Two weeks ago, Tappan Square was getting painted, drums were playing and kids were smiling. OSCA coordinated the Mural-Fest, but this Saturday activity was a particulary eye-catching display of larger College outreach efforts.
Booker Peek, associate professor of African American Studies, has been involved with this project since he started working at Oberlin. Previously the Arts and Science had an education department that certified students to become teachers. When the education department was disbanded, Peek was assigned to the African American Studies department, which he had an affiliation with during his time working with the education program.

Peek’s passion has driven him to continue his work through his Practicum in Tutoring classes. The program spans from kindergarten through high school, working with students both in and out of the Oberlin community at public and private schools.
The tutoring program occurs both inside and outside the school day, seven days a week, 24 hours a day and involves around 85 students during each semester.
“We try to make certain that at any time if help is needed, we can provide it. Although we are not trying to set up to be the only college in the nation to do so—it seems to be working out that way. At other college, tutoring programs for community schools often being paid for, and none have the same 24 hour service that we provide,” Peek said.

Every student involved in the practicum has Peek’s home number and our encouraged to call if there are any problems.
Aiming to insure that there is always someone available to pair up with any student that needs help, Peek offers both professors and students the opportunity to be tutors.. Accessibility- making sure that all students have access to the tutors, is another point Peek emphasizes. “We provide tutors to tutor children who are not performing well whether they are black, white, rich or poor. Tutors are there to do whatever they can to help teachers,” Peek said.

The practicum extends into the summer through a program called Words Are Very Empowering. The WAVE program generally involves around eight students who work with children, spending 10 to 12 weeks on the campus, improve basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. Though the WAVE program has a particular focus on children who had academic difficulty during the year, it is open to anyone.

The Oberlin community also has other programs aimed at providing support for aid in education locally. Head Start, America Reads, Math tutoring and the recent mural festival are all focused on promoting the systems of education. “Too many of us at the College send our children away from the public schools here,” Peek said.
“The relationship between the college and public schools is helping, and because the schools are becoming stronger as a result, eventually less people will send their children away. I’m certain that it’s going to happen. A real light, which has become extremely bright, is shed on the situation about what the community and the College can do together. It’s not easy, but it’s doable,” Peek said.

Two weeks ago, the success of the community outreach program was on full display in Tappan Square. The OSCA community relations committee planned a mural festival project in hopes of bringing together college and town communities. The committee agreed on the mural project as a good way to bring people together. “Murals are generally a good thing. People seem to like them, and we thought it would be a great thing if we could have kids from town paint the mural which would probably attract all sorts of folks,” sophomore and Mural Fest organizer Page Neal said.

The project began with the formation of a mural club at Langston Middle School and was founded by Tiffany Key, an art teacher who works there. A mural was designed, and a spot to paint the mural was decided upon. Due to a logistical problem with the original mural location, the mural painting was moved last minute to Tappan Square and became a festival. Many different organizations helped out in pulling off the festival including America Reads, various co-ops that brought food and the bike co-op. The high school band Dickwing Duck, as well as Oberlin Steel and a jug band performed while sidewalk chalk murals and car doors were painted.

“It was a little chaotic, the whole thing, in a very positive way though. Everybody was just having a good time. I guess festivals bring that out in people,” Neal said.

Tutors at Prospect elementary school in the Math tutoring program as well as some of the tutees, it is clear that Oberlin students and public school students have formed positve relationships.

“One reason Oberlin school district stands out from other school districts is its access to many of Oberlin College assets; the number one asset being people. Every college student has the potential to do some sort of outreach, whether you are a musician who can play your instrument for a show and tell, an athlete who can discuss the virtues of teamwork, or a tutor,” program coordinator Josh Rosen (OC ’01) said.

The tutees themselves had encouraging words about the benefits of the program. “I feel good having tutoring. It helps me a lot,” fourth grader Shameka said.
“I like the tutors; they are nice. College students are nice. I don’t like math, but tutoring makes it fun, and we get snacks too,” fourth grader Jackie Smith said.

“The tutors themselves spoke highly of the program. “I enjoyed the program very much. I was able to form a friendship with my tutee. I think that this program is very beneficial for the children because they are able to spend time with older kids and learn from them. The program is well organized and planned. I hope that this program will continue for a long time,” first-year student Shoshana First said.
Peek summed up the outreach program’s place in the community by saying, “In the 32 years that I have been at Oberlin College, the administration in the past has been supportive. None have been so unusually supportive as Nancy Dye has been. I am particularly fortunate to have landed in a place with such support, but much more still needs to be done. I am pretty confident that, whether I am around or not the public school systems here will become second to none. Hopefully this will be achieved in the twenty-first century. In terms of quality, all the ingredients are here, especially having a committed college. I look forward to having a second to none school system, where the schools improve to a level that attracts more college professors to send their children.”