Tutoring Program of Christ Church and the Charter High School for Architecture and Design
In July, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church adopted a resolution that encourages all Episcopalians to give 40 hours a year in service to schools and for each parish to form a public school partnership. Christ Church is located in proximity to several public schools, among them the Charter High School for Architecture and Design (CHAD), located at 675 Sansom Street. Nearly all of the students there come from households at or below poverty level from 55 zip codes around the city. Most are talented but impoverished kids who leave CHAD with a future they wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Part of their progress depends on their performance on the statewide tests each spring – and their success depends on time spent in the tutoring center in preparation for the tests. The tutoring center is well organized, with teachers on-hand to answer questions. But that’s not enough. There’s urgent need for tutors/coaches to work individually with the kids in the tutoring center, keeping them on task, encouraging them, and above all, forging a relationship the kids can rely on.
In a new effort at partnering with our neighbors in need, Christ Church is initiating a program that allows Christ Church parishioners and friends to sign up for at least one hour a week for the January-March three-month tutoring period, before the tests in April. As a tutor, you would be trained and fully supported with materials and on-site staff; the main thing you offer these kids is relationship and belief that they can make it.
For January through March, tutors sign up for a time slot 3:15-4:45 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday, or a time slot on Saturday mornings. You may sign up for more than one time slot if you wish. Beyond that, all that’s required is your presence, consistency – and the desire to help kids beat the odds to believe in themselves. If you’re interested, please let us know by Monday, January 4. Contact parishioners Gail and Eliot Larson at ewlarson@comcast.net or 267-861-0324, or the Rev. Susan Richardson at srichardson@christchurchphila.org.