Today we give a shout out to Linden Grove’s National Honor Society Peer to Peer Tutors, a group recently honored at the sixth annual Champ Celebration. CIS Board Member, Jeff Patton, who is also CEO of Kalamazoo Community Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services presented the Champ Awards.
One of the five CIS basics—an opportunity to give back to peers and community—is alive and well at Linden Grove Middle School. Five eighth graders who are part of Linden Grove’s National Honor Society Peer to Peer Tutors— Alyssia Fresh, Amirah Bin-Mahfouz, Kaitlyn Dawson, Jacintha Glover, and Isabel Measzros are students who are helping other students succeed. Each of these young women has committed to volunteering two days a week in the after school program. On any given day, they work with two to fifteen of their peers. At the start, they were asked by CIS staff to focus entirely on math. They did. And their peers’ math grades shot up. When CIS approached them on possibly expanding their efforts and assisting in other academic areas these young women readily agreed. They have proven to be flexible in helping to meet a variety of academic needs for a variety of students. They have a gift for building relationships, drawing students in, and keeping them on task. They walk around the classroom and make themselves available to any student in need.
“I’m just amazed by these students,” says CIS VISTA, Donielle Hetrick. As a VISTA or Volunteer In Service to America, Donielle checks in regularly to see how things are going. “Tutoring can be frustrating at times and yet these young women are so mature and professional,” says Donielle. “If a problem arises, they don’t complain. They focus on the positive and offer up solutions, saying things like, ‘I think it would be better if we tried it this way.’ While they are helping their peers achieve, I’ve seen these tutors grow as well. They are all naturally outgoing but it’s wonderful to see how much more sure of themselves, how confident they have become.”
Students are improving academically because these young women have stepped up and given back. “Thank you,” says one of their peers, “for helping us with our homework and assignments. You have been a real big help. I hope next year kind kids like you will help us out too.”
Linden Grove National Honor Society Peer To Peer Tutors, we thank you for helping students stay in school and achieve in life.
Tags: Alyssia Fresh, Amirah Bin-Mahfouz, CIS, Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo, Donielle Hetrick, Isabel Measzros, Jacintha Glover, Kaitlyn Dawson, Kalamazoo Public Schools, Linden Grove Middle School, peer to peer tutors, volunteers
