Through the Youth Service Center State Grant select upperclassmen at the high school have been given the opportunity to tutor students at the Marion County Knight Academy. These students are selected through recommendations from their teachers.
“I think it will help these students realize that it's okay to ask for help when they are struggling, and it is important to stay caught up on their work,” MCHS junior Leah Russell said. Russell along with other MCHS students serve as afternoon tutors.
These younger students now have the opportunity to catch up on work they may have missed or struggled with during distance learning through after school sessions with their teacher and student tutor.
“I think tutoring will help the students enhance their work ethic and provide necessary opportunities for individualized learning they did not have access to before,” MCHS junior and tutor Kayla Lancaster said.
Both the younger students and tutors are being given the opportunity to interact with people they would not normally interact with. This is especially good for the younger students as they approach high school.
“I feel like the program will help the students feel more comfortable when they come to the high school and see familiar faces when they get there too,” MCHS junior Micheal Ryan Masterson said. “They will recognize their tutors and understand some of the higher-level classes so they will be able to adjust more easily as they enter high school.”
.This program was started by Youth Service Center Director, Erin Pittman. Pittman hopes to be able to continue this program for the years to come and she believes that this is a good way to help the continuous building of the bridge between the Marion County Knight Academy and the Marion County High School.
“Student tutors from MCHS were once MCKA students and now have the opportunity to come back to work alongside some of their former teachers and assist with current students who are struggling,” Pittman said. “I also believe that this is a good opportunity for those MCKA students because it gives them the opportunity to have one on one assistance from high school students and to be aware that this program exists, should they be interested in becoming Student Tutors themselves once they are Juniors or Seniors.”
The student tutors have not only helped students but also their teachers.
“Having the student tutors in my classroom has allowed me to have the ability to move more freely between students that are staying after for help,” MCKA teacher Cana Hipshman said.
Recently an opportunity to also interact with and help elementary age students arose.The tutoring program has been extended to 21st Century students, who are now located in the Marion County Knight Academy. This gives a variety of opportunities for both younger students and tutors alike.
The after school sessions with a tutor are being offered from Monday through Thursday and students are given access to school transportation home. For more information contact Pittman at erin.summers@marion.kyschools.us
