Photo Provided Hills Elementary physical education teacher Ryan Smith also spends time as a mentor, tutoring students such as Mavryck Calhoun, pictured here with Smith, in the Spending Time and Reading Together (START) program.

WINTERSVILLE — Indian Creek Local School District’s START program has matched hundreds of students with mentors to help improve reading skills while engaging in learning activities, and the program has yielded great benefits for both sides.

For more than a quarter of a century, the program, which stands for Sharing Time and Reading Together, has provided youth in grades K-2 with support from adult mentors, including retired teachers to community professionals and parents. Volunteers work in half-hour tutoring sessions and spend up to three days per week with students, and the activities are created by START coordinators Amber Edwards at Hills Elementary in Mingo Junction and Gina Miclea at Cross Creek Elementary in Wintersville. The plans are specifically tailored to each child’s needs and the coordinators also regularly assess the students’ progress.

One START coordinator oversaw both schools in the past, but now each building has its own representative. About 30 students currently work with 20 mentors at Hills while 36 kids take part with 24 mentors at Cross Creek.

“It’s been over 25 years that the program has been in the school district,” said Edwards. “It was once known as HOST, or Helping One Student at a Time. We assess students’ needs in the beginning of the year and identify those in need of one-on-one instruction. We have retired teachers, parents, grandparents, [Hills Elementary] gym teacher Ryan Smith and [Indian Creek Superintendent] Dr. T.C. Chappelear. We have all kinds of people from the community.”

Sessions are held Tuesday to Thursday and lessons range from work on sight words, letters, and shapes in kindergarten to stories and vocabulary in first and second grades. Edwards added that the adults and students enjoyed working together.

‘I think one of the best parts of the program is the kids blossom from the attention they get from the special adults in the building and they build a connection,” she added. “We’ve seen kids’ reading scores improve with the START tutoring to the point where they graduated from the program. According to the data, the students are meeting growth.”

Edwards said she has seen an abundance of students progress so far that they no longer required the service.

“Between both schools last year, we averaged about 100 students who came through the program and had 98% growth. They were reading just below grade level and needed to get to the point where they were skilled. It helps a lot of kids to grow socially and emotionally as well.”

“I have seen firsthand some of the growth the students had,” said Miclea. “Not only does it benefit them academically, but it helps the students build confidence through working with a mentor. They get one-on-one attention from the adult.”

She noted that mentors may participate for one hour, one day a week to three hours for three days a week, while they also include speech and language professionals as well as representatives from Crossroads Christian Church.

“We have other school personnel and [Cross Creek Principal] Dan Hartman has helped, and parents who volunteer also get more perspective,” Miclea continued. “It’s been such a wonderful program for so many years and has helped so many kids. I’m very passionate about it and very excited to be in this new role.”

As for its volunteers, some of the START mentors noted their enjoyment in being part of the program.

Hills physical education teacher Ryan Smith, who has taken part for the past three years, was asked to become a mentor and said it has given him a different view of teaching.

“They wanted me to work with students outside of gym. I’ve enjoyed working with and helping them grow academically, which is something I’ve never done before,” he said.

Joyce Kirkpatrick, who has been a mentor for the past 25 years, delights in working with the children. The retired teacher and cheerleading coach was approached during the second year of START and moved from Wayne Elementary to Hills and back to Wintersville, staying at Cross Creek ever since.

“I love being a part of the program. It’s one of the best programs at Indian Creek,” Kirkpatrick commented. “These children just need a little extra help.”

The coordinators are always seeking more volunteers, including substitutes who may go on to become mentors in the future. For more information, contact Edwards at Hills Elementary at 740-283-2479 or Miclea at CCE at 740-264-1691.