Peyton Moro loves helping people. As a senior National Honor Society student tutor at Pascack Valley, Moro has found tutoring through the Think Tank program to be rewarding, not only for herself but for her NHS tutor peers and the students coming in for help as well.

PV’s Student Family Resource Liaison Dr. Steven Myers and the PV Wellness Center instituted the Think Tank program to provide a quiet and peaceful setting necessary for completing homework.

Think Tank operates after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3 to 4 p.m. in Ms. Tina Marchiano’s room.

NHS members, as well as a supervising teacher, run the program. Students have the choice whether they want a student peer to assist them with their homework or would prefer asking a present supervising teacher for help.

“One of the things I thought about was how comfortable a senior might be going in to work with another senior peer,” Myers said. “I think that has to do with individual preference. Then again, you have a teacher and you also have students so you have the choice of who you would want to work with.”

Think Tank was instituted in September and at first, a number of students would show up to each session and found it to be beneficial. However, as the months progressed, there was a decline in the number of students who took advantage of this opportunity.

Recently, Myers has found that many kids are being referred by their guidance counselors to participate in the program. The problem is that many kids forget to show up.

According to Myers, students tend to race home after school and often do not get their homework done. They may procrastinate or be too distracted to focus on their assignments.

“Think Tank provides a place for kids to get their work done and stay on track,” he said. “You have to recognize that many kids get a lot of homework and need a place to do their homework with no distractions. This program eliminates some of the distractions you may have when you get home.”

The student tutors also note how valuable this program is for the students.

“I helped a senior in math and I gave him a lot of tips on how to break down the math which made it easier for him,” Moro said. “I think he has really benefitted from that.”

The Think Tank program is open to all PV students, regardless of grade level. It has been evident, however, that the majority of students coming for help have been freshmen.

“These students are dealing with the transition from middle school to high school and kids are not always ready for that,” Myers said.

Think Tank is just as beneficial for the student tutors as it is for the students coming in for help.

“I know when I looked at them the other day, a NHS student who was working with a freshman really looked like he was enjoying it,” Myers said. “To be honest, the best way to learn anything is by teaching it to someone.”

Moro offered her personal opinion based on experience tutoring for the Think Tank Program.

“It feels good to give back to the community because I’ve always been helped by older people,” Moro said. “I wanted to help people and tutor them. It’s just a great way to volunteer and help people in my school.”

Moro further explained how worthwhile the program has been for her, personally, as a NHS student.

“We can all have equal opportunities to help instead of having to sign up for tutoring one person,” she said. “Now we can help as many people as we want in that hour of the Think Tank. It feels good.”