Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy junior Rachel Maples started a tutoring program at the middle school after noticing her younger brother and some of his friends struggling with math. She started the program as a freshman, and hopes it will continue after she graduates.

“I like teaching math because when I was in middle school, I had some trouble with math, and I think I would have really benefited from someone coming in and helping me,” Maples said.

Once a week during their lunch, Maples and her two friends, Brooke Christy and Sophie Rosenberg, go to the middle school to tutor. Maples said they typically have eight or nine middle schoolers regularly attend the sessions.

Tracy Grady, the middle school counselor, said when Maples was in middle school she was often considered the “go to” person for her classmates to ask for extra help or guidance if the teacher was unavailable. Maples was always willing to help, she added.

Carmin Rich had Maples, Christy, and Rosenberg in her middle school math class, as well as Maples’ younger brother. She said she’s been working closely with the “tutoring girls,” as they have been dubbed by the students, and has seen improvements in students who go to tutoring. 

“I can always go to Rachel and just say, ‘Hey, I need for you to work on this and this with this student,’ and she’s like, ‘I got it.’ That’s all I have to say to her. It’s wonderful,” Rich said. “Sometimes I give her some worksheets and she does a really good job, and now that student’s caught up, and we’re good to go.”

Rich acknowledged that math isn’t for everyone. She said Maples is able to reiterate things differently that may click better for some students. She also said working with someone who is closer to them in age helps, and can create a good bond between the younger and older students. 

Since Maples is graduating in a year, she said she plans to get younger students involved to continue tutoring after she leaves. Rich said she’s very excited about that and hopes she can work with Maples to find other people to take her place. 

Right now, there is no official oversight of the tutoring program, Rich said. The girls usually use her classroom and materials, and the math teachers check in on them. Rich said official oversight from the school might be something they look into in the future.

Rich and Grady commended the girls for their dedication and eagerness to helping the younger students, especially while juggling their own busy schedules.

Rich described all three of the girls involved as very kind, helpful, and gentle. Grady said their dedication is “remarkable.”

“Although the students they tutor may change, Rachel, Brooke and Sophie are always there, even while managing their own rigorous schedules,” Grady said. “In middle school, I often talk about doing the right thing even when no one is watching. These young women embody that principle. They saw a need in their community and chose to make a difference. Their selflessness and commitment make them true Saints, and an incredible gift to our school community.”