Beginning next school year, administration is opening 5-6 tutorial classes to serve 50-75 students who need academic support.

The class will function as a tutorial for students who need extra academic help. Students will be provided with resources necessary to succeed in their academics such as study skills and note-taking practices.

The class will also be used to help students with restorative justice practices and conflict resolution.

The restorative justice practices are a means of discussion and are meant to help students and teachers develop understanding relationships with one another, and create a positive environment. Ms. Chavarria will also be instituting restorative circles into the class, a concept which she used in her Spanish classes last year.

“The point of the class is to provide a preventative measure to make sure students are starting off on the right track” said Ms. Chavarria.

Ms. Foyles, the 11th grade assistant principal, has been involved in the program since its inception.

“The tutorial is being instituted to address the needs of some students academically.” said Ms. Foyles, describing the purpose of the new class. “And so this tutorial will be unique to their needs.”

The class will be a time for students to catch up to their peers by specialized attention and teaching tailored to each students’ needs. It will be held during 4 different periods and will be taught by several different teachers.

The Wilde Lake Administrative team wants to make sure that the class is judgement-free and beneficial to the students themselves.

“There’s no stigma attached to it. It’s just that we want students to be successful.” said Ms. Foyles.  

Students can be volunteered for the class by teachers or administrators who think the extra help would be beneficial to them. A student may also ask to be put in the class if they feel it could be beneficial to them.

The idea first gained speed during a Student Support team meeting between the administration team, teachers, counselors, and school psychologist. The group meets twice every month to discuss solutions for students.

The class was conceptualized by Mr. LeMon after reviewing the needs of students in the Student Support Meetings. They meet in the hopes of identifying students who need extra help in their academics or behavior.

“Looking at our data, our 9th graders, and really some of our other students as well, we just see the need.” said Mr. Lemon. “We need to provide more academic support to them during the school day if possible.”

“We have a list of students… They come to us with a range of different challenges that we look and see how we can support them, and it’s very obvious to me that they all cannot fit into the alternative ed program” said Mr. LeMon.

Unlike other after school help programs, the student support tutorial will be held during the school day to help students achieve their academic goals without infringing on their outside lives and responsibilities.

The Wilde Lake Administrative team hopes that the program is successful in helping students reach academic standards.