Empower Hour
By Johncina Goodman
Empower Hour is a study/helping group after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Nottingham Media Center. It’s a place where you can go after school to get some work done and get the help you need. They have tutors there to help you with whatever you need help with. You can even become a tutor yourself. All you have to do is show up on either days and ask for help with whatever subject you need help with. There is always someone there who can help you with subjects like Spanish, Italian, Creole and German. The students spend an hour on any of the following: homework, and studying for standardized test like the SAT, Accuplacer, and PARCC.
Speaking to some people involved in Empower Hour shed some light on the whole reason it started. I spoke to the operative organizer Ms. Dawn White, our vice principal here at Nottingham. She started Empower Hour three years ago when it was just a few kids in the conference room in the main office. She later then come up with the idea to expand it to the entire school to come and get help. From what I have witnessed, Empower Hour has a huge turn out especially on Thursdays, when lots of kids come either to get help with work, study, do projects, and/or makeup missing work. She said that “I want for everyone to feel empowered when they leave Empower Hour.”
Ms. White asked teachers, students and assistants to help and be tutors after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:40 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. I was also given the stats from our media center specialist Ms. Marissa Santiago who is also a huge help with Empower Hour. Many kids come here to study and get help - 33% are tutors and 66% are students who receive tutoring. Math teacher Ms. Betty Manzano has kids that come in and study with her and come to get organized. Ms. Manzano said, “There are no excuses at Nottingham because there is help here.” Ms. White is currently working on getting late buses for the kids that don't have a ride home and can’t stay.
Speaking to some people involved in Empower Hour shed some light on the whole reason it started. I spoke to the operative organizer Ms. Dawn White, our vice principal here at Nottingham. She started Empower Hour three years ago when it was just a few kids in the conference room in the main office. She later then come up with the idea to expand it to the entire school to come and get help. From what I have witnessed, Empower Hour has a huge turn out especially on Thursdays, when lots of kids come either to get help with work, study, do projects, and/or makeup missing work. She said that “I want for everyone to feel empowered when they leave Empower Hour.”
Ms. White asked teachers, students and assistants to help and be tutors after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:40 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. I was also given the stats from our media center specialist Ms. Marissa Santiago who is also a huge help with Empower Hour. Many kids come here to study and get help - 33% are tutors and 66% are students who receive tutoring. Math teacher Ms. Betty Manzano has kids that come in and study with her and come to get organized. Ms. Manzano said, “There are no excuses at Nottingham because there is help here.” Ms. White is currently working on getting late buses for the kids that don't have a ride home and can’t stay.