While at Saturday School, middle school students use computers to foster reading, writing and math skills.

 It’s 8:30 Saturday morning, and the classrooms at Sherwood are not empty. Filling up the desks and classrooms are students of all ages, all there for one purpose: Saturday School.

The George B. Thomas Sr. Learning Academy has been in operation since 1986, starting from humble beginnings at the Housing Opportunities Commission in Olney to now operating in 12 locations across Montgomery County, including Sherwood.

Growing increasingly since 1986, when it only consisted of 21 students and 19 volunteers, the academy now serves 3,000 students.

Running October through May, Saturday mornings from 8:30-11:30, the program assists children, grades 1-12 in reading, language arts and mathematics. Certified teachers along with volunteer tutors work with students to assist them with any work they did not understand from the previous week of school. The program is used to reinforce what has been previously learned, to give a quiet place to work and to help students who may be struggling in a certain subject, all with the guidance of a teacher.

At Sherwood, the program is directed by Reginald Lewis. As center director, Lewis is the active force between Sherwood’s cluster schools and the academy. All students are encouraged to attend regardless of grade-point average. “There are no requirements to register for the Saturday school program [except for the $50 registration fee]. We are here to assist students in being successful academically,” said Lewis.

Although the program is held at Sherwood, not all the students who attend are from Sherwood. The younger children come from the cluster schools and some of the students in the high school program come from Blake, or have been home-schooled. Sherwood contributes approximately half of the 15 student tutors and five of the eight students in the high school program.

The program is broken down into a schedule starting with an assembly from 8:30-9:00, then tutoring in reading and language arts until 10:15, followed by tutoring in math until 11:30. In the high school section, students may obtain help on homework and use computers to do SAT prep, review grades and work on other assignments.

The program offers students the opportunity to both seek and give extra help. Students who tutor can earn Student Service Learning (SSL) hours. Students interested in tutoring should contact Tara Strain, the lead tutor trainer for the Sherwood center.

Senior Raymond Chan started tutoring for the program in eighth grade to gain SSL hours. Even so, after five years of hard work, he has grown committed to helping others, not for the hours, but for the cause.

“After tutoring at the program for a year, I realized how my help at the program made a big difference in the students that attended the program. I then decided from that point that tutoring at this program was more due to a feeling of satisfaction in seeing the students I tutor succeed and do well in school,” said Chan.

As a tutor, Chan assists the lead tutor, a certified teacher, to help students both in one-on-one situations and in small groups. Scholarships for $1,000 have been granted to seven graduating Sherwood tutors to date, making this program rewarding to both student and tutor.

Saturday School has earned respect from both Sherwood’s administration and counseling, evident from the school promoting it through counseling, handouts and information posted on the Sherwood website.

This program is available to all Sherwood students, though most choose to participate as tutors rather than as students. “This program does not get much publicity to the student population at Sherwood. Even if a message were to come up on the morning announcements … many students would probably ignore the fact that this program exists to help others because they feel that either they do not need it, or they feel like attending this program is too much work,” said Chan.

Ninth-grade administrator Terry Heintze has recommended this program to students in the past. During his time as a Rosa Parks Middle School Assistant Principal, Heintze would encourage participation in this program during parent-teacher conferences, both for struggling students and those who needed SSL hours. “It is a great opportunity and I would like to see more of our students take advantage of it,” said Heintze.