Sopori coordinator connects students, volunteers

www.sahuaritasun.com

Seeing young Sopori School students in Amado accomplish their goals thanks to some extra help is what it’s all about for Betty Johnson.

As volunteer coordinator at the K-6 school, part of the Sahuarita Unified School District, Johnson provides opportunities for caring adults in the Santa Cruz Valley to join the Sopori family as a teacher’s helper, classroom mentor or one-on-one tutor for youngsters who need a helping hand with reading and writing.

After becoming the school’s volunteer coordinator last September, Johnson has more than 30 adult tutors giving of their time in projects that include Reading Seed and Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring.

Reading Seed volunteers work as reading coaches, while Oasis volunteers read, talk and write with a student, one on one, with books and activity-filled session plans available from Johnson.

Both programs ask for at least one hour of time from each volunteer every week. “One comes four times a week to work with the kindergartners,” Johnson said.

“The children are very receptive,” says Green Valley volunteer Marsha Olson, a retired teacher.

Many of Sopori’s current volunteers are Green Valley retirees or Tubac residents who enjoy the small, safe, family-oriented atmosphere at the school, says Johnson.

Parents also take part, including mothers from the school’s Family Literacy program who volunteer in their child’s classroom or in the after-school homework help program once a week.

Johnson says the feedback she gets from the volunteers, students and teachers is all positive, with the teachers telling her the volunteers help the youngsters focus more on their schoolwork.

Volunteers and their students form a bond and “enjoy each other’s company,” says Johnson, who recognized the volunteers at an appreciation celebration in mid-April.

Johnson, a 51-year-old mother of six, was born and raised in Tubac and has lived in Amado for more than 11 years. She has a background in nursing and served as a volunteer emergency medical technician in Elephant Head.

“I have a lot of volunteer experience and always have been good at recruiting volunteers. I don’t take no for an answer,” Johnson says with a smile.

“I like being involved with the children and the adults. It’s another challenge for me,” she notes.

To spread her wings at the school, which is a key part of the Amado community, Johnson helps with lunch duties and the after-school homework club on Mondays. She also helped form Sopori’s new astronomy club for students in grades 4 through 6 that meets once a month, and she was one of the organizers of Community Day in Amado in November.

Next year, Johnson would like to get involved with more school programs, have the astronomy club meet more often, and take advantage of a volunteer mentor’s offer to start a chess club for students.

Johnson is always looking for school volunteers. For more information, phone her at (520) 625-3502 ext. 1313 or visit online at www.sahuarita.k12.az.us. Click on the schools link, choose Sopori Elementary School and go to Sopori Volunteer Information.

Making a Difference features folks who help make Sahuarita a great place to live. To recommend someone for this weekly series, call Karen Walenga at 547-9739, e-mail to kwalenga@gvnews.com or FAX to 625-1603.