February 13, 2025 — As a student at Ohio Wesleyan University, Dr. Anthony Peddle spent countless hours helping peers through the university’s tutoring program. Today, as principal of Devonshire Elementary School, he’s come full circle - partnering with his alma mater to bring those same life-changing tutoring services to his young students. 

“This wonderful program took me to a few Columbus City schools when I was an undergraduate,” said Dr. Peddle. “I was very eager to bring it back and make it more robust as we support all of our students. We’re trying to make a difference.”

As part of the partnership between Devonshire Elementary School and OWU’s Bishop Scholars program, students from OWU visit Devonshire on Tuesdays and Thursdays to work with the young scholars on reading and math, along with any other subject a student may be struggling with.

“We are delighted to be in Columbus City Schools providing this valuable service to students to help bridge that gap for academics and success,” said Kerri Robe, director of the Bishop Scholars program at the university.

“The Ohio Wesleyan students bring a wealth of knowledge and world experience to the table,” Dr. Peddle said. “We can then offer Devonshire students targeted interventions at their operating grade level that supports them in the classroom, but also gives them a college and career ready focus because they're seeing students who have worked through challenges, worked through opportunities, and are excelling in university work.”

Third grade Devonshire students Maysa Almeida de Sousa and Alice Andrade Dos Reis are enjoying the partnership with OWU firsthand.

“We spend time with our friends,” Almeida de Sousa said excitedly.

“We are having fun!” Andrade Dos Reis added.

The Bishop Scholars Program is a university-supported program in which OWU hires students and trains them to become tutors. 

“I think it’s also really important to know that our tutors go through pretty rigorous training before they’re sent out to schools,” Robe said. “That [training] is largely led by our education department faculty who provide training and strategies to help them with different types of tutoring. We focus on math and reading, but our tutors are there to provide support in other academic areas, as well.” 

Joel Adade, a sophomore at OWU, started tutoring last year. 

“I really love kids, especially living with my brother because he had a disability. That gave me hope, and I will always help my brother or help another student,” Adade said.

Fellow OWU sophomore Alida Askill has been tutoring for over a year, and is currently in her third semester with Bishop Scholars. 

“I’ve really enjoyed it,” Askill said. “It’s a nice experience to be able to  get into the community of Columbus, and try to be a part of people’s lives. It’s a beneficial experience for both tutors and students because you really get to build bonds with everybody involved.”

Devonshire is excited to continue this paragraph with the Bishop Scholars, ensuring students continue to benefit from this invaluable connection.

“It's really exciting for me as an alum and as a principal to have this program to support all of our students because we know there are only so many hours in the day. So in order to meet the needs of our students, we have to get creative,” Dr. Peddle said.