Niles West’s Literacy Center is scheduled to host the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing (NCPTW) from Nov. 2-4 at the Doubletree Hotel in the Magnificent Mile at Chicago.

The NCPTW  brings together schools from all over the country to participate in a collaborative program concerning tutoring and the different aspects of tutoring. This year’s theme for the conference is “Understanding Tutor Identity,” focusing on who a person is as a tutor, and how a person has evolved as a tutor.

Niles West is the first high school to be hosting the conference; the other co-hosts are College of Lake County and the University Center for Writing-Based Learning. Lit. Center coordinator Andrew Jeter is in charge of the conference, and he was responsible for inviting the many schools nationwide to Chicago. Alumnus Colin Sato will be the keynote speaker.

“I am super excited because of the recognition it brings to our tutors. This is a recognition of the power of our program and our tutors and the importance of peer tutoring,” Jeter said.

There are various sessions during the  event; different tutors will be participating in these different sessions that will be concerned with the major theme. Twenty-four tutors from Niles West will be presenting their own projects at the NCPTW. These tutors are mostly third-year tutors who have been working on their projects since August.

“It’s pretty cool how the Lit. Center is hosting it. It’s a national conference so it’s a big deal. I’ve been working on it [the project] and it’ll be nice to finally present it,” said senior Lyba Zia. Zia’s presentation focuses on the comparison between first and third year tutors and how their perceptions changed throughout their tutoring career. According to Zia, she has prepared surverys that will give her an idea of how the tutors have evolved as they experienced the Lit. Center.

“Your perception affects the way you conduct yourself,” Zia said.

Senior Theo Truong agrees with Zia. He is also a part of the presentation and will be presenting at the conference.

“I think it’s an interesting experience and I am looking forward to presenting my project,” Truong said.

The NCPTW is mostly focused on peer tutoring in writing, but the Niles West Lit. Center provides an unique approach because it includes tutoring in math and science as well. According to Jeter, this is a huge accomplishment for the Lit. Center.

“We serve as an example to the rest of the world. We’re the inspiration that they have, and it’s nice to be so inspirational to others. We need to have the ability to be collaborative,” Jeter said.