At this point in the school year, Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students are settling into their daily classroom routines. They have been adjusting to new teachers and the expectations set for them. While some kids look forward to a new, challenging class schedule; others may become overwhelmed. These are the students the LINKS Program offers extra support to.

LINKS receives volunteer requests from staff that range from volunteers needed to work with small groups of kids on math or reading to academic mentors to work one on one with a student who needs more focused support. Mentors help a student in one subject until the student feels comfortable with achieving success on their own. This can take months or it can be a short-term match. In both cases, students show improvement more quickly when they receive additional support. Students who participated in this program last year showed noticeable improvement and felt more confident about their ability to do well in school. They proved to themselves they can achieve better grades with the added support of a volunteer.

Several middle and high schools throughout the district have started lunchtime and after-school study programs. Many students voluntarily meet with a tutor to receive extra help in a particular subject. Math, science and English are among the most common request; however there can be more subject specific needs in the middle and high schools.

LINKS volunteers provide students the necessary support and the skills they need to work toward personal success.

Jane Todd, principal at Redmond High School (RHS), commented, “In total, RHS has benefitted from the time and expertise of 16 LINKS volunteers. These dedicated adults have assisted in high needs classrooms and have worked 1:1 with struggling students. The students not only improve their academic skills, and therefore their grades, they also extend their network of support. They begin to understand the power of service as well and may choose to emulate their adult tutor later in their own lives.”

LINKS depends on community support to fill the growing number of volunteer needs throughout LWSD. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, visit the LINKS website at: www.lwsd.org/links. To register for an upcoming volunteer orientation, email Nanci Wehr at nwehr@lwsd.org or call (425) 936-1410 for additional information.