1:44 p.m., Dec. 6, 2010----For the past several years, the Greater Newark Boys and Girls Club has offered one-on-one tutoring sessions for students in many disciplines. Recently, however, due to record numbers of students seeking help in mathematics, the need for qualified tutors has risen.

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According to volunteer coordinator Leslie McGowan, in the past, tutors who are comfortable helping with middle and high school math have been hard to find. This year the Math Club at the University of Delaware has stepped forward to help fill that void.

After becoming involved as a volunteer tutor at the Boys and Girls Club and recognizing the need for additional help, Michelle Cirillo, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, teamed up with McGowan and Math Club President Stacey Watro to recruit six UD math majors to tutor this fall.

The tutors, five of whom are secondary education majors, meet for one hour each week to work with students in grades 4-9.

McGowan observed that the benefits of tutoring are two-fold, particularly for the education majors. “Not only are they helping our members achieve academic success, but they are gaining valuable experience that will help them in their future endeavors,” she said.

McGowan said she is extremely grateful that volunteers like sophomore Carly Toth are helping the Boys and Girls Club's members achieve academic success.

Toth is finding the work to be rewarding and has enjoyed seeing the impact her efforts are having. She noted, “Last week the girl I have been tutoring told me she was doing something in class that we worked on, and she really understood it.”

Toth plans to continue tutoring for the organization in the spring.

To find out how to get involved with volunteer tutoring, contact Watro at [sawatro@udel.edu] or Cirillo at [mcirillo@math.udel.edu].