Since there has been some confusion on Student Services and what they are doing exactly, I have the details! Mrs. Lobello and Mrs. Doga have teamed up to establish a program that offers support to SMP students who have learning differences. For example, students who struggle in areas such as organization and time management can get help staying on track. The goal is for them to get as much out of their classes as they can. They use assistive technology to aid these students with testing and improve their study habits. In this program, they also include extended time on tests, separate testing, and oral testing. The leaders of Student Services would like to inform the student body that this is in no way a tutoring center, but an aid to help their students in the program be more successful.

So, here’s a little information about Mrs. Lobello. She has been teaching for 19 years overall and 10 at Ascension. She has taught a variety of English classes over these past 10 years and claims she has loved every second of them. This summer, she decided to start pursuing her Ph.D. in Literacy, with emphasis on special education, at St. John’s University in New York to help her with our newly established Student Service program. This semester, she is taking a class on reading disorders and is motivated to learn more about this area so she can further help her students. When asked about how the first quarter of this program has played out so far, she claims that it is a lot of work, but definitely rewarding to experience such improvement in her students.

Mrs. Doga also gives some insight to her background before Ascension. She was a occupational therapist after college, but loved English above everything. Because of her love for this subject, she decided to get her Masters in professional writing and eventually taught in the English department at UL for 14 years. She decided to become a part of our Student Services because “it is such a great combination of English and therapy.” Being a mother of two Ascension students, she was not sure how it would be to see the school from the other side. Now having experienced it for almost a quarter, she says, “It is a great thing to be a part of. It can’t be a bad day after getting a friendly hello from sweet Coach Bill or talking to Ducote’s new baby. It is a wonderful environment.”

To conclude the interview, I even asked eighth grader Hunter Fontenot, the student sitting in the desk working in this program, if these new methods have benefited him. He says, “This helps me stay on top of things and stay motivated to do my work. Today, it made me think of what we talked about in class today and what I need to do to prepare for this week.” To establish the key objective of this program, Mrs. Lobello says, “We see this as an opportunity to partner with students, families, and teachers in the process of helping students in a very meaningful way.” So if you are struggling with staying on top of your work due to even a slight learning difference or difficulty, talk to these lovely ladies and they will tell you what’s up!!!