Photo by Barakah Adedeji, Cypress Park HSEducation
Cypress Park HS Key Club introduces new tutoring program
A High School Journalism Network collaboration By Barakah Adedeji, Cypress Park HS
Rowe Middle School students had some extra help preparing for TELPAS testing this year. Over the course of six weeks, Cypress Park High School students tutored sixth through eighth grade students at Rowe through the Learn Go program, which was started this school year by the Cypress Park Key Club.
The TELPAS exam is an English language proficiency assessment for bilingual students. Key Club members hoped their tutoring would make the middle school students feel more comfortable ahead of the tests.
“The program helps students in more ways than just schoolwork,” Key Club PresidentOluwatosin Adebisi said. “Of course, we help with reading, speaking and writing for TELPAS, but we also help them believe in themselves. A lot of them come in nervous or unsure, and little by little, they gain confidence.”
Adebisi and Alina Ward, Cypress Park’s Key Club vice president, initially presented the idea of tutoring middle school students to Rochelle Chavis, the director of instruction helping teacher at Rowe, and the Rowe administration team. The program started in mid-January with just 13 volunteers, but it eventually grew to more than 20 high school students. Each week, Key Club members would go to Rowe after school and assist middle school students with different features of the test.
“With the Cy Park students coming over and helping out students that are still taking the TELPAS testing, it gives them a different perspective on things to look for on the test,” Chavis said. “We’re really hoping to see how this works so we can possibly do it next year.”
The program aims to set the middle school students up for success by providing them with a support system. Students said the impact has been evident.
“As upperclassmen, we’re here to guide them and give them the extra support they need,” Key Club member Kehinde Adebogun said. “Each day in tutorials, we give them new things to learn and each day they improve.”
Source: CFISD
