By Risha Rohera
Theme Editor
Working together and helping other students become better at something can be one of the most fulfilling things a person can do. Freshmen Priya Chatwani and Julia Sheth do just this by helping Costa students work with fifth graders at Eucalyptus Elementary School in Hawthorne.
Chatwani and Sheth began the Together We Tutor club at Mira Costa last October. Club members volunteer to tutor fifth graders in math at Eucalyptus Elementary in Hawthorne every Friday.
“Gretchen Janson, the principal, told us one day that she needed free tutoring in math for her fifth graders,” Sheth said. “Priya and I thought it would be the perfect club to start at Costa to get Costa students involved in the community.”
Every week, the club goes to Eucalyptus Elementary and splits from fifteen to twenty-five students who need tutoring into two rooms. The students are those struggling in math and are referred by their teachers to receive extra help.
Similar to regular teaching methods, the tutors use warm-ups and practice problems. They also host games such as jeopardy and around the world in order to make learning more enjoyable and entertaining for the children.
“We use really interactive techniques to keep students engaged while learning,” sophomore Trace Demarest said. “You can really tell that the students really appreciate what we do for them.”
During club meetings, members are updated on what the students are learning at school that week and sign up to tutor that same Friday. Guest speakers such as the co-founder of Study Hut have also come in and spoken about ways to communicate ideas better and smarter ways to tutor the students.
“The kids are incredibly appreciative of our efforts,” Chatwani said. “Their kindness and hard work never fails to impress us. The memories we have made with the kids are invaluable and ones that will stay with us forever.”
Together We Tutor has also held fundraisers at restaurants such as The Veggie Grill in which they raise money to buy school supplies for the students the club members tutor at Eucalyptus Elementary. The club provides basic items such as binders, pencils and other school supplies to the fifth graders.
“Fundraising is a really easy way to benefit the students,” Demarest said. “The money really goes towards a great cause, and I’m glad that the kids are the ones who can take advantage of it.”
The club currently consists of around 30 members and meets in room 19 every Tuesday in Jonathan Westerberg’s classroom. Together We Tutor welcomes all people who wish to obtain community service hours or just want to help younger students in a fun and interactive way.
“The best part of the club is definitely the rewarding feeling you get when you know you truly helped a kid do better and achieve more than they could before,” Sheth said. “Hearing them talking about how they are now excited about math, doing better in math class, and don’t have to take a math help class next year truly warms my heart.”
Leave a Reply