Written by: Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic

Education — Tutors are needed twice a week to work with students in the program at the high school and both of the district's middle schools

After receiving a grant from the Nike Innovation Fund last year, the Newberg School District is implementing the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program at the high school and both of its middle school this school year.

Thanks in part to the experience Chehalem Valley Middle School gained in implementing a pre-AVID program a year ago, administrators said they are pleased with are pleased with the start the program is off to so far.

A key step in moving forward, however, is recruiting tutors to work with students in their AVID elective class, so the district has put out a call for interested volunteers to attend eight hours of training later this month.

“We’re very excited,” Newberg High School assistant principal Alaina Carter (formerly Santana) said. “We’ve already had quite a few adults looking to volunteer, adults that are going back to get their teaching degree, students from GFU, PSU or Chemeketa. That’s exciting that we have a resource that we can use for the AVID program. It’s also exciting just to know that people are wanting to get involved at the high school.”

According to Chehalem Valley Principal Karen Pugsley, part of the AVID program is building a college-going culture and using current college students and graduates as tutors can play a major role in that.

Many students in the AVID program will be the first in their families to attend college, so tutors will not only aid in academic development, but also serve as role models.

Pugsley herself was the first in her family to go to college and recalled some of the struggles she encountered because the academic culture was so foreign.

“I had no idea how to study for some of my exams or how to write that paper,” Pugsley said. “My parents were wonderful and loved me, but they knew their world. They didn’t know the world that I wanted to go into.”

Pugsley added that tutors will not just be providing help with homework, but helping students really dig into content area.

“It’s like study circles,” Pugsley said. “It’s really like what college kids do with one another, which is basically work together in a team to learn more about a project or the content.”

Those interested in tutoring will need to complete the volunteer application process online (http://www.newberg.k12.or.us/district/volunteer-0) , which includes completing a criminal background check and obtaining a volunteer ID badges.

A schedule of tutor training, which will be done in two four-hour sessions held a various times the week of Oct. 24 at the school district office at 716 E. Sixth St., as well as the schedule of tutoring hours and days, are available at the district’s AVID (http://www.newberg.k12.or.us/district/avid)

In general, tutors will be needed during AVID elective classes Tuesday and/or Thursday mornings at the middle schools, while the high school is calling for tutors Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and/or Thursdays from 7:40 to 9:03 a.m.

To sign up, interested volunteers can call Christina Barnes at 503-554-5014 or stop by the district office.