Springtime is here! For those at Mira Costa, this time of year brings something possibly more exciting than opening those acceptance letters: the Scholar Quiz 2016 (MCHS).
What it is:
The Scholar Quiz is a single-elimination Jeopardy-style competition, played out over six days. This is the most treasured academic annual event at Mira Costa High School. There are 256 players total, divided into teams of four, for a total of 64 teams. The players pick their own teams, and battle it out answering questions from all academic topics.
It is exciting. It is nerdy. It is exactly what your tutor at Study Hut reminisces about from their days at MCHS.
Here’s how it goes down:
Each match involves two teams, a reader, a scorekeeper, and a flag judge. Topics from all subjects-math, history, english, you name it-are fair game, as well as pop-culture and current events. The players must pass lightening, toss-up, and bonus rounds.
Scholar Quiz Champions are recognized in an all-school assembly, and their names are forever engraved on the Mira Costa Scholar Quiz Trophy.
PARENTS:
Do you think your student will be the winner? Is your child participating? Do you want to witness the action first-hand as a volunteer? With a whopping 256 players, this event needs over 100 volunteers. If interested, contact Study Hut MB ASAP and we will point you in the right direction.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Sign-up is competitive, and the spots are taken quickly.
After a fantastic 2014-2015 school year in Manhattan Beach, Mira Costa students are about to enjoy some fun in the sun. While many have finished their SAT and ACT exams, others are starting summer school. So for those of you who have to spend some morning time in the classroom, Study Hut Tutoring is here for you after class, at our new summer location: 1208 Artesia Blvd. in Hermosa Beach, across the street from Mira Costa High School.
Our geometry tutors are standing by– we are available for hourly sessions Monday through Friday from 9am to 7pm. Whether you are getting ahead and taking Modern World History or US history, we have the local experts and books you need in order to earn A’s over summer. It is important to get off on the right foot because the summer classes are especially condensed, often only 4-6 weeks long. If it’s algebra tutoring you need, our top people are locked and loaded, ready to go.
Mira Costa High School isn’t the only school letting loose. Students from Manhattan Beach Middle School are “free at last” from the rigors of Mr. Rucker’s Boulder, Mrs. Luke’s math homework and early morning tutoring sessions on Late Start Wednesdays. Now that school is out, a lot of students are coming to Study Hut Tutoring for summer tutoring in Manhattan Beach to brush up on their pre-algebra skills, five paragraph essay writing, and Spanish verbs. These basics are quintessential to earning top marks in the fall. While buoy swims are equally as important for the body, the mind requires specific tuning in order to test well in early September.
For those students who have just wrapped up their last days at Grandview Elementary, Pacific Elementary, Robinson Elementary, and Pennykamp Elementary, there is a real transition that lies ahead as they enter into Manhattan Beach Middle School. Now more than ever, incoming 6th graders will be put to the test. But not to worry, Study Hut Tutoring is in your corner, having just helped a plethora of students with wide ranging needs, we are ready to help you tackle these challenges: we have the books, we know the curriculum, and you’re going to have a ton of fun knockin’ it out with us. Come in for engaging summer tutoring in Manhattan Beach to keep your mind fresh!
These past few weeks excitement waas in the air as Scholar Quiz took place! Both the Mira Costa High School study body and the Manhattan Beach Middle School student body, both competed in what we like the call, “The Scholar Quiz.”
Teams of 4 compete in different rounds of Lightning Rounds and Bonus Rounds. During the bonus rounds, you can score up to 20 points. Scholar Quiz’s premise is the same as that of the popular game ‘Jeopardy’. Each team includes four students. The the game consists of two teams of four students each, a Reader, Judge, and a Scorer.
Other schools put on their own Scholar Quiz as well. The idea started at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. Mr. Cooper, former PV High Econ teacher and Football coach, and Barton, PV High teacher, took the idea from Costa. Both teachers attended and taught at Mira Costa High School. Cooper approached Barton, and PV High’s Scholar Quiz began in 2005.
There are three types of questions asked in the Scholar Quiz- Toss Up, Bonus, and Lightning Round questions. A toss up question is one that either team can answer. The first team raising a placard is given the first opportunity to answer. If they answer incorrectly, the second team has a chance to answer the same question. A toss up question may lead to a Bonus Round. The Bonus Round includes a specific topic with four questions. This round is where teammates work together to come up with the final answer. Only the team that wins the Toss Up can benefit from the Bonus Round. A Lightning Round question is one where ten questions are given in quick succession to the teams, with each team being allowed to answer only once. If a team answers a Lightning Round question incorrectly, they are penalized with a loss of points.
Pictured below are the winners from the MCHS Scholar Quiz
Pictured below are the winners from the MBMS Scholar Quiz
1. People help each other out
Costa has so many clubs dedicated to helping charities locally and globally. Students and teachers join together to raise money and volunteer for things they are passionate about! And that is really cool. Many clubs raise money, some raise awareness, but the important thing is that Costa students really care about giving back to the global community.
2. Amazing new buildings!
New science buildings that ensure students get amazing hands on experiences and get to use new equipment. Even some of the older buildings have amazing technology and help make learning fun.
3. Everyone is blonde
Blonde is like a recessive gene or something, Costa is basically a crazy science experiment focused on furthering the blonde population. Its totally true because of science.
4. You meet friends for life.
You meet some of the people you will be friends with for the rest of your life. And you get like 6 hours a day to bond with them. And if you haven’t met your BFF so far– there are like 2,000 students. You probably haven’t met them yet.
5. Our sports teams are great
We win games. Run fast. Throw balls through hoops. CIF and stuff.
6. The teachers really care for students
Teachers at Costa are among the highest rated in the nation. Our teachers go above and beyond what is asked of them. Teachers are always going out of their way to like be positive role models, inspire the youth and write awesome letters of recommendation. They are pretty great.
7. Students are (over) achievers
But in a really positive way. We have way more AP classes than most schools, and we have to make more sections to accommodate all the students who want to take them. And if you get in over your head with your overachiever ways there’s always Study Hut to back you up!
8. Everyone has a secret talent.
At Costa, people have all these crazy secret hobbies like jiujitsu and rhythmic gymnastics. It makes the student body really diverse and also probably home of many future Olympians.
9. Amazing student activities and events
Costa ASB throws great school functions like dances, pep-rallies and more. Its fun to release some stress and see a student dressed up in the crazy horse costume.
10. You genuinely get an amazing education
Academics are taught, but life skills are learned. Students from Costa are well equipped to go to college and start making positive changes is the world. Costa paves the way for students to discover themselves and where life might take them.
El Segundo Office: (310) 648-8526 – Office Manager Adam – Adam@studyhut.com
The High Schools around the area have been holding registration and students have been preparing for their new classes/schedule for the Fall.
We have had many students here at the Study Hut gearing up for the new year and getting some refresher courses before the school year begins.
For students going to Mira Costa High School, school starts on the 28th of August.. one week and counting. For students attending Redondo Union High School and schools in Palos Verdes, they start school on Tuesday August 27th.
Here are the Study Hut we are closed Monday September 2nd for Labor Day and Wednesday September 5th for Yom Kippur.
On another note, we are also getting back into SAT and ACT training. The first exam of the year takes place in October which many students are signed up for.
We have diagnostic tests every other week on Saturdays at 8am for SAT/ACT/HSPT/ISEE. We had one on Saturday August 17th and the next one we have is on Saturday August 31st.
We have had many students in here for consultations with our co-owner Rob going over scores and getting prepared for their prep.
All our diagnostic tests are free as well as our consultations with Rob.
Past events and/or events coming up:
Our staff went to Parris Middle School for the week to help with registration Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8-12noon.
We helped hand out schedules, assign lockers, and distribute agendas
– We have 15 tutors going to training for AVID on Monday. It is for the AVID programs at Palos Verdes and Peninsula High Schools – teaming up so the whole mountain is on the same page
You might think that Study Hut during the summer would be a desolate place. This notion couldn’t be farther from the truth. While some students head to the beach or to a summer job, many are actually getting ahead by taking geometry over the summer.
Every day, we have geometry students at The Hut cramming their brains with theorems, postulates, and angle relationships. Mr. Hughes is teaching geometry this summer at Mira Costa and his class definitely moves a fast pace. Both our students and tutors can attest to this! The key to staying afloat in geometry over the summer and landing a decent grade is, first, knowing what to practice, and second, actually practicing again and again. Doing more math problems after five grueling hours of class may seem tedious, but our experience as tutors and more importantly, as students, has showed us that this approach leads to success.
It can be overwhelming to decipher what’s important in geometry and what types of problems to practice. This is where Study Hut can help. Not only do our tutors know the geometry course at Mira Costa better than the back their hands, they can also assess your strengths and weaknesses. At Study Hut, we will keep you organized to use your precious time efficiently. In an accelerated summer geometry course, nothing is more important than time management to prevent you from falling behind.
Here are three tips for success in geometry over the summer:
1) Try your best to pay attention in class. Five hours of class is a long time, but you will be in much better shape if you take an interest in the subject and will spend less time at home trying to figure out what the heck you were supposed to learn that day.
2) It is not unusual for a student to occasionally feel overwhelmed and lost in geometry. Trust us, you are not alone! Get help from an experienced tutor at Study Hut. Often times, a second explanation or a different approach will turn a few light bulbs on.
3) Know your postulates and theorems! In order to do proofs, you need to know and understand all of the postulates and theorems in your book. You will commit these to memory more easily by making an ongoing list of postulates and theorems as you learn each chapter. Put this list in front of you every time you do your homework. If you do this, these fundamental concepts will begin to take root in your brain and you will not have to shuffle through your book.
The year is finally over! Congrats to everyone who finished their finals this week and are officially on summer vacation! We have had a great Spring semester and hope to see many of you during the summer here at the Study Hut.
The schools around the neighborhood have all held their commencements and we want to congratulate all the students!! To those going from 8th grade to High School or those going from High School to College, have a wonderful summer and we know you will continue to do well and succeed!
Here are the schools that have held graduation in the area:
Redondo Union High School: Friday June 14th @ 2pm
Mira Costa High School: Thursday June 20th @ 5-6pm at Waller Stadium
Palos Verdes High School: 2pm Graduation on Wednesday June 5th
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School: Wednesday June 12th
Manhattan Beach Middle School: Wednesday June 19th @6:30pm-9pm at the Gym/MPR
For those starting summer school – Keep in mind:
Besides our normal $45/hr tutoring and our SAT tutoring… we have 4 different programs you can sign up for. We have an Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry and summer reading class!
We have many great summer programs that we are offering this summer so here is all the important information you need to know! If you don’t need to sign up for a class – we also have normal one-on-one tutoring for summer school.
The summer courses all take place between July 8th and August 8th – it’s a 5 week program – 20 hours a week – and it costs $495.
We are going to cap the classes at 10 students each so sign up now to make sure you get a spot!
The Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry classes are prep classes to help students prepare for the course that they’re taking in the fall. These classes will be taught by our same tutors that work here, and will either take place on Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday.
For the summer reading, get ahead this summer! We have experienced tutors for all the reading levels and for every book on the summer reading lists! Learn to annotate and analyze literature and practice quizzes included!!
If you are interested, you can call the Study Hut!
For Manhattan Beach Location:
Manhattan Beach: (310)546-2408 or you can e-mail: Samantha@studyhut.com
For Redondo Beach Location:
Redondo Beach: (310)540-5888 or you can e-mail: Justin@studyhut.com
We had a great turnout at our first ever Study Hut Foundation Parent/Teacher Scholar Quiz on Sunday June 2nd at the Manhattan Beach Country Club!
We had 16 teams participate at our event, and the event lasted from 4pm until 8pm. The winning team’s name was WB and the Funky 3.
The teams were parents and teachers from all the surrounding areas including Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Hermosa Beach. Many teachers from the schools participated including: Palos Verdes, West High School, Manhattan Beach Middle School, and Mira Costa High School.
The questions that were asked ranged from all different subjects, including English, History, Geography, Pop Culture, Math and many more!
We had a silent auction as well which included restaurant certificates, jewelry, signed memorabilia from the Kings Hockey Team, cupcakes from Susie Cakes, and many more.
Many local merchants donated silent auction iteams, including but not limited to wine, plants, hair appointments, free tutoring sessions, and music lessons.
We also had raffle tickets that we sold ($5 for 1 or $20 for 5 tickets). The people who won, received a trip for 2 nights (air fare not included) – and they can pick from over 50 different destinations.
We served Hors d’œuvres while the event was going on including but not limited too: Quiche and dumplings – and we also had a cash bar outside that overlooked the tennis courts.
If you would like to donate to the Study Hut Foundation, you can log on to our website at StudyHutFoundation.org and click “Donate”
As of right now we have 13 students that attend the Study Hut Foundation and next year we are hoping to bump it up to 50 students. We are seeing improvements already in their grades and have changed the way that the students view going to school.
Thanks to all the teams that participated! Congrats to the winners! Thanks again to everyone that came out and supported our event! We really appreciate it!
Stay tuned for Part 2 and more pictures in the next blog!
The Mira Costa High School Newspaper – La Vista – wrote an article about us, the STUDY HUT. Our co-owner SP was the Editor-In-Chief of the La Vista back in 2003 and some of our tutors have been staff writers and held positions on the Newspaper. We have known the La Vista teacher, Mr. McAvin for many years.
Here is what the article says:
While outside tutoring has proven to be successful in helping students raise academic scores, it can be pricey and isn’t always readily available to all students.
Study Hut founders Rob and Sean-Patrick are looking to change this by expanding their impact on students’ academics through scholarships offered from their newest branch that is located in Lomita, called the Study Hut Foundation.
“I’ve been going to Study Hut since the beginning of this year,” sophomore Sarah said. “The best part is probably how laid back it is; they have lots of food and candy, and the tutors are very easy to talk to.”
Study Hut tutors are all recent college graduates that work with students individually in a variety of subjects, ranging from history to science to math. In addition to offering curriculum-based tutoring for K-12 students, Study Hut offers standardized test tutoring for tests such as the SAT and ACT. Study Hut prides itself on being able to provide individual solutions instead of using one method for every student.
“My education at University of California, Berkeley has tremendously helped me as a tutor,” tutor Patrick said. “I prefer to tutor students in physics because it is closest to engineering. I love being able to walk through problems with students.”
Study Hut initially started out with one location in Manhattan Beach in 2005, but it has since expanded to several other areas. It now has four main locations: Hut 1 (or the Mother Hut) in Manhattan Beach, Hut 2 in Redondo Beach and two other facilities in El Segundo and Newport Beach.
Additionally, on May 1 of this year, Study Hut opened a new location in Lomita, called the Study Hut Foundation. The Foundation will offer free tutoring by college and high school graduates to select scholarship students.
“I went to Study Hut when I first struggled with my academic classes,” senior Juliana said. “I enjoy going because all of the tutors are very personable.”
Students who go to the Foundation are scholarship students that meet Study Hut’s requirements. They receive free tutoring provided by donations, as well as revenue generated by the Study Hut organization as a whole. The Foundation’s goal is to provide tutoring and test-prep services to motivated students who could otherwise not afford them.
“This project has been in the works for many years, and I’m proud to say that it has finally turned from dream into reality,” Study Hut desk manager Samantha said.
On April 30, Study Hut held a Scholarship Award Breakfast to raise funds for the next year’s scholarships at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club in Newport Beach. Local businesses donated to the cause by acting as presenting sponsors or by sponsoring tables at the event with proceeds going to the Foundation.
“I am excited that Study Hut is offering scholarships to students who do not necessarily have the same resources as other Costa students,” senior Jaclyn said. “It’s incredible that Study Hut is helping others.”
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! There was an ACT vs. SAT Prep Fair at Mira
Costa High School Wednesday night !
Our Manhattan Beach Office Manager Sam and Adam attended the SAT vs. ACT Prep Fair on Wednesday at Mira Costa High School from 6:15 p.m. until 8 p.m. The Study Hut set up a table and talked to many students and parents – mostly Sophomore and Junior level students who are getting ready to plan for college.
There was a speaker there on Wednesday night along with other businesses including Kaplan, Blue Train, The Princeton Review, PJ’s Test Prep Service, and many others.
The Study Hut offers SAT prep – both group courses and private one-on-one tutoring. Right now are are in the 4th week of a 6 week SAT group course. We offer classes up to 10 students and the class is offered Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs for 2 hours each night.
If you are interested in taking this course, you can sign up to take a free SAT Diagnostic test on Saturday mornings proctored here at the Study Hut. The next dates will be March 2nd and March 23rd. We offered a Diagnostic this past Saturday as well on February 23rd and had a great turn out since students are gearing up for the real SAT test on March 9th!!
Once you’ve taken the diagnostic test – we will then schedule a consult with Co-Owner Rob to go over your scores and sign you up for either the group course or the private one-on-one sessions.
Our next SAT group course will start on March 12th and will be offered Tuesday and Thursday nights for two hours each.
You can e-mail samantha@studyhut.com if you are interested in taking the Diagnostic Test/being in the SAT group course or private one-on-one sessions.
Good luck to all the students who are taking the SAT exam on March 9th!!
