Each day of the week after Oct. 1, students will have the opportunity to sign up through their DEN portal to study in the Timber Teach section of the library. Timber Teach is a student led organization that was created last year with the central goal to project a stress free zone of innovated students who get together and problem solve. The head of the Timber Teach department, Chris Young, is starting off the year strong with a group of over 80 recruited juniors and seniors available for tutoring within the core classes of Math, Science, Social Studies and English.

“The response has been overwhelming, and I am humbled by our students’ positive spirit and sincere desire to help others,” Young said. “Our Timber Teach student-leaders have formed together to create solutions to the school’s most pressing problem: student stress. The goal is to make sure that any student who is serious about using DEN to cut down on homework and improve the quality of their educational experience is supported.”

After a class lesson, some students have trouble retaining the information they were taught. Within Timber Teach, students are granted with help in their areas of need during the school day and without having the trouble of paying for one on one tutoring outside of school. Senior Dean Torkelson has seen positive results come from the program.

“Last year, we only had 5-10 kids come in for tutoring on any one day, but I think that we definitely helped them out in understanding their coursework,” Torkelson said. “Most of the time, all the tutor needs to do is explain the concept in a way that makes sense as a student, as sometimes the teacher’s plans don’t quite translate into comprehension on the student’s behalf.”

Upperclassmen like Senior Miranda Van Doren are new to Timber Teach and are contributing to the organization.

“I wasn’t in Timber Teach last year,” Van Doren said. “Last year was the first time it was implemented on this campus, so it was just beginning to take shape. This year, however, I think the experience from its trial year will definitely be useful. It will mean that we have a framework to build off of, and we can fine-tune some areas.”

Timber Teach is continuing to strengthen its program with a sturdy staff of tutors and students who are seeking resolutions to their challenges within the classroom. If students are interested in joining the program to help tutor in a certain subject, they can contact Young or talk to one of the tutors.

“We are always on the lookout for new talent, so students should feel free to apply to join our efforts at any time,” Young said. “Foreign Language is an area of need, and I’m open to anyone who can envision ways to include support for elective coursework.”