STEUBENVILLE - A partnership with Jefferson Community College is turning Buckeye Local schools into community learning centers and helping pupils and adults hone their academic skills.

JCC will offer math lessons starting Oct. 6 twice weekly to seventh- and eighth-graders via a video link to Buckeye Local's two middle schools, officials said.

The classes, offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays, will be taught by Bobbie Parnicza, an assistant professor, from a classroom at JCC.

Funded through a U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Grant, the video classes will reinforce what the middle school pupils are covering in their regular math classes.

Buckeye Local also will partner with the Jefferson County ABLE program to offer 90-minute adult math lessons at two Buckeye schools - Buckeye Northwest Elementary this fall and at Buckeye South Elementary in the spring.

Buckeye Local schools also will offer a structured after-school program for its pupils at South Elementary in Yorkville and Northwest Elementary in Smithfield beginning Oct. 5.

Certified teachers and activities coordinators at both sites will supervise the daily sessions, providing pupils with a variety of academic enrichment and athletic activities, officials said.

"This is an awesome opportunity," Buckeye School Superintendent Mark Miller said. "It's not every day you get to partner with a community college to make a dream come true."

Miller said the partnership is a chance to help people of all ages improve their academic skills. Initially, the focus will be on math, but Miller said he eventually hopes to expand into other core subject areas.

"We're very optimistic and very excited, but we're also realistic. We know we're starting from the ground floor, and we're going to have to work hard to build it. Anytime you start a new program, something people are unfamiliar with, you want to get them in the door, get them excited and let them see what is going on. If you can get their interest, they'll keep coming back. As time goes on we're hoping the turnout will grow," explained Miller.

He noted the after-school care also will be funded through the 21st Century Grant.

The Buckeye Local district has been granted funding for five years.

"No matter what their age is, we want people to be able to come in and take a math class at a local school that's taught by an instructor from JCC's campus in Steubenville," Miller said.

JCC President Dr. Laura Meeks said the partnership gives the educational community another tool with which to meet the challenges of the new economy.

"People who'd figured on staying with the same employer their entire working life now find themselves in a position where, through no fault of their own, they have to start over," she said.

"In many cases that means revisiting skill sets they haven't used in decades or acquiring new ones. Others might need help mastering basic concepts. This is a chance for us to work together to help ensure our area residents, young and old, are equipped with the skills they'll need to make it in today's working world," said Meeks.

"To be able to help people work through math barriers is, for me, probably a lifelong dream When I came to JCC I had a number of goals in mind, and over the years we've worked hard to achieve those goals and our campus community has always been supportive and helpful. With this last one, helping people improve their math skills, we have some new partners - Buckeye Local School District and the U.S. Department of Education," Meeks stated.

Parnicza said the idea is to start small, limiting involvement and locations, and then seeing the program expand.

"It's a great idea. At this point we're doing it at two schools, but eventually we want it to be more widespread than that. That's the point of televising the classes, so we can reach more locations and more people."

For information on the video conference math lessons for seventh and eighth graders, or the district's after-school program, contact Grants Coordinator Cindy Schooler at (740) 769-7395.