Tutors of the Month – February 2016
Skid Row Learning Center
– Kylie Banks. Since July 26th, 2014, Saturday mornings at the Skid Row Learning Center are full of laughs and giggles thanks to the amazing energy brought by Ms. Kylie Banks! Students do not always get a full night’s sleep at the shelter which can lead to morning grumpiness. Once the kids see Ms. Kylie, they immediately cheer up. Kylie greets each student and her fellow volunteers with a wide smile and friendly handshake. She makes everyone feel welcome and inspired. After three months of tutoring, Kylie was asked to take on a bigger role as a Tutor Coordinator. She began by helping with phone calls and clerical work. Now she is the Tutor Coordinator for group tutoring at the union Rescue Mission where she ensures that the students who are unable to attend the after school program are still able to receive tutoring and support. Kylie says, “I love School on Wheels because there’s nothing better than working with wonderful students and watching them succeed. Everyone who works and volunteers with School on Wheels truly cares about the organization’s mission and I really feel that I’m making a difference each time I tutor.”
Allison Maldonado, Skid Row Learning Center Instructor
Region 1 – East LA to Pasadena
– Sasana Kachirsky. Sasana has been an extraordinary School on Wheels tutor since 2014! Her creativity and passion for teaching have made a tremendous impact on her student Gilbert’s life. Each week Sasana provides consistency and uses creative techniques to engage her student in learning. Sasana portrays outstanding qualities as a volunteer by logging her hours weekly, adding comments to her logs, preparing for her sessions and going the extra mile to make her sessions engaging and fun for her student. Here is what Sasana had to say about her experience as a tutor:
I’m very glad to have learned about School on Wheels from my friend Evan Panas. Sharing my enthusiasm about learning new things with students who need some extra support has become a highlight of my week! Remembering the struggles in my own school years and the encouragement of my teachers and my parents is a feeling that I will never forget. It pushed me further than I thought I could go. I hope that the students I work with will also feel that encouragement, that their education is important and that there is someone that cares about their progress and their future.
Sasana, thank you for your dedication and support!
Marisol Farfan, Regional Coordinator
Region 3 – Westside
– OMD Entertainment Tutors. This month I would really like to recognize a great group of volunteers from OMD Entertainment that have been wonderful tutors in my region. They have been coming to one of my group tutoring sites every Monday for almost a year now, and the students there are always excited to see them each and every week. What has really been great is that with their support, we have expanded tutoring at this location; now we are able to help a lot more kids because of their consistency and commitment to the program. We have students there with grades ranging from Kindergarten to 6th grade. It can definitely be challenging, but the tutors are always patient and will often stay late to help finish homework or work on a supplementary activity. The tutors come from quite a distance and battle traffic for 45 minutes to an hour directly from work, but they always show up with smiles on their faces ready to jump in with a student, or multiple students, that need their help. I want to thank all of them for their hard work and dedication.
Kyle McDonough, Regional Coordinator
Region 4 – South Bay, Long Beach
– Nicholas DeLucca. My name is Nick and I’ve been a School On Wheels tutor since October 2015. Becoming a tutor was my mom’s idea. She’s a teacher and knows there are many kids out there who could use a little extra help. So she looked for a volunteer opportunity that we could both do. I really enjoy working with younger kids and like going to visit Alyssa every week. She seems really excited to see me which makes me feel like I’m making a difference. I often do my own homework in the car on the way to tutor, but it’s worth it. The feeling of helping someone else is motivating.
Louis Mena, Regional Coordinator
Region 5 – Hollywood, Silver Lake, Highland Park
– Christopher Van Nest. This month we are proud to highlight Chris as Region 5’s Tutor of the Month. Chris has such a positive and friendly energy which he uses to connect with each of his students at the group home where he tutors! He has been with us for about a year and we are so grateful to have him on our team. He is such a wonderful role model to his students and an awesome mentor. In his own words:
Chris got involved with School On Wheels for three reasons; he was broke, unemployed, and wanted to give back to the community. He joined the organization in February, 2015 after just moving to the city. He knew that making a difference in a child’s life was more fulfilling than what Maury was talking about on tv that day, and it is! He has made personal connections with each of his high school students, and enjoys the fact that they feel comfortable enough with him to discuss topics outside of school.
Lancella Hunter, Regional Coordinator
Region 8 – Ventura, Santa Barbara
– Kaycee Holcomb. Although Kaycee has only been working with Krystal for a month, I can already tell Kaycee is making an impact in Krystal’s life. Right after the first week, Kaycee contacted me with specific supplies Krystal needed and said she would also be helping Krystal apply for the School On Wheels scholarship to participate in a dance class. When asked, Kaycee says she became a volunteer tutor because she grew up with a support system of family and mentors that helped her along the way; she wants to be able to give back in that way to a student. It is clear that Kaycee has a genuine interest in Krystal’s well-being, building a mentorship relationship with Krystal aside from working on multiplication tables. You have been a pleasure to work with and I look forward to seeing all the progress you and Krystal make together. Thank you, Kaycee, for being a positive role model and support person to Krystal!
Terrie Soto, Regional Coordinator
Region 10 – South Orange County
– Nancy Okamoto. Nancy joined our School on Wheels team in November and about her volunteer experience says:
I have been involved in one type of volunteer activity or another since high school. My cultural background of Judaism has taught me to think of oneself as a citizen of the world, that we are responsible for others around us. I especially enjoy working with children since they can be so open and spontaneous. It is such a joy to work with a child and to think that you may help them understand something better – to make sense of their world. This gives them confidence to tackle challenges they may face and to empathize with people around them. School on Wheels gives me the opportunity to be a bigger part of my community.
Lilian Pahn, Regional Coordinator
Online Tutoring
– Kojo Quaye. Kojo joined School on Wheels as an online tutor in June, 2015. Since then, he has tutored students of all grade levels, ranging from 2nd to 12th grade. Kojo’s commitment to his students is inspiring; his patience, flexibility, and understanding help him attend to the ever-changing needs of each of his students with ease. It is a pleasure to name Kojo our online tutor of the month! In his own words:
At my very first tutoring session, my student needed help with chemistry as they had an exam the next day. I did my best to explain the concepts in a clear and relatable way. Towards the end of the session we did a quick review of what we had gone over; and I asked the student if it made sense. He responded “Yeah, I’m not so intimidated anymore”. For me that was the best thing I could have heard. Online tutoring has made me think about my early education and made me realize how fortunate I was to have the resources that I did, to enable me to succeed at school. Thanks to the advancement of technology, it’s great to know that others can now have access to those resources remotely so they too can do well in school. It’s great to see how happy and confident students get when they answer a question correctly and work hard to get there. I’ve had a great time doing online tutoring with School on Wheels and hope to continue.
Ian Chan, Digital Learning Coordinator