This year, school districts in Lake County are implementing an online tutoring program called ‘Varsity Tutors’, free of charge for students. Through a partnership with the Regional Office of Education for Lake County, Varsity Tutors will be available to students at Lake County schools, Lake Zurich among them.

The flagship feature of Varsity Tutors is its 24/7 online chat system that connects students with tutors who “bring students a wealth of experience in their individual fields of academic expertise,” according to Varsity Tutors’ website.

Students wishing to chat with a tutor must first choose a subject, such as Algebra, and specify their query. Students are then connected with a tutor in under five minutes, who will communicate through text chat and an interactive digital whiteboard.

District 95 has already rolled out Varsity Tutors, a program which is, according to Lauren McArdle, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, a nice addition to already existing resources. “If I’m a student who’s working on something, and I have a quick question about my English paper, I can hop on [and] connect with a tutor,” McArdle said. “I can get a quick response and move forward with whatever I’m working on at the time, rather than have to wait until the next day [for help at school.”

Outside of the 24/7 chat feature, Varsity Tutors also provides On Demand Courses, which are educational, online lessons thought by professionals. They include Career Exploration, ACT and SAT prep, StarCourse Shorts that feature celebrity tutors, and even lessons on magic tricks and dinosaurs.

“If you were interested in learning about a particular art [or] craft, you could peruse their courses at your own pace, [and] engage in those materials,” McArdle said. “They also have a lot of ACT and [SAT] prep modules, [where] you can go in and get additional practice at, again, your own pace and leisure.”

Students can access Varsity Tutors by logging in through Clever, selecting Lake Zurich High School and scrolling down to More Apps.