Page 20 August 2014 By Alessandra Dagirmanjian Hands On, a nonprofit in Arizona that works toward connecting volunteers with opportunities to serve their community, takes a unique approach toward improving education, with its program Your Experience Counts (YEC). Developed in 2009, YEC has brought 106 volunteer mentors to 20 Title I schools in several districts of Arizona — including three schools just south of Arcadia — where they act as assistants to teachers and mentors to students from third to sixth grade. YEC is different from many other educational programs though, because it focuses on attracting volunteers ages 50 and older to classrooms in the multiple school districts, in an effort to bring experience and professionalism to students from low- income families. Former teacher and program manager, Michael Beardslee, trains YEC mentors for three days and pairs them with their classrooms. He first reaches out to superintendents and principals, who decide whether their schools can effectively use the program and then works with teachers to determine what aspects of students’ education they wish to improve upon, so he can provide them with suitable volunteers. Beardslee has found that YEC’s focus on retired adults as volunteers has led to the program’s success. Since volunteers are excited about the opportunity to work with young children, and are usually Your Experience Counts brings mentoring to students free during school hours, they are able to bring both passion and focus to their teaching. Beardslee said that students and volunteers are able to connect with each other, because the students are excited to interact with adults who have interesting professional backgrounds. “Some of these children need healthy adults in their lives that are setting a positive example, affirming them and calling out their strengths. We call it academic mentoring, because we realize that the relationship (between the student and the volunteer) is the most important part,” said Beardslee. Beardslee said volunteers enjoy being YEC volunteer Bonnie with a student eager to learn. part of YEC because they have the opportunity to act as role models to young children, and share their experience. He has even had volunteers working with the same teacher for seven years. Teachers have acknowledged the success of the program, because they find that the individual attention the mentors can provide their children is invaluable. “I have a student in my classroom who has always struggled with reading comprehension. Part of the problem is a lack of focus and engagement. Having the YEC member sitting by him during direct instruction, teamwork and independent practice greatly encouraged him to stay focused and participate,” said a third grade teacher from Mesa. YEC hopes to gain even more volunteers to continue serving its various school districts. Mentors do not need teaching experience to participate; instead, YEC asks that volunteers are willing to share their knowledge and act as caring mentors to young children. To find out more about YEC and how you can help, go to: yourexperiencecounts. org. live love arcadia earn $50 read details and fine print at giantscottsdale.com under “pay it forward” this summer, don’t dread the heat... love it! the higher the temperature, the greater the discount! save storewide! see complete details about our summer promo (and other awesome deals) at giantscottsdale.com PMS 267 C 2902 N. 68th St. (68th st. and Thomas) 480-773-7706 widest selection of Giant bikes open 7 days a week family friendly & locally owned

Page 21 August 2014 3641 N. 56th Street, Phoenix • 480-945-9537 • www.popphoenix.org Northeast corner of 56th St. and Indian School Time to “Heat Up” Your Faith Life SUMMER SUNDAY WORSHIP AT 9:30A.M. Prince of Peace Preschool features: · Developmentally appropriate learning activities · Christian emphasis in curriculum · Loving, caring and experienced staff www.poppreschool.com It ' s Back To School Time at Prince of Peace PRESCHOOL STARTS THURSDAY, AUGUST 7 Registered families are invited to our Meet-the-Teacher Open House on Tuesday, August 5 from 9-11a.m. JCL.com/practices We’re here for you Right around the corner, you’ll find three primary care practices, giving you easy access to family medicine physicians and services. Whether you need to be seen right away for a cold or flu, or you want to schedule your regular checkup, we’re nearby and ready to help. Call today. shc.org/primarycare Affiliate of Scottsdale Lincoln Health Network Arcadia Family Clinic 4131 N. 24th Street, Suite B102 602-955-6632 Primary Care Arcadia 100 4840 E. Indian School Road, Suite 100 480-882-7360 Primary Care Arcadia 101 4840 E. Indian School Road, Suite 101 480-882-7350 • Accepting new patients • Same day appointments • Most insurance plans accepted • Extended office hours Need a Doctor? By Sarah Stecko Ingleside Middle School has created a futuristic math center to reach one of their top goals: Improve the students’ performance in math. “We have to get the kids more interested in math and make them more engaged,” said Chad Caudle, principal. According to Caudle, making a difference in the middle-schoolers’ lives was the inspiration for expanding on the math lab last March. Some of the technological additions include a Smart Board, or an interactive whiteboard and two flat screen TVs with Apple TV, so students can contribute to math-related games and trivia via iPads. All of the latest technology, also including the class set of iPads, laptops and other math manipulatives that enable hands-on learning, was purchased without using any money from the school budget. The $20,000-$25,000 innovation was funded by three grants, Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) donations and fundraisers. Ingleside already has found many uses for the math lab, such as creating the Math Discovery elective that students can choose as one of their two math electives per semester. Moreover, there will be open-lab hours during lunch, similar to the previously used “Math Masters Program,” where students use the district’s program called “Success Maker” to practice skills. Those who spend a substantial amount of time doing these personalized lessons are awarded the chance to play dodgeball with the principal. Teachers can also benefit by signing their classes up for lab time and checking out materials. The walls of the room are almost completely lined with whiteboards, which allows for 30 students at once to write comfortably at the board. “We want to be a model for other schools, and other teachers can come use the new technology and applications,” Caudle said. “Our goal is to support the whole district and eventually partner with universities and community colleges.” Math lab inspires learning Ingleside students engage in various math manipulatives or games to help grasp concepts.