MARIETTA - Last year, two Kell High School students started a tutor/mentor program for English for Speakers of Other Languages students at Chalker Elementary School.

Sunday Scholars, the brainchild of Kell junior Nick Barker and senior Bryant Marquis, was successful in its first year in a number of areas. Not only did some of the Chalker ESOL students who were tutored pass their Criterion Reference Competency Test, but the program also received the bronze Presidential Volunteerism Award for 2008.

Sunday Scholars is conducted at Chalker Elementary School every other Sunday. In the program, one Kell student is paired up with one Chalker ESOL student for the school year, and together the duo uses the media center and gym as resources to work on subjects in which the student needs to improve. This year, parents can also attend an English class while their children are being tutored at the school.

"We get to use the media center, which is great because we have access to all the books and computers. We also use the gym to play games that are related to math, or to help them study," said Kim Barker, Nick's mother. "We have to do a lot of repetition and this makes it a little more fun."

Kim Barker, an ESOL teacher at Chalker Elementary, advises the Kell tutors on subject areas in which the Chalker students need to improve.

"I'm very familiar with the students' curriculum and I know each one of them personally. I also work closely with their classroom teachers. Together, we know the areas they need to work on, projects that are due and tests they'll need to study for," she said. "I think it's really great that they're learning how to take advantage of resources, learning to budget their time and how to study and complete projects. I think the program helps them because they may not get the support at home."

Chalker ESOL students who have attended Sunday Scholars have shown improvements beyond passing the CRCTs, said Chalker Principal Dr Carla Jones.

"Our students have really benefited from the program, scoring higher grades overall and exhibiting confidence in their classrooms. It is our hope that all of our students will graduate from high school and be able to continue on in their education if they desire. Tutoring and mentoring from role models like these is priceless, because it allows these children to see up close what they can become in the future," she said.

The program has also been valuable to its tutors.

"The work that the high school tutors are doing not only helps the community, but it supports their learning of standards from the high school curriculum. This service learning experience can be applied to many different course requirements including foreign language, psychology and career tech classes," Kim Barker said.

Barker and Marquis said they decided to form Sunday Scholars last year because they wanted to give back to their former elementary school.

"We've lived in this community all of our lives, and we are very thankful for the incredible support we've had from elementary on up. It just seems like the right thing to do, to go back to where we began at Chalker to help out kids in our community," Marquis said.

Nick Barker said the school's vision inspired him to form the program.

"Every morning at Chalker during the announcements we heard the school's vision, 'to spark wonder, dream dreams and become more than ever imagined.' I realize now that teachers, administrators and our parents made that vision a reality for is, and it feels great to see our vision for Sunday Scholars growing beyond what we ever imagined," he said.

When Sunday Scholars was formed last year, Kell High School students quickly jumped on board the project, with 35 students logging 300 hours of tutoring at Chalker Elementary. The program is off to a good start again this year, with 25 Kell students volunteering their time last Sunday to tutor 21 Chalker students.

Nick Barker said the success of Sunday Scholars is astounding.

"We really thought the first year would be a little bumpy and we would be trying to get on our feet. To come out of the first year and get an award is amazing. We never thought we would get this far this quick," he said.

The program has been such a sensation at Chalker Elementary School that other schools are now considering incorporating the program at their school, Nick Barker said.

Sunday Scholars is hoping to secure a corporate sponsor this year to purchase additional equipment, and so students with disabilities can attend the program, Nick Barker said.

For more information on Sunday Scholars, call Chalker Elementary School at (678) 494-7621 and ask for Kim Barker.