ACE

Is The Place

Updates and curiosities at our dynamic tutoring center.

The ACE is a Moveable Fleet (of Tutors): Sister Location in Danbury Provides Wide Range of Services

By Joan Lownds, ACE Tutor and TAMARACK Staff Writer

Did you know that the ACE has a sister location on NVCC’s Danbury campus? The same supportive and compassionate approach to academic tutoring can be found at the Danbury ACE, at 190 Main Street. Free tutoring is available in math, writing, biology, anatomy and physiology---and a therapy dog named Coco visits at least once a semester as an added bonus.

“We serve all the Danbury students at the ACE,” said Rob Sheftel, the ACE Director. “Many come for tutoring, but also for studying and library use. The therapy dog helps students take a moment and relax.”

Jody Jarvella, a tutor in biology and anatomy and physiology at the Danbury ACE, added that Coco the dog “just soothes the students, and calms them during a stressful week of midterms or finals.”

The Danbury ACE shares the space with the “Librarian and the IT Cubicle,” Jarvella explained. “We all work together to give the students the best experience they can have. At our ACE we also have access to textbooks and Biology/A&P models, and we even have two full-sized skeletons and one mini-skeleton.”

A versatile group, the Danbury ACE tutors pitch in to meet whatever academic needs might arise. “Although we only have Math,

Biology/A&P, and writing tutors, we try to help where we can,” Jarvella said. “For example, sometimes I’ll help a student with computers, or Accounting, or even simple Chemistry. Basically, no matter what the subject, if we can help, we’ll try.”

Tutors at Danbury ACE also feed more than just their student’s minds. “We also try to give the students some other ‘extras’ to compensate for the fact that they don’t have all the services available to them here that they would have in Waterbury---like the cafeteria, the workout room, pool tables, darts, walking trail, and Bookstore,” Jarvella noted. “We will often have food-related events for the students, such as a ‘Welcome Back’ party where we had Chick-Fil-A and homemade empanadas donated by a local business; pizza just because; tea parties; and hot cocoa on a wintry day.”