NATCHEZ — For students taking advantage of the Zion Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church tutoring program, school doesn’t end when the bell rings.

Through a ministry program organized and funded by church donors, Miss-Lou school children have access to tutoring focused on raising scores on state subject area tests and the ACT at 6 p.m. each Wednesday night. The program meets for an hour and a half each week.

Veteran educator and church member Patricia M. West said members of the church began noticing members of their congregation struggling with state level testing and college placement tests and wanted to offer their skills to help the children succeed.

“Parents and children both are anxious about the tests that are given,” West said.

West is now an English teacher in Vidalia Schools after retiring from the Natchez-Adams School District.

The program began three years ago with a focus on helping students with homework, but West said after spending time with the students, the tutors realized students needed more than just homework assistance.

“We could help them with their homework, but they needed more than with just one assignment,” West said. “They needed help understanding the lessons behind the assignment.”

Now the program focuses on English curriculum and math, with specialized tutoring available for other subjects. It is open to all Miss-Lou students in first through 12th grade.

West said because the majority of the participants have come from either NASD or the Vidalia Schools, the materials used in the tutoring program are in line with those curriculums.

West said it isn’t hard to see success stories in the group of students that have attended the program since its inception.

“We had one young lady that was a special needs student and after working with her over a period of time, she raised her ACT score from a nine to an 18,” West said. “For her and from where she started, that was magnificent.”

West said she has also had students, that after attending the program have been able to pass subject area tests they had failed once before.

She said that is the payoff for her and the other volunteers.

“I love teaching as do the people that work with me,” West said. “We saw the need, and as Christians we wanted to make a difference in the lives of these children.

“We know education, especially in a Christian environment, can be the start of a great change.”

For more information on the program, call 601-445-7270.