along- side teachers, giving addi- tional support to students during their lessons. Maureen Black, GEAR UP Student Support In- terventionist at CHOICE, coordinates the tutor pro- gram. "One of the things we do well here is all of our classes are much smaller than the other schools are able to provide," she said. "Our great strength is our individual relationships with students who may have fallen through the cracks." Many of the students at CHOICE, and there- fore many of those who need extra tutoring, have "educational gaps," Black said. They have missed years in school, either be- cause they were homeless, dropped out of school for a time or for other reasons. For students at CHOICE, where 80 per- cent of students fall below the federal poverty line, Black said learning chal- lenges are often multi- generational. CHOICE has about 15 tutors, who spend as little as an hour or two a week to several hours a day at the school. Even with more than a dozen tutors, they are spread thin over the school's 220 students. In classes, tutors sit side-by-side with students and go through lessons to- gether, stepping in to pro- vide extra help or expla- nations as students need them. Sandy Frishman volun- teers in CHOICE teacher Sue Barnard's reading class. Frishman spent much of her career as a social worker, and said she feels tutoring at CHOICE is a natural extension of her previous career. "I belong to the same church (as Barnard) and she talked about the kids and got me interested," she said. "I like it. They thrive when you work one-on-one." Tutoring helps stu- dents develop and hone reading and math skills in the classroom. Per- sonal attention from tu- tors can also increase the students' self-confidence, Black said. "When a student be- lieves they have the abil- ity to learn, it makes a phenomenal difference," she said. Barnard, who has helped recruit many of the school's tutors, said the extra help is indis- pensable in her 'Interven- tion Reading' class, for students who need extra help with reading. "You can't do one-on- one (without tutors)," she said. "There's no way to make it work without one- on-one." Larry Parker volun- teers during math classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at CHOICE, while also tutoring for math at South Sound Lit- eracy in Shelton. "I really like it, it's very enjoyable," he said. Parker, who is a land surveyor and civil engi- neer, said he likes teach- ing higher-level math, such as algebra and geom- etry, at CHOICE. "It's really enjoyable for me to help them," he said. Guy Lusignian, CHOICE's longest ten- ured tutor, has been vol- unteering in reading and literacy classes for 12 years. Journal photos by Natalie Johnson Above, Bob Miller, a tutor with CHOICE Alternative School, helps Daryl Gauthier, 18, with geometry. Right, Sandy Frishman, right, tutors Maricela Antonio, 14, in a reading class at CHOICE Alternative School. The school has about 15 tutors who help give struggling students one-on-one attention. have expertise in a partic- ular subject, such as math or English. Black is also work- ing on adding mentors to the tutor program. These mentors would be able to meet with students out of the classroom, for "When a student believes they have the ability to learn, it makes a phenomenal difference." tutor program, but also advocates for students in their current and fu- ture education, helping them navigate complex college applications. She also works to get college application and SAT fees waived for students from low-income families. "I'm hoping to build up programs that will be sus- tained," Black said. "I like kids. My wife was a teacher out at Southside (School District)," he said. "If you're a friend of Sue Barnard ... she's a good recruiter." Black is working to recruit more volunteers from the community. Each tutor goes through standard background checks and interviews with the school. Black said CHOICE is looking for tu- tors who are comfortable working in a classroom or students in the school's contract-based learning, Home Partnership Acad- emy or Running Start, to help with homework and be a positive role model. The GEAR UP program is funded through a feder- al grant scheduled to run through the end of 2016, but Black said she doesn't want programs such as the volunteer in-class tu- toring to end in four years. 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