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July 16, 2003 "I had a great idea," said Sister Rose Garramone, OSF. The great idea was to provide low-cost tutoring to high school students, like those she'd worked with as a Bishop Grimes High School administator. "Oftentimes tutoring expenses are difficult for parents," she said. "And a lot of our young people need that today." That initial idea evolved as Sister Garramone considered the various needs in the community among people of all ages. "I thought somewhere down the line to someday make a place where people could at least afford it, to be able to provide various services and also help young people who may have particular learning problems or just simply need study skills." With a lot of hard work and support, the Pen & Pages Franciscan support, the Pen & Pages Tutorial Center opened Sept.26th, 1988. Located at 1118 Court St. in Syracuse, the center is housed in the former two- year Maria Regina Girls' College, which closed in June 1988. As director and building administator for Pen & Pages, Sister Garramone facilitates all aspects of the tutoring service, adult literacy program, scheduling, meets with parents and students and handles other administrative tasks. She also tutors. Ten sisters and two lay people perform secretarial, office, and teaching duties. Many donated their time. "This place was originated in the spirit of St. Francis and Mother Marianne. St. Francis is our community patron. He had a great attitude of risking and caring for people. Mother Marianne was one of our sisters who went to work with the lepers on Molokai, Hawaii many years ago. And that too, at that time, was a tremendous risk," Sister Garramone said. "We have particular devotion to St. Francis, to minister in education for youth and adults, and it's a response to help the poor and the marginized." Since Pen & Pages opened, many new projects have been added in response to changing times and needs. Over the years its mission has expanded to include programs for children with learning disabilities, SAT enrichment courses, adult literacy, computer training, preparing for high school diplomas and GEDs, academic and testing services, tutoring grades 1-12 students for special needs or just for additional enrichment tutoring, and tutoring in reading, writing, math, the sciences, English, languages and language arts. BOCES External Diploma Program also has an office here. "We've had speech classes here. At one time, we even had children's drama classes, but our main focus is literacy, reading and writing, and math," Ssiter Garramone said. "There are many adults who weren't able to finish high school for various reasons. Many young people, at some point in their lives, feel they want to quit school. Then, after they've been out there a little bit, want to return. "There are some very poor people who couldn't afford to learn reading and writing," she continued. "Without these skills, adults can't get jobs. Young people can't succeed if there's a weakness in their educational background." Startling statisics bear this out. According to ILLITERATE AMERICA by Jonathan Kozol, of eight million unemployed adults, four to six million lack the skills to be retrained for h-tech positions. "We've had three or four older people with dsylexia, which wans't diagnosed years before because no one knew then. If someone misbehaved or had a learning disability, it was attributed to other factors: bad eyes, not paying attention, or laziness." Said Sister Garramone, "They all have a right to make their lives OK." Unless someone suffers from a severely hampering disability, the usual course of action at Pen & Pages is to determine the person's skill level and then help from there, if requested. Or they're taken to the level where they feel comfortable. There's no pressure, no contractual obligation. People of any faith, background, or none, are welcome to the service. Referrals come not only from Catholic churches and schools, but from counselors and local service and business agencies. Pen & Pages is a non- profit organization. Fees vary for clients depending on the age and grade levels. "We do help those who cannot afford it," said Sister Garramone. "Agreements are made with me individually. We've never had to refuse anyone." Three years ago, Garramone started the Support A Student Fund. "We'd love to go out to big organizations, but the money's a problem. Every couple of years we solicit the help of our friends and anyone'll that help us financially." A plaque hanging in the hall names those who have donated. The daily schedule varies. But generally, regular tutoring hours are held after school, from 3-5:30 pm., Monday-Friday. Saturday morning sessions run until 12:30 pm. The regular academic year runs from October to June. Since many adults work and can't always attend at regular times, the center strives to provide a convenient schedule for them. Summer sessions run from July 6-29. Pen & Pages has no immediate plans for drastic change; every space in the center's building is fully utilized. However, classrooms will be divided and upgraded to allow for more working space for the teachers. "It's not a great, expensive project," Sister Garramone pointed out. "It'll be just enough to facilitate our work." Pen & Pages is not a typical tutoring center, said Garramone. "This is a place where we really care about people and help them to help themselves. We respect them, who they are, and what they're looking for, especially the adults. We want people to feel okay about coming and being here." ------------ Email Patricia Jacobs: Patj25@yahoo.com Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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