Whether it’s a passion for the subject, a love for teaching or a connection with their former school, the opportunity to tutor younger students draws UHS students in time and time again. Student-led programs, both old and new, have made a large impact on their partner organizations at nearby middle schools.
Orchestra and Band
UHS Orchestra and Band students work closely with instrumental music students at Rancho San Joaquin Middle School (RSJMS), hosting regular sessions in which students work on their instruments one-on-one or in small groups.
The program is led by two groups, the Band Executive Council (BEC) and the Orchestra Student Organization (OSO). Junior and BEC Tutoring Coordinator Zhiyuan Zhu and sophomore and OSO Tutoring Coordinator Alan Hu work to ensure and improve a smooth experience for all participants.
“We kept the essence of the program from last year, which is having a schedule and . . . pairing a tutor on our tutor bank to a student who signed up,” Zhu said. “The main improvement we made was to release the schedule earlier, and we’re looking to accept more methods of communication.”
The pair also works closely with RSJMS Instrumental Music Director Kevin Homma to gather RSJMS students for each session, as well as attending themselves.
“We offer a ton of snacks for both the tutors and the tutees, and it’s kind of fun being able to give out snacks because everyone loves food,” Hu said. “That’s my favorite part.”
For many RSJMS students, the tutoring program provides an important gateway to learning a new instrument.
“The clarinet [has] a certain mouth position that you have to have when you’re playing,” sophomore and BEC Publicist Jasmine Chen said. “For beginners, it’s a different feel for everyone, but just with encouragement and giving . . . different things to try, [we can] work around that problem.”
By surmounting these challenges, students can contribute more to RSJMS’ ensembles as a whole.
“Tutoring is a great way to help these students get past . . . that fundamental barrier, and actually start making music so they can thrive more in the class,” sophomore Dominic Huang said.
In working alongside their tutors, the program hopes that younger students can form connections with older musicians.
“A lot of them are going to be a part of Uni’s music program,” Hu said. “It’s really inspiring to them . . . to know that there is someone that they can go to who has been at Uni, to help and support them along their music journey.”
Furthermore, UHS students found the process of tutoring to be personally rewarding.
“Usually when you volunteer . . . you don’t really see the person who’s receiving it,” sophomore Arianna Lai said. “But [with] tutoring, you directly see the impact that you have. It’s not just helping, it’s communicating.”
MATHCOUNTS
Each year, RSJMS sends twelve students to the MATHCOUNTS regional competition, where they are tested on their mathematical proficiency in speed, accuracy and teamwork. Throughout the year, groups of students work with UHS coaches to expand their mathematical knowledge and skills. Along with the competition curriculum, coaches encourage students to explore various sub-disciplines and problem solving techniques.
With biweekly meetings that last just two hours, the program’s after-school format compels coaches to consider their use of time carefully.
“For the first hour, because some students have extended PE, we usually have puzzles,” freshman Sophia Liu said. “For the second hour, when all the students can come, we typically present the slides we made and some practice questions.”
Coaches also consider differences in skill level in their planning, making content accessible and interesting to each student.
“There’s no student who already knows all of it because every single question requires a lot of creativity and ingenuity in solving them,” sophomore and MATHCOUNTS Head Coach Timothy Chen said.
Chen, who also coaches Science Olympiad at RSJMS, is part of a large group of coaches recruited via the UHS Math Club. Many of these coaches offer experiences as past MATHCOUNTS competitors themselves, influencing their decisions on the program’s organization.
“Last year, there were less presentations—mostly, we did practice tests—and I think I did not learn as much,” Liu said. “We usually [didn’t] have much time . . . [to] ask coaches about the questions we [had].”
As a result, UHS student coaches have worked hard to optimize an experience that students enjoy, supported by new teacher advisors for the 2024-2025 school year.
“I couldn’t ask for better advisors than Mrs. Gastelum and Mr. Sardo,” Chen said. “They consistently go above and beyond to ensure MATHCOUNTS runs smoothly, offering support in every aspect.”
Supported by an influx of new coaches, the MATHCOUNTS program has expanded to include around 50 RSJMS students.
“MATHCOUNTS has helped them appreciate and enjoy the experience of researching and learning something new, and I think that’s played a major role in helping students go further and explore the world,” Chen said.
Science Olympiad
UHS students mentor middle school students at both RSJMS and Vista Verde K-8 School in the Science Olympiad (SciOly) program. Students compete by taking exams on different scientific topics, or “events.” To help mentees prepare for invitationals and the annual regional and state competitions, UHS students host weekly sessions in small groups sorted by event.
“We usually start off with a short quiz to see what they know already, and that determines the pace for the rest of the hour,” Chen said. “We ask them questions, and it’s generally really fun and engaging.”
In an effort to improve the students’ skills, the program has made an effort to retain coaches well-versed in both science and the competition format.
“We had a meeting about how we wanted to recruit coaches because skill level was still an issue,” junior and organizer Sarah Xiong said. “So we made requirements [with] an application process this year.”
Xiong and Chen, who were both captains of Science Olympiad during their eighth grade years, felt naturally inspired to return as coaches.
“Starting from eighth grade, I was a captain of the Science Olympiad team,” Xiong said. “Through that, I had a connection with the . . . captain of the [UHS] Science Club program, and I think she saw how much I wanted to help with the program . . . By this year, it just naturally fell on me to organize the program.”
Ultimately, Chen found teaching to be a way to share his own science experience.
“Rancho showed me how fun and exciting competition science could be,” Chen said. “[Now,] it really makes my day when the audience participates a lot, when students ask questions or answer questions, and so I think one of the best ways to learn more science is to be engaged by it and to have a lot of fun.”
Through tutoring, UHS students have developed valuable skills as well as personal connections with students. As a result, the rise of tutoring programs has strengthened the sense of community between UHS and its partner middle schools.
