April 11, 2009

With Math, Tutor Steve Sall Discovers Meaningful Life

by Melissa Navas, The Oregonian. Originally published in OregonLive.com on 4/10/09.

A math guy all his life, Steve Sall wanted to "solve for X" in his own life equation.

After 20 years at Intel, Sall set out on a quest to make a difference in his community.

Retirement gave the avid hiker free time to explore Oregon’s wilderness, one of his favorite pastimes. But he was eager to volunteer. First, he helped with the Boy Scouts, then wrote newsletters for Hoyt Arboretum. He wasn’t satisfied.

That’s when Sall’s meandering trail for purpose led him to Aloha High School in 2002, the same year his son, David, enrolled as a freshman and joined the band. An affable guy with more acuity for calculus than compositions, Sall became an active band parent but was always looking for other ways to lend a hand.

One day, at a school meeting, Sall learned students weren’t doing their homework. The salt-and-pepper haired man who once solved complex computer equations saw his chance. Soon, he was at the school every day, forming a peer tutoring program.

Then Sall asked counselors to pair him with struggling math students, including failing seniors on the verge of not graduating. Once again, Sall was at the school every day working one-on-one with students.

For more of this story, click here.

Filed under: Academic Learning Centers,High School,Peer-Tutoring

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