By Brandon McIver

As the end of the 25-26 school year approaches, students will be preparing for upcoming academic events. Returning Nighthawks may be preparing for summer school, ACT or SAT exams, placement exams, or even for the upcoming school year. Graduating seniors may be preparing for college entrance exams or simply wanting to get ahead of the pack on what they will study in post-secondary school. Students could potentially become overwhelmed by the number of things they need to prepare for. Luckily, students have access to many tutoring opportunities that help ease their stress by preparing them for what’s to come. The most common form of tutoring available is peer tutoring, offered both on and off campus.

One of the peer tutoring opportunities available on campus is the NHS Peer Tutoring in the library. The tutoring is only available on Wednesdays, after school from 2:30 – 4:30, before school from 7:45 – 8:45, and during advisory. The subjects covered usually include math, reading, science, and social studies. According to Ethan Hesse, a tutor in the library, the tutoring sessions are pretty personal. “There’s usually not too many people who are there, so usually it’s one-on-one, but towards the end, you’ll have like two people, so you’ll just like switch off and help one of them and then the other.” This tutoring is also very focused. There will be multiple tutors present, each focusing on a different topic. When asked what topics are usually covered, Hesse replied with “…science, but I usually do physics.” Hesse tutors science; however, he mainly helps students with physics-based questions. When asked what types of questions students usually come in with, Hesse explained that “sometimes you’ll have people that come in with homework questions…other times they’ll have you help them study with a test and that’s usually what it is.” Students seem to enjoy tutoring. Hesse noted that the students “seem to like it [tutoring], they told me it’s helpful.” Hesse has even had one student offer to pay him. These sessions are all walk-in and as-needed, so the students who attend all have a willingness to learn, which makes it easy to stay focused in this environment. It would be a great environment for staying on task and completing work. According to Hesse, he would describe the environment as “studious”. Even though the library is a great resource for tutoring, it is not the only way to access it.

Another great tutoring opportunity to take advantage of is the tutoring available at the Tutoring Center. According to the Tutoring Center website, they offer focused, one-on-one tutoring, designed to tailor exactly to the student’s needs. The tutoring center is open Monday-Thursday from 2:30 pm-7:30 pm, Friday (appointment-based), Saturday from 8:30 pm-12:30 pm, and it is closed on Sundays. They offer tutoring sessions starting at $369/month for 2 sessions per week, and $469/month for 3 sessions per week. However, they can be contacted for more information about sibling/loyalty discounts. Dawson Welch, a tutor at the Tutoring Center, believes that the tutoring is worth the price, as long as it is needed. “I think they’re[tutoring sessions] definitely worth the money…if you don’t understand a topic, it’s worth the money, but if you understand a topic and you are coming just for practice, it’s not worth the money.” Welch has worked with all age ranges when he has tutored. He has said that he “primarily works with younger kids, anywhere from like third grade to sixth grade, but I’ve also tutored people in highschool… So I work with kind of all age groups.” All topics covered at the tutoring center are need-based. Welch says that the topics are usually general, core courses, but they usually become more focused as students get older. Welch also mentioned that for certain topics, you may need to request a specific tutor to ensure the highest quality of assistance. “…if you needed help with like physics or something, then you would have to kind of request like a physics tutor, so it’s kind of need-based.” When asked about the environment in the Tutoring Center, Welch responded, explaining that “it can kind of switch around… earlier in the day, it’s kind of more, loud and, you know, everyone’s working, talking, but then during the end of the day, it gets a lot more focused… everyone there wants to be tutored, they all really want to keep moving and improving their mastery on a subject.” The students seem to really enjoy the tutoring. Welch has explained how he has received gifts from appreciative students. “I’ve had some kids that I tutor who’ve…come up to me during Christmas time, and they’ve given me cards…I’ve had people give me gifts, like a little keychain or something, and it’s just, I really appreciate that, and it just makes my day, for sure.” Welch prides himself on being a fun tutor, and he is sure that the experience at the Tutoring Center will be a positive one.

Students who have taken advantage of these tutoring opportunities have enjoyed and gained from them. There are many opportunities to take advantage of, free of charge or paid for, that are easily accessible to students. Nighthawks should ensure that these tutoring opportunities are used in preparation for the upcoming school year or academic events/exams.