'An extra home.' Westhampton Beach Middle School's WIN program helps students make up lost time created by pandemic

School counselor Tania Dutton says she thinks it's a good place for students to wind down, feel comfortable and feel like it's an "extra home for them."

News 12 Staff

Jun 8, 2022, 3:08 AM

Updated 780 days ago

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Students at Westhampton Beach Middle School are taking advantage of a new program that tackles learning loss that took place during the pandemic.
During remote learning, students lost academic time with their teachers and interaction with their peers.
Emergency relief funding made a new program called WIN or "What I Need" available to students.
Greg Izzo, an Earth Science teacher, says he is already seeing how effective the program has been for students.
"The program has worked really well, the kids have improved their scores," Izzo says.
Laurie Ardito, a special education and ENL teacher, says a student who was failing a subject is now passing again because she did three assignments she was missing.
The WIN program allows students to work on their schoolwork until 5 p.m. with some of their teachers.
"You know that you're doing it correctly so you can be more confident when you're doing it at home or when it's on a quiz or test," says eighth grader Zach Berger.
The program also allows students to worker together again.
School counselor Tania Dutton says she thinks it's a good place for students to wind down, feel comfortable and feel like it's an "extra home for them."
The program normally has close to two dozen students daily.


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