Snyder High School students volunteering time during elementary tutoring sessions

Snyder High School students are volunteering to help Snyder Primary School third grade students prepare for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test.
Snyder ISD ACE offers Shadows, a mentoring program where high school students build relationships with junior high and elementary students after school and help them with school work. SHS junior Anna Charlotte Lavers took the idea of mentoring and tutoring a step farther after hearing her mother, third grade teacher Juliann Lavers, discuss the struggles some students had when it came to STAAR testing.
“I got the idea last semester when my mom would come home from work and talk about studying for the reading test,” Lavers said. “I wanted to integrate the mentoring program with helping the kids study for the STAAR, because it can be difficult for kids their age, the way some of the questions are worded on the test. It’s important to learn different strategies as far as how to pass the STAAR.”
With Snyder ISD facing potential action from the Texas Education Association (TEA) if the district’s STAAR scores do not improve, Lavers knew how important it was for younger students to improve. She began spreading the word to friends and classmates and soon had eight high school students signed up to mentor and tutor students after school on a volunteer basis.
In addition to Juliann Lavers’ class, Courtney Boyd’s third grade students are part of the ACE program called Aim for the STAAR, which focuses specifically on STAAR testing and began after winter break.
Between the two classes, 21 students take part in the program. Lavers said it is a “thrill” to walk in to the classroom and see children who are willing to learn.
“The kids are excited to see us and excited about tutoring, which is awesome,” Lavers said. “I also think it’s important that some of our volunteers are boys, because it’s important for some of these kids, boys especially, to have a positive male role model.”
One of those male volunteers is junior Corbin Shaw. He said he decided to volunteer because he wanted to help make a difference in the community.
“I really enjoy just helping the kids out and helping out the school district,” Shaw said. “If I help just one kid improve their test scores, that would mean the world to me.”
With the help of their mentors, the third grade students learn different methods of reading and retaining materials.
Landrie Polk, 9, said she enjoys going to tutoring, especially with the high school volunteers.
“It’s really good,” Polk said. “I get to learn more stuff to help me with the STAAR test.”
Kenon Martinez, 8, said he enjoys learning new reading methods.
“I’m learning a lot of stuff, like procedural text,” Martinez said. “You learn the material in steps.”
Although recent test scores might have been below standards for the district, Shaw said he has seen potential in the classes which might indicate a change is coming.
“They’re really, really smart,” Shaw said. “I know it’s cliche to say, but they’re very smart.”
Whether they fully understand the potential consequences, some students, like Ariana Robbins, 9, know STAAR scores are very important.
“The STAAR test is very hard and we need to pass and make sure we study harder this year,” Robbins said. “I like how they bring the high schoolers in to help us and I like getting to meet new people. It’s fun.”
The program is only a couple of weeks old, but Lavers said she believes it will continue to grow.
“I think word is starting to spread not only in the elementary schools, but at the high school for kids wanting to volunteer,” Lavers said. “These kids are only going to get better with practice.”