With the 2025 school year, there have been several changes with school happenings, such as new teachers, a new parking policy, a new phone policy and so on. One of these changes is a new program, lunch tutoring.

The Lunch and Learn tutoring program came from English teacher Julie Gaumer. She wanted to make a program that allowed students to make the most out of their school day.

“Kiwana’s president, Josh Hopper, came to me and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got some funds through the Kiwana’s organization where we want to make a difference in our community,'” Gaumer said. “Specifically in student leadership, we want to impact our children in a positive way.”

After that discussion, Gaumer pitched the idea of an in-school tutoring program to former LHS English teacher Josh Bault. She worked on this idea over the summer and created a team of students to work with others and give them a space if they need extra instruction or help.

“We realized students need an incentive,” Gaumer said. “Positive and negative consequences are what make us stay motivated.”

The tutoring program, primarily led by Key Club members, gives students a chance to support their peers, as well as earn credits for their club.

“It gives me volunteer hours for Key Club, so that’s pretty nice,” senior Saylor McClain said. “But honestly, I just really like helping other people.”

English teacher Elizabeth Berlet finds the program very beneficial for both parties involved.

“I think that both the tutors and the students in the tutoring are getting the opportunity to work as a team and develop teamwork skills, become better communicators with one another,” Berlet said. “Both individuals are picking up responsibility, and there’s also the fun little incentive at the end where they can potentially win some gift cards while working on their grades.”