Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
By helping students with their homework after school, the Homework Club at Jefferson Elementary School works to keep students in school.
Tuesday afternoon, Jean Orcutt presented Jefferson Principal Dennis Duncan with grant money totaling about $1,647 for the Homework Club. The money came through the Kosciusko Leadership Academy, of which Orcutt was a member in 2003-04.
Orcutt, who is a membership marketing specialist and adult development director for Indiana Lakeland Girl Scout Council, was joined by Susan Turner, Mutual Federal Savings Bank; Andy Loper, Applebee's; and Stephen Possell, Bowen Center; in developing a program and grant proposal to KLA. Funds for the project were provided through the Dalton Foundries family through Jean Northenor and KLA. Part of the $5,000 grant previously was given to Tippecanoe Valley School Corp.'s Hispanic Youth Mentoring Program. The remaining funds will be distributed to other schools' programs.
Duncan said the $1,647 will be used to support the after-school Homework Club. The club is an opportunity for students to receive help with their homework or general tutoring after school. Coordinated by ESL instructional assistants Barbara Lainez and Libby Albert, Grace College students and sometimes local high school students volunteer to help students. The Grace students, Duncan said, make the program effective because they can provide individual attention to the Jefferson students.
While the club is available to all Jefferson students, its focus is on students who don't speak English very well or at all. There are approximately 25 to 30 kids in the club a night, with about 50 students who regularly attend. Some students attend two or three times a night, while others are there every night. The Club meets Monday through Thursdays.
"We're grateful for the money," said Albert.
Lainez said the Club tries to get the students to stay in school. The one-on-one instruction, said Albert, is very important and helps students a lot.
