Palo Alto High School’s new tutoring center has been available for student use in the Tower Learning Center since the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.

The program is still in development and has not officially opened, but students are able to get help starting at 8 a.m., and tutors are eligible to earn service hours. After renovations were made over the 2023-2024 school year, the TLC replaced the old library of the Tower Building, with added seating and privacy dividers.

Junior Yoray Chen says that the new location of the center is an improvement from the previous site.

“The previous tutoring center was really crowded and noisy because the portables were small, and it was difficult to concentrate,” Chen said. “When I walked past it [the new center], there were high ceilings, more lighting and the seating was more spread out so there is more room.”

YJ Lee, one of the people working to build the TLC, says that the program has expanded beyond traditional peer tutoring.

“It [the program] is different from peer tutoring because peer tutoring is focused more on content,” Lee said. “We want [the new program] to focus not only on content, but also the root cause … because the end goal is that instead of tutors being a crutch or a lifeline, students will be able to pick up on certain skills.”

Lee also says that the program is looking to bring in adult volunteers who can help students taking difficult classes.

“As the levels get higher, it’s harder to find tutors,” Lee said. “We want to bring in adults because of this, but also so that students are able to see the bigger picture.”

Lee hopes that as the year progresses, more students will leverage the center’s resources.

“There’s no shame in asking for help,” Lee said.