Troy University social work major Margaret Tomanovich was named the 2015 Tutor of the Year at Troy Public Library. She was recognized Thursday, along with Ronje McCullough, the Troy Elementary sixth-grader she has tutored since 2014.In making the award presentation, Teresa Colvin, program coordinator, said Tomanovich’s dedication and commitment to getting her student to the level of study where he needs to be were the among the reasons she was selected Tutor of he Year.

“Margaret was able to connect with Ronje and to motivate him to do his best,” Colvin said. “She is his safety net. He knows that she is there to support and help him and that she is with him all the way.”

Colvin congratulated Tomanovich as the 2015 Tutor of the Year and Troy Elementary School sixth-grader, McCullough for his success in the program.

Tomanovich is from Rochester, New York and is attending Troy University on a Chancellor’s Scholarship. She initially volunteered as a tutor at the TPL in order to get the 10 service hours she needed as a requirement for residence in an honors dorm but has logged 70 hours to date.

“A friend told me about the tutoring program and I volunteered to get the hours,” Tomanovich said. “The program has exceeded any expectations that I had. I’ve enjoyed working with Ronje. The progress he has made has been uplifting and it’s given me new direction.”

Tomanovich said her career goal is social work but, after working with Ronje, she knows that she wants her social work to be with children.

“I realize now that I could have an impact on the lives of children,” she said. “And, I want to have that kind of impact.”

And, Ronje McCullough said he gives Tomanovich a high-five for the difference she has made in his life.

“She’s great,” he said. “She has made me want to do good in school and to work hard and not play around,” he said. “She’s fun and she’s smart and I want to be like that.”

When he entered the library’s tutorial program, McCullough had failing grades in math and social studies. Now, he’s making B’s.

“I like school better and I try hard. I want to do good for me …and for her,” he said as he flashed a smile at his tutor.

“Margaret is more than a tutor,” Colvin said. “She is a mentor.”

Tomanovich is one of about 75 Troy University students who volunteer as tutors at the Troy Public Library. Together, the students conduct about 150 tutoring sessions a month.

“Our tutoring program started in 2002 and, in 2004, the Troy Public Library received a Children at Risk Grant to assist with our tutoring program. This summer, the TPL tutoring program was recognized as an exemplary program by the Alabama Public Library Service.”

Colvin said the TPL’s volunteer tutoring program is one of the few programs that received the Children at Risk grants that is still operational.

This past summer, Timothy Owens from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington, D.C. visited the TPL along with representatives from the APLS,” Colvin said. “He came because he was interested in the continuing success of the TPL tutoring program.”

Colvin said efforts are made to match students and tutors who are compatible.

“The personalities and interests of both the student and tutor are factors that determine the success of the program,” she said. “When the student and tutor connect, then we see the study habits improve and then the grades.”

To be eligible to participate in the TPL tutorial program a student must be recommended by a teacher, must have grade of a C or below and must be a citizen of Pike County.

For more information about the tutorial program at the Troy Public Library, call 334-566-1314.