By Marie Mulvenna

"They were all clamoring to go." Sister Kathleen Lyons, RSM, expressed her surprise, but obvious delight at the enthusiasm with which students at the Morningside School greeted members of the tutorial staff of the St. Vincent de Paul Society program.

Aside from the fact that it is highly unusual for children to want to attend school, much less receive additional tutoring, these youngsters were eager for help. They ran up to the small van arriving at their school to pick up 16 students, asking if they too might be able to go.

But 16 is all the van could transport from Morningside, for the program is a one-to-one tutoring arrangement and there are not enough tutors to accommodate additional pupils; this time anyway. The program, which will wind up the current school year in May, is already planning for late summer when it will once again seek more volunteer tutors, and can then accept more eager students.

The popular tutoring sessions are held Monday and Wednesday evenings at St. Joseph High School with six members of the Atlanta Sisters' Conference directing the program of tutoring furnished by Atlanta volunteers.

Sister Kathleen explained that the tutoring program had been in existence and sponsored by the St. Vincent de Paul Society for almost seven years. This year, she said, the society had turned to the Sisters group for assistance in running the project. Responding to the plea for help was Sr. Kathleen, Sr. Anne O'Connell, RSM, Sr. Mary Ellen Jones, CSJ, Sr. Patricia Thompson, RSM, Sister Kathleen O'Rourke, OSU, and Sr. Ann Quigley, RSM.

The six sisters rotate working at the twice-weekly program and will conduct training sessions, tentatively slated for late August, for needed volunteers for the new school year.

The actual tutoring sessions are geared to assistance in reading and math with school children in the age group nine to 12. Half of the volunteers at the program are students at Clark College in Atlanta. The others come from different areas of the archdiocese. Sister Kathleen spoke of one man who provides transportation for some of the tutors; another who helps out by being a substitute when needed. Then there is the young couple, both of whom work, who come together week after week to assist in tutoring.

"If we had more tutors," Sister said hopefully, "we would certainly have the children for them." She commented that the program might be able to branch out and include children from other schools, all of whom could use and would welcome the additional aid with their studies.

This children's reaction to the program has been enthusiastic and eager and Sister once again recalled their clamoring at the van and pleading to come along to the session. She said the program seemed to provide motivation to the young people and they had responded with interest as well as effort.

Sister Ann O'Connell and the teachers of the program report that the children have the ability to learn but welcome the extra attention which helps them academically. She termed the tutorial help basic to their scholastic accomplishments and added that it also provided a social aid. This, she said, was found in developing the relationship between the child and an older person who showed an interest in them and cared about them as persons.

The sisters are all pleased with the results of the program and anticipate an increasing class size come September. That, of course, will depend on the number of volunteers who come forward to help. Sister Kathleen said those interested in assisting need not have professional experience or prior training. "We would help, specifically in that area, when we conduct the training sessions. We first need the people and the more we have the more children can be helped."

Persons interested in joining the ranks of the volunteer tutoring staff may contact either Sister Kathleen or Sister Ann at 767-6416 for information.

To date, the youngsters have enjoyed one social outing, a pizza party hosted by their tutors, and future plans call for that aspect of the program to be expanded as well.

When summer rolls around, and kids head for the wide-open spaces and the multitude of vacation activities, there will be some busy sisters preparing another one-to-one program for some youngsters when school bells ring again.

And, from past experience, there will be plenty of interested pupils when schoolbooks and pencils are again the order of the day.