English High School Today

The English High Alumni & Friends Tutoring Center 2023-24 School Year End Report

English High’s Alumni & Friends Tutoring Center, recruits, trains and coordinates a team of tutors who support learning in classrooms and work one-on-one with students on college application essays and coursework — all supported by The English High School Association.  The Center is headed by Sage Marsters who has created this report for English High Alumni.

Sage Marsters, head of English High’s Alumni & Friends Tutoring Center

Building off the success of previous years, as well as established, effective collaborations with teachers and staff, over the 2023-24 school year, the EHS Alumni & Friends Tutoring Center continued to serve as a safe space for students to focus on their academic growth, and receive the social-emotional support necessary for academic growth. Many students used the Tutoring Center as a place to regularly visit and receive deep, ongoing support, building strong learning habits, skills in reading, developing critical thinking/analysis, and internalizing the writing process.

Students who regularly visited the Tutoring Center felt challenged by their work in English Language Arts this year, and used the Tutoring Center as a resource to meet the challenge, regularly working with Ms. Sage to understand the assignments and develop as writers. Over the course of the school year, through multiple sessions, students developed their reading, writing and organizational skills, as well as their stamina and belief in their ability to complete challenging assignments.

Many students began the year saying, “I can’t do this!” and overly-depending on Ms. Sage and other tutors to direct their thinking (“What do I say next?”). As the year progressed, students began to take notes on their texts, draft working theses, ask questions like “Is this idea good?”, expect to draft, collaborate with each other to ask questions or share resources, read their own writing aloud, and notice areas for revision. Though this group of students felt challenged, they worked over the course of the year with the Tutoring Center, and developed academic skills and greater academic independence.

In addition to the “drop-in” services provided in the Tutoring Center, nine tutors worked regularly in thirteen classrooms throughout the school. Aside from bringing enormous energy and commitment to our students into the building, our tutors brought many years of professional experience in teaching, accounting, journalism, social work, psychology and academic writing. As in past years, tutors were strategically partnered to work on a regular, weekly or biweekly basis with classrooms, so that they became a consistent part of the classroom and built relationships with the students, leading to more effective tutoring. This year some of our most effective partnerships continued from previous years, such as between Emily Sedgwick and Mr. Jean Charles in his Calculus, AP Calculus, and Math 3 classes; Cheryl Ebenstein and Ms. Leonard in h English Language Arts; and K.C. Turnbull and Ms. Cusack in U.S. history. In addition, we brought in new tutors who will continue in SY 24-25, such as retired EHS teacher Anita Preer.

Alumni & Friends Tutoring Center Goals for the 2024-25 School Year

• Continue long term partnerships between tutors and teachers, with veteran tutors returning to work in classrooms over multiple years
• Continue to recruit new tutors, with a focus on bringing in younger alumni
• Continue to provide after school tutoring twice a week (2:30-3:30)
• Continue providing a safe space for both academic and social emotional growth where all students feel welcome and supported
• Continue close partnership with HERC, the Guidance Department, the senior ELA teachers and social workers
• Continue to provide deep support for Seniors, including our focus on the college essay writing process

Learn more about the English High Alumni & Friends Tutoring Center Programs