Tutors make a difference
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Nichole Warren, a junior at Shippensburg University, tutors Garrett Mowers at the Shippensburg Public Library. Mowers just finished his freshman year at Shippensburg Area Senior High School. (Barbara Phillips Long/The Sentinel)
Garrett Mowers has always been a good student, but a children’s tutoring program called Frogs, Flowers and SuperStars has made him an even better one.
“He’s been on the honor roll, and I credit that to the tutoring program and his willingness to work hard,” says his mother, Gayle Alleman.
Garrett, 15, is in ninth grade at Shippensburg Area Senior High School. He has participated in the program since kindergarten and studied subjects ranging from math and Spanish to reading, writing and English.
“The tutoring program is whatever a kid needs for that academic year,” Alleman said. “It’s out there for anybody to use, and it’s free.”
SU volunteers
Frogs, Flowers and SuperStars was designed and developed by Beverly Butler, an English professor and director of the Learning Assistance Center at Shippensburg University until her retirement in 2003.
Education majors from SU work with students for one hour each week during the school year at the Shippensburg Public Library, focusing on homework strategies and problem-solving skills. There is no charge for tutoring services.
Butler started the program in 1986 after a grandfather, looking for a tutor for his grandson, called the center. As word spread and the tutoring program gained popularity, she approached the teacher education department at SU for help in recruiting student volunteers.
The program, held at SU at that time, continued to grow and was eventually adopted by the local library.
Today, there are about 10 students and 15 tutors in Frogs, Flowers and SuperStars. Shippensburg residents Carol Kilgore and Nancy Hodge, who both had grandchildren tutored through the program, serve as co-coordinators.
“Tutoring is for students in any grade and any subject,” Kilgore said.
Alleman is happy that she learned about the program.
“The tutors are only requested to give one hour a week, but Garrett’s tutor has spent extra time studying for things like an upcoming test,” she says. “I’m really impressed by the students’ willingness to help kids. It’s just a win-win situation.”
‘Making a difference’
Nichole Warren is Garrett’s tutor. A junior at SU, she is majoring in elementary education and minoring in Spanish.
“I enjoy it,” she says about the program. “It’s something away from my schoolwork and my job. I’m happy that the kids are learning something from me and that I’m making a difference in their schoolwork.”
Tutoring isn’t a new experience for Warren. While attending high school in Easton, she was part of the Future Educators of America Club, which provided tutoring services at local elementary schools.
At SU, she is a member of Bridge For Kids. She and other SU students in the group volunteer at Shippensburg schools, helping with events such as Kids Night Out at Grace B. Luhrs University Elementary School and Family Fun Night at Nancy Grayson Elementary School.
