The Tutorial Center, held last year after school in room 804, has been moved this year to the left half of the social studies office during lunch. The primary reason for this rearrangement was the lack of participation last year.

“It was a decision made by guidance and PTSO,” said coordinator Sharon Barrett. “They wanted to increase the participation so they were hoping that changing the schedule would improve things.”

At a first glance lunch, a time when students are busy socializing off-campus or finishing homework for afternoon classes, does not seem to be the optimal time for setting up the Tutorial Center. It is only during lunch, however, that students can seek tutoring without cutting into after-school activities.

“We’ve been looking for the right arrangement and the best time to reach students,” said assistant principal Brian Safine. “The hope was to find a student audience that was already present rather than having them find a separate time to come back.”

The new location for the Tutorial Center has sufficient supplies and is very student-friendly.

“We were very happy with how the space looks and feels,” said Safine. “There are couches, tables, supplies available for all students. It is a very good environment for learning, and it has everything a student would need to get academic help.”

The Center, however, has seen little increase in participation since it opened on Oct. 7, partly due to the timing of its sessions.

“We have a lot of smart kids and smart adults in here available to tutor, and they’re just not being used so I’m a little disappointed,” said Barrett. “I’d love to see more people come in to help.”

The administration feels that the Tutorial Center should be utilized at its fullest. There shouldn’t be any reason to pay for an outside tutor when students can receive free help from the Tutorial Center, according to Barrett.

“Other than convenience of scheduling, I don’t know why students would want to pay for [tutoring],” said Barrett.