PORT TOWNSEND — In an effort to take control of their own educational options, a group of students is staging a benefit this week to support tutoring programs.

“The kids are doing everything from cooking the meals to providing the entertainment to waiting tables,” said tutor Jonathan Safir,

“They are producing the event all by themselves.”

The fundraiser, titled “Brainstorm: Learning to Perform, Performing to Learn,” takes place at 
6 p.m. Tuesday at the Upstage Theatre and Restaurant, 523 Washington St.

There will be a spaghetti dinner and live entertainment to include music, dance performances, spoken word, magic and art — all for $10, although larger donations will be accepted.

The idea for the benefit came from the students, who were looking for ways to better understand mathematics and fill the gaps in the instruction provided at the high school.

“This is a better learning environment,” said Hanna Onnemyr-Cole of the tutoring process.

“Not to say anything bad about the high school, but the classes were big, and the teacher wasn’t experienced.”

The high school isn’t taking this negatively. Principal Carrie Ehrhardt supports the program and has endorsed Safir as an independent-study provider.

“The high school has a very good attitude toward home-schooling,” Safir said.

“Students can take a single subject as independent study.”

Onnemyr-Cole’s understanding and appreciation of mathematics has increased since she hired Safir as a tutor, she said.

“I have been studying pre-calculus with Jonathan since November, and my grades have improved dramatically.”

So far, the students have organized small independent study groups for geometry, algebra 2 and pre-calculus, but this is only the beginning.

The purpose, according to Onnemyr-Cole, is for the program to grow into a way for students to connect with the community and to find creative ways to supplement high school education with independent study programs, tutoring and workshops in academic and artistic subjects.

Onnemyr-Cole said Safir makes math come alive.

“I don’t really know what I will be using it for,” she said of pre-calculus.

“But Jonathan provides a lot of real-life examples, so the material doesn’t feel foreign to me.”

Safir works with individuals or in groups as large as nine students.

“A lot of the stuff you learn with math is very abstract and is like a puzzle,” Safir said.

“But when you find the solution, it can be really satisfying. There is an elegance in these solutions that forces the kids to bend their brains in a different way.”

Teaching each other

Safir said the small group format is essential for the success of the tutoring process; just as important is the kids end up teaching the material to each other.

“That is essentially the biggest part of how this method works, how the kids build relationships with each other and discover how each person’s brain works in a different way.”

They’ve had help along the way, the Printery provided professional-quality posters, and Onnemyr-Cole’s father, Mark Cole, owns the Upstage.

But there are no “ringers” performing. The students who will benefit from the fundraiser are all working the event, essentially singing for their supper.

Tickets are available at the Upstage or by calling 360-643-1045.

For more information visit http://brainstorminpt.wordpress.com.

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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.