Tiger Club

Program Overview

Bush Elementary School, a public school serving approximately 250 students, is a neighbor of Willamette University. Thirty-two percent of Bush Elementary students are enrolled in English as a Second Language programs, and 84 percent are enrolled in the free or reduced cost lunch program. The school continues to lose federal funding each year as its enrollment drops. With the loss of its after-school academic enrichment programs and Community Service Learning Coordinator in 2007, Bush Elementary School sought the assistance of Willamette University student volunteers to help tutor and mentor its students. The Tiger Club, the primary program of the Bush Elementary Mentoring and Tutoring Program, was established to provide tutoring through a structured curriculum to boost students' understanding and academic achievement.

Approximately 50% of Bush Elementary students are identified as students in need of Tiger Club's academic intervention. During the 2008-2009 academic year, 60 Willamette University students volunteered as in-class teaching assistants and after-school program volunteers. Twenty-eight Willamette University students served as tutors for the 44 elementary children who were enrolled in the program. Due to the low student-to-volunteer ratio at Tiger Club, each Bush Elementary student participant receives personalized attention not always available in a normal classroom setting. This opportunity for individual attention enables Tiger Club tutors to address students' specific reading and math difficulties in a positive way so that students do not fall further behind.

The Tiger Club after-school program runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. For more information on becoming a Tiger Club volunteer, please email bushelementaryvolunteer@gmail.com.

Tiger Club Coordination Team

Colin Schilling, Tiger Club Coordinator
cschilli@willamette.edu

Katie Hendricks, Tiger Club Assistant Coordinator
khendric@willamette.edu