The Community Circle program has been off to slow start since it was first conceived in an Introduction to Social Work class two years ago.

“When we first started this program, the only members were two others and myself, but they are now gone,” said Jesus J. Reyes Jr., President of Community Circle.

Since then, Reyes has kept the organization and the call of Social Work alive by

Right now McCollum is the only school that Community Circle provides these services to, but they hope to expand to other schools in conjunction with the Harlandale Independent School District. “Our goal for this year, is to pick up membership,” said Reyes.

As of the moment, Community Circle is made up of four members including Reyes. Community Circle tutors meet at McCollum High School Monday through Thursdays from 7:40 a.m. to 8:10 a.m. or 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and even on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., to go over problems that students might find on the TAAS and other tests.

Not only do they help with academic problems, the tutors approach the work in a way to help alleviate the phobias that students have about school. Some students have a genuine fear of schoo, whether it be the emphasis on grades or a certain subject itself.

Members of Community Circle are eligible for scholarships of up to $200, which are awarded by the number of hours spent tutoring.

The scholarships are funded by the Si Se Puede scholarship, which is a special partnership between Palo Alto College and the Harlandale School District.

Before a student is considered for a tutoring position or the scholarship, Palo Alto College students must meet the following criteria: They must be a currently enrolled PAC students and be in good academic standing.

They must also have academic skills at or above English 1301 and Reading 0303 to tutor in the Language Arts and Social Studies area. Students must also be at Math 0303 and Reading 0303 levels to tutor in the Math and Science areas.

What makes Community Circle unique from most tutoring programs is the way tutors use their own life experiences to help dissuade students from making choices they might regret later.

Ericka Lopez, Theater Arts major at Palo Alto College and a Saturday morning tutor, said, “I was sitting and talking with this young guy and he started telling me how he wanted to get a job and quit school.” Lopez saw the student going down the same road she did when she was in high school.

“I told him that getting a job sounds like a good idea, but when you have kids and you’re working a minimum wage job you’re going to regret that you didn’t finish school.”

Lopez went on to tell him her story and how she regretted the choice she made: ”When you’re that age, I guess you think you know everything, and the last thing you want to hear is your parents say ‘Stay in school!” But when you hear it from someone who has lived it first hand, maybe you start to think differently. I know if I were in his position I would.”

Lopez’s advice must have worked, because the student said that he would hold off on getting a job.

For those with busy schedules, Community Circle is willing to work with schedules so that students may obtain all the hours needed to receive the Si Se Puede scholarship.

Reyes isn’t done yet. This program needs volunteers to help make a difference in high school students’ lives. In order to participate in the Community Circle program, students must complete an information sheet. This is available through Lillian Huerta, Service Learning Coordinator in the Student Center, Room 115. Her phone number is 921-5126. Students will then be referred to Dr. Pamela Hill, Dean of Extended Services.

Students can also get in touch with Reyes himself at Community Circle’s official e-mail address: communitycirc@hotmail.com