THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 18, 1996 TAG: 9602160188
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
KENNY ARNOLD is like many 13-year-olds at Larkspur Middle School.
He likes rap music. He thinks baggy jeans are cool. He hangs out at the mall for fun.
And like some seventh-graders, Kenny isn't crazy about math. Pre-algebra, to be exact.
But Kenny isn't letting ``X'' get the best of him. He is spending two days a week after school, participating in a unique tutoring program known as Helping Everyone Learn through Peers (H.E.L.P.).
H.E.L.P. is different from other programs across the city because it pairs students directly with students. Sports teams and clubs within the school sign up for different days and send in members to assist those who need extra help in their course work.
``These students have to have good grades, so that's why we picked them as tutors,'' said H.E.L.P. director Laura Johnson, academic coordinator and eighth-grade English teacher.
Scheduled mentors come in on their day, and Johnson or her assistant - sixth-grade teacher Cheryl Sheppard - give them teaching tips. They, along with a batch of 10 or so regular student volunteers take over from there.
``We encourage them to first sit down and help the kids with their homework, without doing it for them,'' Johnson said. ``When they're finished, we ask them to do something more - whether it's organizing a binder or cleaning out a back pack.
``There's a lot of room for one-on-one. We try to get it as close to that as possible.''
Johnson also provides supplementary work sheets and study guides during H.E.L.P. sessions, as well as a rolling cart filled with extras such as colored pencils and dictionaries.
``Some kids don't come in for help,'' Johnson added. ``Some just want resources.''
That was the idea when Johnson and her colleagues dreamed up the idea last year - to provide a safe, non-threatening environment where Larkspur students could do their homework, use the school's supplies and get the assistance they need.
Budget cuts forced planners to ``come up with a way that wouldn't cost any money,'' Johnson said. ``Peers mentoring peers was the answer.''
Only a dozen students showed up in Room C 17 on the first day, but that changed quickly. The following meeting drew 75 kids. Johnson moved the activity to the cafeteria, and it has since brought in an average of 70 to 80 participants per session.
``I have people signed up to tutor from now until June,'' she said.
H.E.L.P.'s popularity can be attributed to a number of factors.
The program is free. It's open to all students and transportation is provided via the activity buses.
The success also has a personal side.
``The tutors like it because they like teaching other kids,'' Johnson said. ``They feel like they're in charge, and they love to feel like they're important.
``They're having an impact on someone's life and making that person feel successful.''
Eighth-grader Matt Liffick volunteers to tutor from time to time for the mental stimulation.
``It's something I can do instead of going home and doing nothing - like chores,'' said Matt, 15. ``It's challenging sometimes because I'm helping them with subjects I've already taken, and I have to go through the book and learn the stuff again.''
Johnson added, ``The tutorees like it because they're being helped by someone their age - someone that they can relate to. They leave feeling confident and knowing that there is a place to go when they need help.''
Thirteen-year-old Reginald Elliott was hooked after his first visit. ``I get more concentration in here,'' he said. ``At home, my friends come to the door, and I usually go outside. They're not going to come to the door here.''
The rewards of the program have been plentiful.
``It feels good to be able to help people,'' said eighth-grader Giovanna Harper, 13, one of the regulars who has been tutoring since H.E.L.P. began.
Added eighth-grader Taylor Haycox, another regular, ``I tutored one kid on a Monday for a science test on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he came in and told me he passed with a B.
``It made me glad because he understood what I meant, learned it and made a good grade.''
Kenny Arnold has probably seen the most benefits as a tutoree. He said he brought up all of his grades from one nine weeks to the next.
He's sure glad he took his mother's advice. ``She told me to come here because getting good grades is important,'' Kenny said. ``She's always telling me, `If you get good grades, you can be anything you want.' '' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by HOLLY WESTER
ABOVE: H.E.L.P. director Laura Johnson, an academic coordinator and
eighth-grade English teacher, kneels between two of her ``clients,''
sixth-graders Jasmine Smith, left, and Sharetta McCall. LEFT:
Eighth-grade tutor Taylor Haycox, left, helps out seventh-grader
Kenny Arnold.
by CNB