To serve as a tool for students to improve their schoolwork, new opportunities to utilize the library are now being offered.

The new after-school peer tutoring program serves as an opportunity for students to improve on subjects they are struggling with.

“I do notice it’s a lot of kids that either do not want to go home and study or they prefer to study somewhere outside of their home,” Library Office Specialist Lizbeth Guiterrez-Juarez said. “I’ve heard a lot of students say that they feel in a way that they’re still in the classroom but learning from someone who is really in their shoes.”

Peer tutoring presents as an opening for clubs to earn volunteer hours while having the chance to connect with other students through teaching.

“The idea came to life because it was originally Ms. Shiman who had the idea with this,” peer tutor Hannah Pham said. “It was [announced] to the clubs for volunteer experience, but we do like helping all the students as well.”

The new program offers a wide range of subjects and is actively looking for more tutors.

“Right now, we have English, AP U.S History, World History, Math, all types of math, Spanish and some CTE classes and then as well as computer science,” Pham said. “Everyone can apply to become a peer tutor. You just have to come to the library and talk to the people there and they’ll let you know how you can join.”

With the new after-school program being available for students to improve their academics, it has gained traction among the student body.

“I [currently] struggle in one of my classes and I went to my counselor and provided me the option to [attend] peer tutoring,” freshman Kelly Wang said. “If we don’t understand what the teacher is explaining to us, maybe somebody that’s in our age range would tell us in a simpler way.”

Alongside the new peer tutoring program comes an improved use of the library space for classes.

“It’s a quiet, calm atmosphere and then you have a history class, so they have all these historical resources, whether that be the book, whether that be digital,” Social Studies teacher Vincent Thur said. “Also, it was nice to have two teachers in there because then we could co-teach and support each other and I found my students were really responsive to hearing another voice.”

With the library open to classes, it allows students to become productive in their work.

“I feel relieved that [we can utilize this space] because I think the library is a really nice, calm area to work in,” sophomore Gianna Francisco said. “I just like to focus there more and it did help me become more productive because I got more alone time. The space is more quiet and calm. I work better in environments like that.”

The library gains the comfortability of its students and hopes to gain more materials to ramp up its utilization even more.

“Students are getting comfortable with the space and with me, so I think the library is growing,” librarian Michelle Zamora said. “I just wrote a grant for a 3D printer so hopefully I’ll get it and everybody can use it, not just the people who are in certain classes.”