Three resource centers, eager to guide, help students

If a student starts the year on the wrong foot, the climb back to stability can be both rigorous and time consuming. With the challenging curriculum West has to offer, some students are caught off guard and fall off easily. Luckily, along with its tough courses, Glenbard West has many resources to help its students

Students can easily take advantage of the opportunities West provides to get back on track. West Staff are always willing to help, and all teachers have resource periods designated for students to come in to get help. However, sometimes students want to seek a different kind of environment for support. Therefore, Glenbard West has assembled various learning centers for certain subjects in order to provide a welcoming environment whilst tutoring students so that they may reach their maximum potential in each class.

A well known center that has been part of West is the after-school program, STRIVE. For the past 20 years, Mrs. Kaminski, coordinator of STRIVE, along with various staff members, have been helping students with their homework. Mrs. Kaminski describes STRIVE as a place where students “have the opportunity to get one-on-one support with their homework from a faculty member, get their work completed, and above all, ask questions.” Most students get a referral to the after-school support center, however, this year anyone can drop in and get support – and have faculty eager to help them.

Another help center that is available is the newly created writing center, The Write Place, located in room 400. This resource allows students to be paired up with a writing tutor, each trained by Mr. Whitman, a writing specialist. Students can either stop by or make an appointment, and the tutors will “deliver help or assistance for any student in any stage of the writing process,” as Mr. Whitman states. They provide support on any writing assignment, however they can also aid on writing pieces outside of the classroom, such as a personal writing endeavor – from college essays to short creative stories.

Mr. Whitman believes students should come to the Write Place solely for the fact that “everyone needs an editor, not just one for proofreading or grammar, but to have someone to talk to, in order to help communicate their ideas.” Classes today are fairly large, so it is a challenge for the teacher to cater to everyone. Therefore going into the Write Place is very beneficial, as you get one-on-one support from a fellow student – thus creating a more comfortable environment.

Another great spot and environment is the AP Resource Center. Run by Ms. Morse, a specialist in Calculus and AP Physics, it is a place where “kids who are in AP courses can come and study, and have the opportunity to work in groups to collaborate on topics and assignments in their own course.”

Students work together to help each other in each class, all while building a tight-knit community of AP Students. This secure environment attracts students from all levels, from freshmen to seniors. Gavin Boyle, senior, and frequent visitor to the AP Resource Center, describes the community as “a great place to get my work done and overall feel determined to face my AP classes.” Whether it is working amongst your peers, or getting help from Ms. Morse, the AP Resource Center is yet another useful option to help students get back on track.

Above all, this is only a glimpse of what Glenbard West has to offer for its students. Faculty wants to see students succeed, therefore they give more than enough opportunities for students to take advantage of.

As Write Place Tutor, Kelly Ngo, states, “Our school gives students more than enough ways to excel in class, not many do, and it’s a shame, as each of them are great resources that students can easily take advantage of.”

Take initiative! In order to succeed in school and in life, one must take the first step forward. Walking through the doors of any of our help centers can possibly be one of the best decisions for a struggling student.