You are sitting at the kitchen table completing your math homework. You finally reach the last question on the worksheet but realize you have absolutely no clue how to solve it. Maybe your parents are nearby so you ask them for help, but after looking at the problem, they realize that their memory of high school math is quite limited. You would ask your older sibling for help but they will be at work for the next couple of hours, and you want to get your homework done now. The only feasible option seems to be calling your dear friend Google for some assistance, but all you discover is thousands of different forums with a myriad of solutions to your problem. With your options for help dwindling, you simply decide to copy down an answer that appears correct and call it a day.

   Let’s face it—we have all found ourselves in the above situation at one point or another. Whether we could not find help or did not want to ask for it, copying down an answer from Google almost always suffices until we realize we have to understand that one, nagging problem for the test. Fortunately, we have a team right inside SHS working to break this Googling cycle. 

   Aves Reach is a student-run program focused on providing free, academic assistance to Sycamore students. It is currently run by seniors Chanakya Pandya and Aryan Vaidya, and juniors Peyton Harmon, Lily Shiomitsu, and Joshua Willis. Aves Reach was created at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to “bridge the gap and smoothen the transition from in-class learning to virtual learning” Vaidya said.

   At the end of August, the team launched its current focus, the Homework Hotline, which provides on-demand explanations to questions submitted by students in grades five through ten in real-time.  Help can be given for all academic subject areas, everything from solving math problems and explaining science concepts to proofreading parts of English papers and clarifying history lessons. Ultimately, the goal is for the student to reach an understanding of a concept, and not just know the answer.

   “Teaching to the point of understanding is a big part of the service, and if you have any questions still after you’ve gotten an explanation, you can always reply to the email you get. Just giving answers is not something we do,” Pandya said.

   To submit a question, students should go to the Aves Reach website through the following link: https://avesreach.wixsite.com/home. Once on the site, students should select the tab that says “Submit a Question.” After this tab is selected, students will be redirected to a google form where they can submit their questions. Once submitted, a mentor will be in touch with the student shortly to answer their question. The hotline is open Mon.-Fri. from 3-7 p.m. 

   Who is on the other end of the hotline, answering your questions you may wonder? The very students who have taken the classes you are currently taking and want to help in any way possible. With a mix of sophomores, juniors, and seniors manning the hotline, a broad range of experience is available to help any student in need of assistance. According to Willis, each mentor is “a fellow SHS peer and student who loves learning and sharing their knowledge.”

   Ultimately, outside of providing detailed explanations and not just answers, the Aves Reach team strives to reduce the stigma surrounding tutoring. Since the Homework Hotline accepts questions anonymously, everyone can feel comfortable asking for help, regardless of what classes they are taking and whether they are an in-person or virtual learner.

   “Everyone should have access to personal help, and nobody should be ashamed about having to ask for help,” Willis said.

   As for future projects, Aves Reach hopes to expand to one-on-one tutoring services to help students work through larger conceptual misunderstandings, revising essays, and studying for upcoming assessments. 

   But for now, the Homework Hotline is ready to answer your questions, and give you the help you deserve—not just an unexplained answer from Google.

*Note: Follow @avesreach on Instagram and @AvesReach on Twitter to get updates on their services.*