The journey to creating the East WING began as an idea. It was not a simple one, but Dr. Barton, Ms. Anderson, and every student involved in this project put every effort into making the tutoring center a brilliant place to work and learn. 

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After a lot of work and more than a few cups of coffee, the formerly addressed ‘WACC - Writing Across the Curriculum Center’ was opened, and the real fun began. When it first started, the East WING was a writing center only. Students could come in for help on a narrative or an essay, find a welcoming environment where everyone could learn the bare bones of writing, and create a jumping off point in English that would help them in the coming years. For several years it stayed only a writing center, but the students on the Leadership Team heard the calling of Etowah’s student body, and the East WING began tutoring subjects besides English as well. Math joined first, and opened the gates for all other subjects such as biology, environmental science, foreign languages, and more. To really understand the East WING’s importance, let us take a tour.

 

When you walk into the center, the first things you see are students. They’re working on homework, in a tutoring session, or simply enjoying an environment where every person in the school can feel welcome. Next, you might see a tutor. They could be helping a client finish revising an English paper, working out a tough calculus problem, or explaining the structure of a cell, but wherever you find them they are always working to take on new challenges in understanding and adapting to the way our students learn. After you see a tutor, you might catch a glimpse of a Leadership Team member walking around, making sure everything is in order. They are the knights in this small kingdom; they keep our center running and ensure the students are happy are cared for. Every one of these people, working together, have created an experience that none will ever forget - the East WING has created a family. 

 

Dr. Barton’s dreamed of creating a tutoring center with the idea that it would help students feel more confident in their writing, but it has become so much more. With Ms. Anderson’s support, what started as a writing center turned into a student-run tutoring extravaganza with multiple subjects collaborating to give students the kind of experience you would normally only find in college English departments. Through their hard work and dedication to this center, it has become more than the sum of its parts and turned into something able to be used and enjoyed by students for years to come.

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Sincerely,

The East WING team