The school year is beginning. Dread it. Run from it. The first day always arrives, and I, for one, never feel quite ready. And that’s okay. If there’s one valuable lesson I’ve learned in all my years at Memorial, it’s that there’s a lot of people who are ready to help you when you’re struggling.

The first and most obvious candidates are your counselors and psychologists! Try to arrange a meeting with them early in the year just to get to know them, if you can. They’re here to help you! Counselors can be invaluable in figuring out how to set up and sort out your schedule, working out conflicts, or even discussing personal issues. Information about your Counselor and other staff at Student Services can be found here.

While your counselors can provide a lot of emotional and logistical help, sometimes you might end up struggling more academically—that’s where tutors and Student Services come in! We have a couple of academic assistance programs here at Memorial:

• Achievement Connections is specifically for math, and caters to Algebra and Geometry students. The coordinators will match you with either a peer tutor—another student confident in the subject—or a volunteer tutor from outside of the building.
• Peer tutoring is also available through Student Services for all subjects. Put in a request if you want some help, or sign up to help out other Spartans!
• For students struggling with Chemistry, the Memorial Chemistry Club offers tutoring during lunch in the science wing. More details to come when we get back in the building.

Your teachers are also great people to ask for help. Be sure to take full advantage of flex time to check in if you have any questions or just need more work time on something. Your peers are also there for you to lean on, though admittedly it can be harder to ask for help from another student than from a teacher. We all want you to succeed!