- Clayton High School
- Overview
CHS Senior Forms Volunteer Young Scholars Tutoring Program
Jessie Lin, a CHS Senior, saw many students struggling with their studies during the pandemic as schools transitioned from in person to online learning. Some families were not able to provide the extra academic support their students needed to succeed due to balancing many responsibilities during this difficult time. Lin decided to change this and formed a group of volunteer tutors called the Young Scholars Tutoring Program.
As a member of the Asian American Civics Scholars (AACS), Lin proposed to the group to start a free online tutoring program to assist students in the community amidst the pandemic. Lin then reached out to other students from the District and others across the St. Louis area to act as volunteer tutors.
“I knew I was lucky to be in Clayton, who handled the transition from traditional to online school really well, but I also knew that there were communities around me that may not be as fortunate. I've always valued education and believed that everyone should have equal access to it, and a pandemic should not let a student fall behind in their studies,” said Lin.
During the 2020 - 2021 school year, the group set up online tutoring sessions to assist with students having difficulty with online schooling. The group primarily worked with students from the New Northside Family Life Center starting in the fall of 2020. At the end of each month, Lin and the other volunteers would set up a tutoring schedule with online sessions to honor COVID-19 restrictions. Lin would open each Zoom meeting and a moderator from the management team would send participants into breakout rooms and monitor sessions.
Line said that her love of tutoring came from her previous experiences as a member of Clayton Connect during her freshman and sophomore year and from her sophomore year summer when she tutored elementary and middle school students in China.
“I'd always loved helping others in academic subjects, whether it's helping classmates understand a concept in class, helping them study for a test, or even teaching younger students in something they are struggling in.”
Presently, the group is expanding their services. They are setting up a tutoring program with the St. Louis Dream Center that will begin on September 20. They hope to add other services besides academic tutoring including chess tutoring led by CHS Senior, Aadi Diwan, and other activities. They also have expanded who they are serving including students in the District and in the Ladue School District as well. They even have two students they are tutoring located in Arkansas.
Lin said her motivation to continue running this program is hearing the stories of how tutoring has helped students and the perseverance of the Young Scholars Tutoring Program team. She confidently stated she wants to continue the program and help as many students as possible. You can sign up for tutoring or to be a tutor here.
Thank you to all of the tutors in this program including, but not limited to:
CHS Seniors:
- Zach Wang
- Vivian Chen
- Don Ung
- Henry Shaw
- Kathryn Davis
- Isaac Millians
- Thomas Gustafson
- Tanner Sharon
CHS Junior:
- Ivy Reed
CHS Sophomore:
- Vincent Chen
CHS Graduate:
- Noah Kennedy