April 11, 2011
By Nathan Max
MOUNTAIN VIEW — Madison High School sophomore Delcarlo McCullough doesn’t always understand his homework, but now he has a place to go where he can get help.
He’ll also have access to a ride, snacks and the Internet.
It’s all part of the package at the new Neighborhood House Association Homework Center in the southeastern San Diego neighborhood of Mountain View. On Monday, moments after a dedication ceremony christened the 1,283-square-foot center and computer lab, Delcarlo was enjoying some time on the Internet, posting to one of his teacher’s web pages.
“I think it’s very beneficial to the students,” Delcarlo said. “It’s giving us a lot of opportunities.”
The center is at 841 South 41st St., and it will be open three days a week to middle school and high school students. Its hours of operation will be 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, and the hope is to expand those hours in the near future, said Rudolph Johnson, Neighborhood House Association president and CEO.
Free transportation to the center will be provided from three locations: Lincoln High School, St. Stephen’s Church and Millennial Tech Middle School. The bus will leave Lincoln, at 4777 Imperial Ave., at 2:45 p.m.; St. Stephen’s, at 5825 Imperial Ave., at 3:15 p.m.; and Millennial Tech, at 1110 Carolina Lane, at 4 p.m.
Once students get there, they will have everything they need: free tutors, food and Internet access. The Neighborhood House Association, a nonprofit organization, spent $25,000 to get the center going, Johnson said.
“This provides an opportunity to have a quiet, safe environment,” Johnson said. “At home, you may have a quiet environment, but your parents might not understand what you’re doing.”
Delcarlo said not understanding his homework is the reason why he has not always done it in the past. Now that the homework center is open, he said he expects to be there as much as possible.
“Sometimes, I’d just look at the work and think, ‘why do it,’ because it felt like they were just giving me impossible stuff to do and expecting me to do it on my own,” he said. “Here, it gives you the time and structure.”
nathan.max@uniontrib.com • (619) 718-5252 • Twitter: @natemax
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