Photo by Christopher Stanek ’19 | Students work in the new Resource Learning Center. The center is overseen by Mrs. Kristen Venberg.

By Chris Stanek ’19

THE ROUNDUP

This year, Brophy has opened up an Academic Resource Center on campus to provide aid for students that need assistance with their studies.

This Academic Resource Center, also known as the Learning Resource Center (LRC), can provide a quiet place for students to study, to get tutoring, receive extra assistance, or make up a missed test or quiz.

Mrs. Kristin Venberg, the learning resource coordinator, has taken a leading role over this new operation.

Mrs. Venberg serves to watch over all the activities and help administer a safe and quiet environment for the students.

“Right now we have a testing center and a learning center. Our goal later in the semester is to open up a tutoring center for all students to all subjects,” Mrs. Venberg said.

The new center is not to absorb the other tutoring programs on Brophy, like PEN, but rather provide a place where all subjects can be covered.

“This new tutoring center is going to a partnership between the other tutoring programs so that students can come to us when confused and also go to the other programs as well,” Mrs. Venberg said.

However, Mrs. Venberg is not the only staff member in this new resource center.

Mr. Theo Baravura is also assisting in the LRC and he believes that the Academic Resource Center is going to be a very important part in helping students.

“I work as a academic support coordinator and I work with students who may have academic challenges and disabilities or students that have academic probation,” Mr. Baravura said.

Mr. Baravura said that he is very happy to be working alongside these students and believes that every student can make a change in their academic career.

“The cool experience of the position is that you get to see the academic and social side to every student and it’s all about helping someone out and leading them to success,” Mr. Baravura said.

A new part of the Academic Resource Center that Mrs. Verberg and Mr. Baravura are excited about is that students with learning disabilities can now get assistance with their subjects.

“An example of a student that needs academic assistance due to a disability would be students with dyslexia,” Mrs. Venberg said. “With our center, those students can listen to audiobooks instead of reading so that they understand the information better.”

Axel Mendiola ’19 uses the LRC to develop his time management and study skills.

“The ARC has helped me stay on track with my academics by having Mr. B and Mrs. V as mentors,” Mendiola said. “They make sure I keep up with my classes, and they help me catch up if I do fall behind.”