By Sharon Zwierzyna, for the Lebanon Express | Posted: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 12:00 am
“Before I was a tutor, you would never have caught me talking in front of a group," said Lebanon High sophomore Jennie Marshall. She was speaking to a room full of teens, parents and volunteers honoring students who have helped younger kids get a leg up on their studies. The Communities That Care group in Lebanon, under the leadership of Linda Darling, saluted 33 teens at a banquet in May.
Marshall, who worked as a Cola-Cola Valued Youth tutor in the 2004-05 school year, added that her experiences in the program “improved many teens' and kids' lives and learning ability, and it has done the same for me."
The Valued Youth program partners seventh, eighth and ninth graders with younger children two or three times a week. Together they work on reading and math skills for the elementary students, while helping the middle school youngsters gain other less tangible abilities.
“The great thing about the tutors in this program is that they learn skills that are job related, such as calling in, doing timecards, money management, accountability to the teacher [of the tutoring program] and also to the elementary teacher and students," Darling said. “It also stretches our youth outside of their comfort zones in a safe environment with a lot of support. Many times their grades and attendance approve and their personalities bloom."
The program will expand into two additional classrooms at Lebanon High School next year, Darling said. Students met at the Lebanon Boys & Girls Club and various local schools in the past two years.
“Because of the success in the elementary schools, and some environmental challenges within the Boys & Girls Club setting," Darling explained, “we will be only operating out of the high school next year."
Young tutors honored at the ceremony were Abigail Baughman, McKenzi Benedict, Logan Bertram, Nathan Durham, Shelbey Gillespie, Tim Groce, Kayla Harlow, Alana Jacobsen, Kayla Lewis, Randa Massey, Katlyn McConnell, Tim Reynolds, and Joe Weikel from Seven Oak Middle School; and Shay Bauer, Nikita Faulkner, Krstyn Hayes, Andrew Kruse, Jeremy Lewis, Victoria Pruitt and Brandon West from other schools. Lebanon High tutors were Heather Adam, Judah Fry, Taber Gooch, Chris Henderson, Ryan Hilpert, Michael Martin, Lakshmi Matthews, Kayla McConnell, Logan McGuffin, Malinda McNaughtan, Randi Moncy, Billy Snook and Patti Sylvester.
Sharon Zwierzyna can be contacted at lebanon.express@lee.net