Tutorial program is now up and running at the Beacon
Each year alarming statistics are released with the news that the drop out rate among Florida students is among the highest in the country. To address this on Pine Island, a steering committee was formed earlier this year to find an answer. According Dr. Jim Cole, steering committee member, the national drop-out rate is 25 percent, yet the rate of drop-outs in Florida is an astonishing 30 percent. Brainstorming efforts by a steering committee comprised of island residents resulted in the institution of a non-profit free, tutorial sessions provided to Pine Island Elementary School fourth and fifth graders.
“Our goal is to help better prepare island students to face the educational challenges ahead. It is well known that strong skills learned in elementary school will help to improve the odds that students will remain in school until graduation,” said Cole. “We see education as a three-part equation which involves school governance, teachers and administrators and families as well as the community as a whole. It is our hope, that as members of the community, a part of the overall picture, we will help to provide the elements needed to support the students who need us to help them to succeed. This program is geared to enrich the lives of these children and to improve their academic experience.”
The organizers of the after-school tutorial have named the program, Students Achieving Success and is being offered to students from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday each week. Currently five Pine Island Elementary School students are enrolled in the program. The SAS classroom is located in the Beacon of HOPE building at the island center. The program is not intended to replace the usual classroom experience, but to assist students in areas where help is needed.
“SAS is not the same as the classroom, but more of an extension,” said Dr. Cole. “Every child is deserving of a one-on-one adult mentor/tutor and this is what we are providing.”
The students in the program were determined by their teachers at Pine Island Elementary who have received the permission of their parents to attend. The students are not considered to have learning difficulties, but educators feel that each would benefit from the one-on-one mentorship and enrichment programs SAS has to offer.
The program was not without its start up costs and much of the financial support has come through donations from the community. One such donor was members of St. John’s Episcopal Church in St. James City.
“Thanks to all the church has done, we have been able to supply the best tools possible,” said committee member Betsy Haesemeyer. “Without the generosity of the Pine Island community, none of this would have been possible.”
According to Haesemeyer, church members have donated 12 laptop computers with educational software valued at $12,000 as well as several tables and chairs to equip the classroom. Other donations have come from the Kiwanis Club and Greater Pine Island, the Bobby Holloway Jr. Memorial Fund and several individuals.
Volunteer tutors at SAS come from all walks of life and offer students a wealth of personal experience. Each have received security clearance and have been trained to properly tutor each child. At this time SAS has 12 regularly scheduled volunteer mentors and eight enrichment volunteers.