Monday, January 29,2001
AGGFELIFE
Page 5 A
THE BATTALION
Helping students succeed
HOSTS volunteers aid reading, mentor Bryan students
By Brooke Corso
The Battalion
The grade school years are a time when the
guidance and support of a special adult, be it a
kind teacher, a caring church elder or just a cool,
older kid who showed them the ropes is impor
tant to a child’s development.
Children need guidance to build a firm foun
dation of knowledge and self-confidence that
will bring success as they go to high school and
beyond. Help One Student To Succeed
(HOSTS) is a nationwide mentoring program
specifically designed to give children both aca
demic and emotional support.
HOSTS provides one-on-one mentoring en
tirely from volunteers to help children improve
their language skills. Bryan has nine elementary
schools that participate in the nationwide pro
gram, one of which is Milam Elementary school.
Mary Palomares, HOSTS coordinator at Mil
am, said there is not a minimum age requirement
for volunteering and high school and college
students are eligible to be
volunteers. Tutoring ses
sions are 30 minutes each
day, and can be held Monday through Thursday,
depending on the volunteer’s schedule.
At Milam, as with most other elementary
schools, 55 to 60 children are involved in the
program. Palomares said each child is given a
folder with materials prepared for his or her
reading mastery, skill level and age.
Since the meetings between mentor and stu
dent are one-on-one, the two can quickly estab
lish camaraderie and a productive relationship.
At Texas A&M, several colleges are offering
opportunities to become a HOSTS volunteer.
Marcy Spence, HOSTS coordinator for Crock
ett Elementary in Bryan, said the colleges of
business and education have classes either re
quiring community service or offering extra
credit for volunteering.
In the nine years the program has existed in
Bryan, many volunteers have remained, demon
strating the program impacts not only the stu
dents, but the volunteers as well.
Evan Epstein, a sophomore political science
major, has volunteered with HOSTS for the past
two years at Crockett. In his work with primar
ily second-graders, he focuses on helping them
read better. He learned of the HOSTS program
through HOSTS presentations to his Corps out
fit and through fliers.
Epstein said the feeling of
helping children and seeing them
KRISTI HINES/The Battalion
Case Copeland, a HOSTS volunteer and senior education major, reads yvith Billy Tennell, a
second grade student at Navarro Elementary School. q
progress is what has kept him involved with
HOSTS.
Molly Peck, a junior journalism major said
she found out about the program through her
then-sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. As public re
lations chair for the Diamond Darlings, she
signed up nine teammates to volunteer with
HOSTS this semester.
«
The children obviously
grow in confidence as the
semester goes on and
participate more in the
learning process as their
skills improve.”
- Molly Peck
HOSTS volunteer
Peck said she has worked as a HOSTS vol
unteer for four semesters and enjoys the chal
lenges offered to her in helping a child who may
be a little behind the others. Throughout each se
mester of meeting with a student, she has seen a
marked improvement in all of them.
“The kids will eventually move from picture
books to word books, and they will eventually
master all the vocabulary in their word
bank,” Peck said. “The children obvious
ly grow in confidence as the semester
goes on and participate more in the
learning process as their skills im
prove.”
The volunteers may have more to
gain through HOSTS than they origi
nally thought, said Spence. Singe
HOSTS is a national program, employ
ers from all over the country are aware
of the impact such a program has, and
they take notice on a potential appli
cant’s resume.
HOSTS has had an im
mense impact on Bryan’s
youngest students.
Testing is conducted year
ly throughout the HOSTS
program, and Palomares
said almost every child shows at
least a one or two year gain in his or her reading
level.
This progress has led to improvements in the
Milam Elementary program, Palomares said.
The 2000-01 school year saw the addition of
a smaller HOSTS program to improve students’
reading levels in Spanish.
Through the dedication of teachers and vol
unteers, HOSTS supports student’s needs, so that
each child receives the support and confidence
essential for success.
DiCaprio reveals
real middle name
ROME (AP) — What is in a
name?
If you are Leonardo DiCaprio,
it is the key to
the German her
itage of Italy’s
wandered-off na
tive son.
DiCaprio,
picking up one of
Italy’s Rudolph
Valentino film
awards Saturday,
revealed the hid
den W of his middle name.
Given his distinctly Italian
DICAPRIO
People in
name, the 26-year-old film star
told audience members, they
and everyone else know of his
Italian heritage through his fa
ther’s side.
But “what you probably don’t
know is my middle name: Wil
helm,” DiCaprio said.
That came from his mother’s
side, he said, speaking of sum
mers spent with his grandparents
in Germany as a child.
DiCaprio said he shared “the
overwhelming pride that we Italians
take in who we are,” but empha
sized he was proud of the “Wil
helm” in him as well.
So much so, he said, that he re
sisted agents’ recommendation
for a more American name at the
the News
outset of his career: Titanic star
“Lenny Williams?”
DiCaprio has been in Rome
since fall filming Martin Scorsese’s
Gangs of New York.
Comic strip artist
takes on Ventura
ST. PAUL (AP) — Both of Gov.
Jesse Ventura’s jobs get a playful
poke in the opening installment of
“VenturaLand.”
The comic strip debuted in the
Saint Paul Pioneer Press on Sun
day. it depicts Ventura broad
casting a football game for his
new employer, the XFL. He turns
to his partner and remarks, “that
tackle reminds me of a hold I
threw on the Hulk in ’85.”
The reply, to a visibly an
guished Ventura: “Governor, are
you any better at
your day job?”
The one-two
punch is meant
to convey how
people doubt
Ventura’s ability
every time the ex
wrestler takes on
a new role, said
Kevin Lenagh,
the free-lance artist who will draw
“VenturaLand” once a week.
Lenagh, 47, who said he vot
ed for Ventura and approves of
the job the governor is doing, ex
pects a backlash.
VENTURA
TAMU Career Center
w
IN $500!
-
WIN $500!
WIN $500!
Register with the Career
Center for on-campus
interviewing by Tues., Jan.
30 and you will be entered in
a drawing for one guy and one
gal to win $500 each!
-
Register on-line, or contact the Career
Center for more information: 209
Koldus, 845-5139.
http://careercenter.tamu.edu
THE WAY IT PLAYS OUT
TJTuesday - Texas Music Night
Monte Montgomery Live
Cover $ 5.00
^Wednesday - Open Night-Band TBA
Call 775-7735 for details
Tjrhursday - Debut of Plan B
Blues, Rock, Funk
Cover $ 4.00
TFriday - Texas Twisters
Classic Rock, Texas Music
Cover *5.00
TSaturday- MUlhouse
Cover *6.00
Where red musicians
201 W. 26th Street,
Downtown Bryan
play!
775-7735
GIRL’S SOFTBALL UMPIRES WANTED
Anyone interested in officiating girl’s fast pitch soft-
ball. Assignments are available Monday through
Saturday each week. Games are played from
February through November. Pay ranges from
$12.50 to $30.00 per game. Clinics, training, and
testing are provided for each official. For more
information call Mike Littlejohn at 776-5062, Terry
Hix at 693-2958 or Tony Scazzero at 778-0133.
ADULT SLOW-PITCH UMPIRES WANTED
Monday-Thursday 6:15-10:15 and weekends. Games
Feb. 19 - October. $8.00 to $ 12.00 per game. For
more information call Mike Littlejohn at 776-5062
or Terry Hix at 693-2958.
YOUTH BASKETBALL OFFICIALS WANTED
Monday-Thursday 5:45pm-9:15pm and Saturdays
from 9am-Noon. Games are Jan. 29th thru March
10th, 2 to 3 games per night.
For more info, call Terry Hix: 823-0742 ext. 549
Brothers Under Christ
A Male Christian Fraternity
"Behold how good and pleasant it is for
brothers to dwell together in unity."
Psalms 133:1
Rush Week Events
Mob 1/29 Open Meeting 7 pm @ the Grove
On campus between Cain Hall A
Albritton Bell Tower
Wed 1/31 Formal Meeting MSC 201
Check out our website for details
http ://byx. tamu.edu
or call: Zach Harlan 694-0456
or Brandon Lewis 694-0440
You are welcome to come out so that
We can all meet and fellowship with
Each other. Note: Only The Formal
Meeting Is Mandatory.
WWW.COMCHURCH.COM
Sundays 10:00am @The Hilton
Community lij
Church [pj
Try something new!
n MSC n
...is now taking applications for both hungry minds
and stomachs!
Satisfy your famished mind throughout the semester with
dynamic professors in a small, non-academic, relaxed
atmosphere. Students meet over dinner Sunday nights
three times a semester to discuss meaningful topics from
several disciplines. Inter
ested? For information and
an application, check out
our website, or visit MSC
223-I. Applications are due
Tuesday, January 30th.
Check out our website: conversations.tamu.edu
Email ceh2354@Iabs.tamu.edu with any questions,
To inform us of your special needs, call 845-8770 or stop by MSC 223-1.
fduc'A TPeirus
This award recognizes students for their outstanding contributions
to the quality of student life programs at Texas A&M.
All students are encouraged to apply for this award.
Leadership experience and
excellence in achievement.
Student life Is the other education.
Spirit Award applications now available:
On-line at wwwLAggieNetwork.com
Clayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center Reception Desk
President's Office, 8th Floor Rudder
Vice President for Student Affairs, 10rh Floor Rudder
Office of the Dean of each College
Office of Graduate Studies
Student Activities Office, Suite 125 Koldus Building
Multicultural Services Department, Suite 137 MSC
Commandant’s Office, 102 Military Sciences
MSC Student Programs Office, 216 & 223 MSC
Applications due February 15, 2001
at 5:00 p.m. to the Clayton W Williams Jr.
Alumni Center Reception Desk.
Questions? Please e-mail: SpiritAward@AggieNetwork.com
The Association'
OF FORMER STUDENTS