Program provides tutors, mentors for students

ABERDEEN — The school district and a local church are partnering for a mentoring program for students that will provide tutoring as well as guidance from community volunteers.

"This program began as a partnership between the district and the Community Bible Fellowship Church," said Wayne Spells, principal of the Cambridge Park Elementary School and director of special programs for the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District. "This program is meant to help students during a time period when they are more likely to engage in questionable activity, once outside of school."

The mentoring program is titled MOST, an acronym for Mentoring Our Students Together.

According to the district Web site, the MOST program aims "to get the most out of young people by enabling them to become better students and better citizens, through ongoing mentoring relationships between Matawan-Aberdeen children and qualified adult volunteers."

The new program launched Oct. 14 and Spells said has already attracted participants.

Spells said the program runs from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the church in the Cliffwood section of the township.

"Basically we are hiring teachers from the district to teach after hours in this program," Spells explained. "Sometimes the tutoring that is offered after school coincides with other after-school activities, so this program helps with that," Spells said.

The program includes a session for tutoring, recreation and mentoring. Mentors, Spells said, are volunteers from the community and they have varied professions.

"During the mentor session, students will spend time with volunteers who are police officers, mayors, business owners, anyone can mentor," Spells said. "They submit an application and a committee we formed reviews their application. During mentoring sessions, mentors will meet with two to three students at a time."

Spells said that students may attend all three hours of the program or they may choose which hours to sign up for.

"On Tuesdays grades four through eight are welcome to come for tutoring between the hours of 4 to 6 p.m., and they are welcome for the mentoring from 4 to 7 p.m.," Spells explained. "Grades nine through 12 can come for tutoring on Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. and tutoring from 4 to 7 p.m."

Spells noted that parents are required to drop off and pick up their children at the church.

"We have been putting the word out to all the schools," Spells said. "So far anyone who has called with interest has signed up. We will see how many students we can get in the next sessions."

Students can sign up in the principal's office of one of their school.

"This program serves to be a place where students can come and get help whether it be academic or social," Spells said. "We just want them to have a place where they can get additional resources."

The Community Bible Fellowship Church is located at 268 Cliffwood Ave.

Dates of MOST sessions are listed on the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District Web site. Visit www.marsd.org and click on community for more information.