Secondary school writing and peer tutoring center directors have gone above and beyond since the COVID crisis hit. SSWCA is excited to shine a spotlight on this awesome work. The remarks below were submitted by peer tutors who believe their director deserves some accolades. The directors are listed below in alphabetical order by last name. We look forward to profiling more of our member centers and directors soon. If you would like to spotlight your director, please email membership@sswca.org.
Hannah Baran
Albemarle High School, VA
She has been super creative and committed to making tutoring work virtually. She set up an intricate yet intuitive tutoring center through Discord, and has been able to adapt the tutoring program to a virtual/hybrid environment very successfully. In the midst of all of this, she’s made sure to check in on us every day, and build a community within the tutoring center. Ms. Baran is such a gift! Her flexibility and compassion have made it such a wonderful experience to be a part of our peer tutoring center. -Renae
Antionette Dent
Thomas Edison High School, VA
Since the start of the pandemic, communities have taken a hit. There has been a decline of activeness, a decline in communication, and a decline of connection. Even when thrown into the virtual world, the Edison Writing Center is a community that has stayed strong due to Mrs. Dent’s persistence. Mrs. Dent gives it her all when it comes to the writing center. She always has activities that allow us to stay connected and actively voice ourselves. She acknowledges and understands the struggle we are experiencing due to the pandemic. Whether it be a tutee or tutor, student or teacher, she always makes sure to take everyone’s culture and background into consideration. She encourages us to be expressive and is supporting no matter how unorthodox we are. Mrs. Dent deserves to be recognized in this year of crisis for her efforts and abilities to keep the Edison Writing Center an active community. -Landen
Kate Hutton
Herndon High School, VA
Ms. Hutton has gone above and beyond this year to make sure that all of our tutors feel welcomed and connected in the virtual environment, which is not an easy task. For starters, Ms. Hutton always makes sure to emphasize that we are in this class not to feel stressed but to embrace our love of writing. If anyone is ever overwhelmed by an assignment or deadline, Ms. Hutton immediately alleviates any stress with her kind and encouraging words. This year has been especially challenging in regards to building bonds among tutors due to the nature of the virtual environment. Ms. Hutton has helped this year feel as normal as possible. We love you Ms. Hutton! -Rachel
Above all else this year, Ms. Hutton has always been there for us. Every class, we start off with a “vibe check”, which is a way for us to have fun while establishing a safe space where it’s ok not to be ok. Ms. Hutton has prioritized our mental health the entire year; she never puts on any extra work or stress but is rather extremely supportive. Whether it is flexibility on a writing assignment or tutoring session or being aware of our other classes that are less forgiving, Ms. Hutton makes it clear that she is there to support us. She checks on us regularly and plans our class time well, so we can focus on building our writing center without the added stress. Although most of the ways Ms. Hutton shows her love and support are through our weekly virtual classes, this past December both of our HWC directors, Ms. Hutton and Ms. Schmit, organized a type of “Secret Santa” for our tutors. Prioritizing safety and taking needed precautionary measures, they dropped off gifts and left notes to spread some holiday cheer. It was especially nice to have a physical reminder that they are still there to support us, even if we cannot be together in-person. The HWC could not be what it is without the love and support of our directors! -Bella
Melissa Morgan
West Springfield High School, VA
Our director has been flexible and understanding throughout the year. She understood that we couldn’t tutor because our wifi was out, or we had something scheduled that we couldn’t move. In past years, things have always been more strict, but I know we all appreciate her realizing this is a weird situation for everyone. She also totally reconfigured our tutoring sessions to work online, and she came up with creative ways to get more tutees into the center, since our number of sessions has severely decreased due to going virtual. Her creativity and flexibility have gotten everyone through the year relatively unscathed. -Jacqueline
Stephanie Passino
Hayfield Secondary School, VA
My director has made this year a fun and special one. Although there have been many hardships and difficulties throughout the learning process, Ms. Passino has made sure that all of her students and tutors feel excited about writing. She is inspirational, kind, and her passion for creativity can be clearly seen. -Mina