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Volunteer tutors receive a 'Standing Ovation'

Flanked by Principal Gillian Spero, left, and Dr. Karen Couch, superintendent of Kent County Public Schools, right, a corps of volunteer math tutors at Rock Hall Elementary School receives the Standing Ovation Award Monday, May 8.
Flanked by Principal Gillian Spero, left, and Dr. Karen Couch, superintendent of Kent County Public Schools, right, a corps of volunteer math tutors at Rock Hall Elementary School receives the Standing Ovation Award Monday, May 8.

ROCK HALL — A group of dedicated volunteers who have been working with Rock Hall students on math received special recognition from Kent County Public Schools earlier this month.

The volunteer corps from the Kent Learning Center have spent more than a year now working with children at Rock Hall Elementary School.
For their efforts they received the Standing Ovation Award at a Kent County Board of Education meeting Monday, May 8.

Rock Hall Elementary School Principal Gillian Spero led the ceremony recognizing the volunteers.

Spero read from a statement prepared by teacher Marlene Vosburg, who trained the volunteers and helps coordinate the tutoring program at the school.

"The Kent Learning Center volunteers have been an integral part of our afterschool math program for the last couple of years," Spero read from Vosburg's statement.

The majority of the volunteers provide one-on-one tutoring to first and second graders. The school has expanded the opportunity for some of its older students to receive extra tutoring support as well.

Students meet twice a week with their assigned tutors for an hour. The tutors, who have been trained in new math teaching and comprehension techniques, record students' skills and monitor their progress.

More than that, Spero said, the tutors develop a bond with their students. Spero spoke about one student being excited to show her math tutor the progress she also was making in reading.

Spero said the volunteers' compassion is demonstrated in each tutoring session.

"The relationships that have been built are really special," she said. "And our students really benefit from the generous time that our tutors are able to give."

The school is seeing the results from the tutors' efforts. 

Spero said students' attendance rates for tutoring remain high and math proficiency scores are on the rise.

"The students and parents are excited. They are supportive and appreciative of the extra time provided to master math," Spero said.