Sylvan opens tutoring center on Tunica-Biloxi reservation

As part of an educational partnership between Sylvan Learning and the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe, a tutoring center for area students has been opened at the tribe’s Cultural and Educational Resource Center (CERC) in Marksville.

The Sylvan Learning Center of Marksville will have its grand opening at 2 p.m. Thursday (March 30), complete with a Marksville Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony. There will also be a tour of the tutoring area, refreshments and games.

There will be demonstrations for students and their parents.

Officials with Sylvan and the tribe are scheduled to speak at 3:30 p.m. The center will remain open to the public for tours, instruction, observation and robotics and Algebra Edge demonstrations until 6 p.m.

The Sylvan center will offer tutoring services for students in grades K-12 and College Prep, Edge and STEM courses.

The tutoring center is open to tribal and non-tribal students. Tribal families will receive a discount in exchange for use of the tribe’s site for the center. The discount will be based on overall enrollment.

The base rate for tutoring for non-tribal students is $47/hour.

“Sylvan is about more than just making a grade,” Sylvan CEO Thomas Harmeyer said. Harmeyer is the administrator for the centers in Alexandria and Marksville. “Sylvan serves the particular needs of each student, personally, one at a time,” he continued. “With state-of-the-art learning tools and personal attention, we reawaken the joy of learning so a child can thrive and grow to become anything they want to be.”

Harmeyer said there are currently 40 students enrolled at the Marksville center, with students from across the parish and even a few from neighboring parishes.

A local Sylvan Learning Center lowers the barriers of distance, time and expense to those in need and provides an important resource to help children succeed in school, Harmeyer said.

The new location is the first Sylvan Learning Center to serve this area, helping students successfully bridge educational gaps and achieve academic success.

The partnership is a key piece of the Tribe’s Education Program and will allow area students the ability to gain access to Sylvan’s tutoring services.

“Education resources are limited in rural Avoyelles Parish,” Tribal Chairman Joey Barbry said. “To help our tribal children stay in school, perform well and graduate, we needed access to tutors. We are fortunate that Sylvan was willing to come here and help our tribal children and the community at large with their services. “We are thrilled we’re able to provide them with a space that will be open to everyone.“

Harmeyer said the Sylvan-Tribe partnership “is amazing. It allows us to provide world-class Sylvan programs to all of the students across Avoyelles.”

He said the programs supplement what occurs in the schools, identifies a student’s particular problem areas “and fix things so they can learn, grow and succeed.”

For additional information, visit online at https://locations. sylvanlearning.com /us/alexandria-la/satellite/80789 or contact Thomas Harmeyer at (318) 443-0949 or sylvanmarksville@gmail.com.

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