Free After School Tutoring. Math Lab. And now, a Literacy Center.

Located in the back of the school Library, the Literacy Center is the newest addition to the growing line of student support programs here at MHS. It provides a comfortable space for students to obtain homework help, feedback on their writing and even a second opinion on that college essay.

“It was really an all-staff effort to figure out how we could use [it],” said Sarah Menas, a member of the Literacy Center team. “The goal is to provide school-wide support for literacy.”

A graduate of Miami University in Ohio, Menas majored in Secondary English Education and eventually served as a substitute teacher at Addison High School last year before accepting the job at MHS.

Menas is joined in the Literacy Center by Hope Babowice, a writer for The Daily Herald newspaper.

“I hope that students will gain [from the Literacy Center] a confidence to ask for extra proofreading help because that’s something that they’ll need to take with them into college and beyond,” said Babowice. “I [also] hope that they gain confidence in being a writer.”

The Literacy Center is open from 7 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. during the week, including lunch. Those with off periods are welcome to stop by any time for help or guidance with school work.

“Whenever our students need us, we’ll try and be there,” said Menas.

This, according to Sophomore Liam Welch, is exactly what some students like most.

He said that he liked “that there’s always someone to help you” in the Literacy Center.

Even when there are many students present, Menas and Babowice attempt to make each student a priority and ensure that everyone is helped.

Welch went to the Literacy Center for assistance on an English essay and was not disappointed with the help he received.

“They helped me structure my essay,” he said, citing that as the most beneficial piece of support he received.

Likewise, Senior Briana Ceniceros sought out the Literacy Center for support on her economics assignment. There, she received help analyzing and incorporating a class article into her assignment.

“They helped break down [the article] so that I could understand it,” Ceniceros said.

At the core of this new advancement are English Department Chair Diane Covert and Director of Curriculum Stacey Gorman.
“Stacey Gorman…was instrumental in the creation of the Literacy Center,” Covert said in e-mail. “She saw how successful the Math Lab had become and thought our students needed the same assistance with their reading and writing.”