WORTHINGTON - The Adult Basic Education program honored its many volunteers and students Wednesday afternoon.
Vandenn Krouch, a volunteer who teaches math to GED students, said he likes to offer his assistance because he knows how it feels to be new in the U.S.
“I’m actually a refugee myself,” Krouch said. “I kind of connect with everyone here. I know what it feels like to come to a new culture - learning a new system. ... I identify with what they are going through.”
Krouch moved to Worthington recently and has been volunteering at Adult Basic Education for about four months. He was born in Cambodia and moved to Dallas, where he was raised. He and his wife recently returned from Cambodia, where they spent 12 years working as missionaries.
“I love math, I love teaching and, really, I’m new to the community,” Krouch said. “I wanted to get to know people. … This seemed like a great way to do it.”
Marty Olsen, a teacher at Adult Basic Education, said she is grateful for the volunteers and how they help students advance.
“We do testing regularly with them to check their progress, and the ones that work with volunteers tend to make those gains a little bit faster,” Olsen said. “Anytime you are getting one-on-one time, things seem to stick better.”
Stacy Everding, who also teaches at Adult Basic Education, thanked the volunteers at the ceremony and handed out gifts to them. There were 42 volunteers in the last year.
“Volunteers do this out of the goodness of their hearts,” Everding said. “Thank you for your generosity, your time and your skills that you bring to this school and the community. … I’m humbled by your generosity.”
Also honored at the ceremony were students who have put in a large number of hours learning English, as well as 48 students who have become U.S. citizens in the last year.
The Adult Basic Education program runs all year and has educated 772 students in the last 12 months.
