Beyond the Belle

Beyond the Belle 

Beyond the Belle, formerly known as the College Academy of Tutoring program, was formed in 2006 to help meet the needs of students in the South Bend community. This program provides Saint Mary’s students with opportunities to work with children from 2nd-5th grade to help these children in various subjects in school. 

In this program, there are two opportunities for students to volunteer. For students looking to be in a classroom setting, they can serve as a student assistant at Darden Elementary School during the day, where they will help the teacher run their class. For students looking to help with tutoring, we also provide an after-school program with the Notre Dame Center for Civic innovation. These students work one-on-one with elementary students on literacy skills. 

In order to build a connection with the children at the schools, Beyond the Belle is a semester-long program. Students are paired and trained to assist these children with basic standard subjects such as math, reading, and writing. Tutors will typically work with the same student throughout the year to encourage and support the particular learning styles and educational needs of the children they are tutoring. This also gives each child the consistent presence of a mentor they see regularly.