There are plenty of students excelling outside of school in particular sports filling their athletic graduation requirements with Athletic Tutorials. Many people don’t know that there is an option to complete academic graduation requirements in Academic Tutorial classes.

These classes are not like normal classes. They are based on a student’s interest rather than what is offered by the school. Students can apply for a tutorial class through a process that includes filling out the application form and creating a lesson plan for the student and the teacher that they plan to take the class with.

Greenhill teachers teach a wide variety of Academic Tutorial classes though they might not be well-known by the student body. With a majority of the classes being in the Language and History departments, students often find themselves working closely with History Department Chair Amy Bresie and Language Department Chair Laura Hudec.

“It really is entirely students driven, and entirely based on individual passion,” Bresie said, discussing how students go about the application process.

Typically, students in tutorial classes will contact their teacher multiple times a week, as there is no structured class time for them to meet.

Currently, there are no History Academic Tutorial classes. Last year Bresie taught a tutorial class about Viking History, and next year, junior Caroline Greenstone will be taking a tutorial class about LGBTQ+ History with Assistant Director of Equity and Inclusion and Upper School English Teacher Monsie Muñoz.

Over in the Language department, junior Shruti Siva has been working diligently with Hudec to learn a language that is not offered by Greenhill School in its regular curriculum. Last year, Siva took a trimester-long tutorial class with Hudec to begin her studies in Greek. Currently, she is taking a semester-long Greek course with Hudec to further her studies and fulfill her interest in the subject.

“Lucky for us, Greek was an actual class that Magistra Hudec had taught before it became a tutorial, so the syllabus was what they used for the National Greek Exam,” Siva said speaking of how she had chosen to structure her tutorial class.

One of the most important aspects of a tutorial class is the connection that is established with the teacher prior to starting the class.

“Counting tutorial, this is the third class that Magistra Hudec has taught me, so it was easier for me to go ahead and start because we had formed a connection and she is always so helpful,” Siva said.

Hudec shared similar views on the connection between teacher and student and the different styles of teaching and learning that must be incorporated to participate in one of these classes.

“It’s a great growth experience for both students and teachers. It allows the teachers to develop a tighter learning relationship with a student as well,” Hudec said.

“Tutorial classes truly allow students to go into depths of understanding a concept that they might not have been able to before,”