Not every student arrives at Hargrave academically ready. Some struggle with specific subjects. Others have learning differences. The Academic Learning Center, directed by Jeremiah Bunker, provides comprehensive support ensuring every student can succeed. Here’s how this resource transforms struggling students into confident learners.
What the Academic Learning Center Provides
The Academic Learning Center offers comprehensive services: assessment and proper placement in Math, Reading, and English classes; faculty facilitation for online learning when specialized courses are needed; accelerated learning support for advanced students ready for more challenge; struggling student intervention with targeted support; and multiple tutoring formats including faculty, peer, group, and collaborative sessions.
This isn’t remedial education—it’s strategic support meeting students where they are and moving them forward.
Assessment and Proper Placement
Academic success begins with accurate placement. The Learning Center assesses incoming students to ensure appropriate class placement. A boy shouldn’t be in Pre-Calculus if he hasn’t mastered Algebra 2. Conversely, a gifted student shouldn’t be bored in classes below his ability.
Proper placement prevents frustration from being overwhelmed or under-challenged. It sets the foundation for academic growth from an appropriate starting point.
Supporting Struggling Students
When students struggle academically, the Learning Center intervenes quickly. Early identification through teacher referrals and grade monitoring prevents small problems from becoming failures. One-on-one diagnosis determines specific challenges—is it study skills, conceptual understanding, prerequisite knowledge gaps, or learning differences?
Targeted intervention addresses root causes, not just symptoms. A student failing English might need reading comprehension strategies, not just more time on assignments. A student struggling in Math might have gaps in foundational concepts requiring backfilling.
Multiple Tutoring Formats
Students learn differently and need varied support. The Learning Center provides faculty tutoring from subject experts for deep conceptual help, peer tutoring from successful students who recently mastered material, group study sessions for collaborative learning, and collaborative sessions bringing multiple students working on similar material together.
This variety ensures every student finds support matching his learning style and needs.
Online Learning Facilitation
Sometimes Hargrave’s course offerings don’t perfectly match a student’s needs. Perhaps he needs a specialized elective, credit recovery for a previously failed course, or an advanced course beyond Hargrave’s curriculum. The Learning Center facilitates online learning through approved providers.
Faculty oversight ensures online courses maintain rigor and students stay on track. This isn’t independent study—it’s facilitated online learning with accountability and support.
Accelerated Learning Support
Gifted students need support too. The Learning Center helps advanced students access more challenging material through AP and honors course preparation, dual enrollment coordination with partner colleges, independent study in areas of passion, and acceleration in specific subjects while remaining age-appropriate in others.
A student might be ready for college-level Math while remaining in grade-level English. The Learning Center facilitates these individual paths.
Integration with How to Study Program
The Learning Center works closely with Hargrave’s How to Study program. While How to Study teaches general study skills to all students, the Learning Center applies these skills to specific academic challenges. A student learns note-taking strategies in How to Study, then practices applying them to challenging Biology content with Learning Center support.
This integration ensures skills are practiced in context, not just learned abstractly.
Coordination with Faculty
The Learning Center doesn’t operate in isolation. Director Jeremiah Bunker works closely with classroom teachers to coordinate support aligned with class curricula, communicate about student progress and challenges, adjust support as needs change, and ensure consistency between classroom and Learning Center approaches.
This coordination prevents conflicting messages and ensures support reinforces classroom learning.
Technology Resources
The Learning Center leverages technology to enhance learning. Students access 44 reference and research databases online, 19 reference eBooks in the virtual library, subject-specific learning programs like Boxer Math, SAT prep program integration, and Blackboard teaching platform for course materials.
Technology supplements, not replaces, human instruction and support. The Learning Center uses tools strategically to enhance learning.
Supporting Learning Differences
Students with diagnosed learning differences receive appropriate support. The Learning Center works with families and outside professionals to understand documented needs, implement reasonable accommodations, provide specialized instruction when appropriate, monitor progress and adjust support, and prepare for college accommodations and self-advocacy.
Hargrave isn’t a school for significant learning disabilities, but we effectively support students with common challenges like ADHD, dyslexia, or processing differences when diagnosed and documented.
Study Skills Application
Beyond content tutoring, the Learning Center reinforces study skills taught in How to Study: helping students apply note-taking strategies to their specific courses, teaching test preparation for different subject types, practicing time management and organization with actual assignments, and building executive function skills through real academic demands.
These skills, once developed, serve students throughout college and careers.
Building Academic Confidence
Perhaps the Learning Center’s greatest impact is on student confidence. Boys who arrive feeling academically inadequate leave believing they can succeed. This transformation happens through experiencing success with appropriate support, understanding that struggle doesn’t mean failure, learning to advocate for needs and ask for help, and developing resilience through academic challenges.
Academic confidence affects all areas of life. Boys who believe they can learn approach challenges differently than those who believe they’re not smart enough.
Mandatory vs. Voluntary Support
Some Learning Center services are mandatory. Students significantly behind grade level must participate. Those failing classes receive required intervention. Struggling students are referred by teachers and must attend.
Other services are voluntary. Students can seek tutoring proactively. Advanced students can request enrichment. Boys curious about topics can explore through Learning Center resources.
This balance ensures struggling students get needed help while allowing all students to access resources.
Communication with Families
The Learning Center keeps families informed about academic support. Parents learn about their son’s participation in Learning Center services, specific challenges being addressed, progress and improvements, strategies families can reinforce at home, and realistic expectations given starting points.
Families appreciate transparency. Knowing their son receives help reduces anxiety and allows partnership between school and home.
Measuring Success
Learning Center success isn’t measured by eliminating need for support—it’s measured by academic growth, improved grades and test scores, increased confidence and engagement, development of independent learning skills, and successful progression through courses.
Some students graduate still using Learning Center services. That’s success if they’re thriving academically and developing skills for college support services.
Preparing for College Support
Colleges have learning centers and disability services. Part of Hargrave’s Learning Center mission is preparing students to access college support. Students learn to recognize when they need help, articulate their specific needs, seek appropriate resources proactively, and advocate for reasonable accommodations.
These self-advocacy skills are crucial for college success. Many freshmen struggle because they don’t know how to ask for help.
The Director’s Role
Jeremiah Bunker directs the Learning Center and can be reached at 434-432-2481 ext. 2128. His role includes assessing student needs, coordinating support services, communicating with faculty and families, managing online learning programs, and ensuring every student receives appropriate academic support.
He’s invested in each student’s success and available for consultation with families about academic concerns.
Beyond Remediation
The Learning Center isn’t just about fixing problems—it’s about developing learners. Boys learn that asking for help is strength, not weakness; that struggle is part of learning, not evidence of inadequacy; that multiple paths lead to understanding; and that growth mindset allows continuous improvement.
These lessons about learning itself may be more valuable than any specific content taught.
Ready to learn more about how the Academic Learning Center supports students? Contact Director Jeremiah Bunker to discuss your son’s specific needs, learn about available support services, understand how learning differences are accommodated, and discover how we ensure every student can succeed academically.
Contact us at 866-994-4582 or admissions@hargrave.edu in Chatham, Virginia.
