Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. until 0400 est. February 15th

(e.g. yourname@email.com)

Forgot Password?

    Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Logo

    Preparing for a successful future

    Preparing for a successful future

    Photo By Sgt. Amber Bohlman | Senior Chief Petty Officer Kenneth King, Maritime Security Detachment senior enlisted...... read more read more

    GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA

    02.26.2015

    Story by Spc. Amber Bohlman 

    Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs

    GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – When it comes to learning, students are often known for being placed in one of two categories; there are the children who are considered gifted and those who need an extra helping hand in certain academic areas.

    There is a group of children who are often forgotten – those who fall in the middle. U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, W.T. Sampson middle and high school adopted a program many years ago that is widely known throughout the United States. AVID or Advancement Via Individual Determination, which closes the achievement gap by preparing students for college readiness.

    “It’s a course for kids in the middle,” said Mrs. Denise Giamelle, AVID and Spanish teacher. “They score very high on standardized tests, so they have the potential to do great things, but they just need a little help.”

    Part of the AVID program involves a block of time during their regular school week where the students get to work in small groups with tutors in the specific area they excel in.

    “The eighth graders take a course that’s a year higher than them. We support them with tutors and they get extra time once a week for tutorials, and the rest of the time we work on writing and reading, and discussing things we’ve read,” Giamelle said.

    Giamelle said one of the things that is good about the program is the students are able to hear different strategies to solve problems through their assigned tutor.

    “Just hearing it from someone else other than their teacher makes it a different kind of learning strategy,” she said.

    Being a tutor is not about having all the answers. Master Chief Petty Officer Kenneth King, Maritime Security Detachment senior enlisted leader, knows just that.

    King said that when he first arrived on island, he was asked if he would be interested in becoming a part of the AVID team. As his first career as a police lieutenant came to a close late last year, King decided that he wanted to look into pursuing teaching secondary math. So what better way to dip his toes in the water than to take the opportunity he has here to tutor students.

    It gives him the chance to assist and learn with the students because sometimes King has to tell them, “I don’t have any idea how to do this problem, but we’ll figure it out together,” and they’ll sit down and work out the problem together.

    Giamelle said she is very grateful for the few tutors that she currently has, and is searching for someone who would be interested in tutoring one of her students in Spanish.

    “I’m the only one who takes Spanish in this classroom and none of the tutors speak Spanish, so it would be helpful if I had a tutor that did,” said Riley Salvatore-Henson, AVID student.

    Giamelle said that a tutor would give Salvatore-Henson the same opportunity as the other students, because they are able to learn from someone other than their teacher.

    The program is easy to get involved in. Interested volunteers should go to the front office at W.T. Sampson middle and high school to grab a volunteer packet. King said that it took a couple of weeks to process and now he is on his third week of volunteering.

    LEAVE A COMMENT

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 02.26.2015
    Date Posted: 04.23.2015 14:45
    Story ID: 160991
    Location: GUANTANAMO BAY, CU
    Hometown: KILN, MS, US

    Web Views: 216
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN