A quick thumb-nail sketch of highlights of the program. This is by no means any where near a complete history, just a brief overview. (Under "construction," look for more in the future.)

The Athens Tutorial Program began in 1981 under the auspices of the Child Advocacy Committee. The plan was to eradicate illiteracy in Athens/Clarke County, to deter teen drug use, teenage pregnancy and juvenile delinquency. The first centers were in the Nellie B. Housing Community and the East Athens Community Center. Funding came from Emmanuel Episcopal, First Presbyterian and Athens Government. In 1982, a center opened in Rocksprings.

May 87: ATP received $5,000 from Gov. Harris' discretionary fund, $2,000 from WXIA, an Atlanta Television station.

December 92: Special recognitions: The Athens Housing Authority presented a plaque to ATP in recognition of service to youth; Winn Dixie Corporation and the Davis Family presented to Barbara the Good Citizen award, a plaque and a $1,500 contribution to ATP

January 93: Drug Awareness Workshop conducted by Officer Friendly - Parkview Center; Drug Awareness conducted by Officer Rocky - Rocksprings Center; Christmas parties at East and Central Athens centers; a Holiday Gala was celebrated at Rocksprings for students and their families, sponsored by Officer Randall Garrett (Athens-Clarke Police Department) with contributions by downtown merchants. The Serve America grant is administered through the State Department of Education, Clark Atlanta University and the Georgia Business Forum. The purpose of the grant is to provide service learning experiences for low-income and minority students through helping others. The theme of the ATP program is "Read, Write & Blue: A Community of Readers.

February 93: Barbara began her report with a slide show from the African-American Workshop held in January. The workshop focused on dance and on the relationship between modern and African-American dancing. The children also participated in t-shirt tie-dying. There is a video from the workshop and board members were invited to borrow it for personal viewing. The workshop was in collaboration with the Clarke County Art Dept. Special Dates: February 4th -- "A Taste of Asian Culture" workshop will be presented by one of our tutors; February 21st -- Black History Month Program at the East Athens Community Center -- a speaker will read from works of black writers.

April 93: Parent meeting at Parkview Center; "Each One Bring One" day at Wilbur P. Jones Center (a student recruitment activity); field trip to the M.L. King Center for Social Change (34 students); Drug Awareness Session at Rocksprings Center; A Self-Portrait Art Workshop at East Athens (to build self-esteem by using collages of words and pictures describing themselves).

June 93: An African American Dance Workshop (Mrs. Deborah Ferguson of Memphis); Crime Prevention Workshop (Mrs. Katie Jones of Clarke County Police Dept.), Rocksprings and Parkview; Student/Tutor Fellowship (Trawick-Alexander);

August 93: Jameson Cleveland, a student at Hillsman Middle School made a presentation about the summer program which he said provided opportunities to read, learn, have fun and taught the lesson of "serving to learn and learning to serve." He also talked about the trip to see Martin Luther King, Jr.'s church, The Jimmy Carter Museum and some of the area colleges. Barbara presented the quilt that Anna Holshouser and her group of students created. The summer program was named "Read, Write, and Blue: A Community of Readers. Number of students in summer program: 65. The children were required to keep a daily journal during the program. Other activities: Barbara attended "Youth Empowerment System (YES); eight students attended Youth Leadership Conference at Charter Winds; field trip to Atlanta; Carl McCoy conducted a career planning workshop for middle and high school students; ATP Drama Troupe performed at local nursing home facilities; Elizabeth Moffitt Robinson, from the NAACP, conducted a self-esteem workshop; Mrs. Nunnally, Mr. Fair and Barbara participated as panelists at a Career Awareness Workshop at Ebenezer Baptist Church West, also several students from the summer program attended.

April 94: Activities for the month: field trip Ga. Museum of Art (thanks to O'Neal for driving the van); "Read with Me (in conjunction with the Community Service Program);" Easter Egg Hunt; students collected and contributed over 300 cans of food for the Homeless Shelter and Food Bank as a community service project.

February 95: Program highlights: Conflict Resolution Workshops; participation in Parenting Fairs; Spelling Bee; Kwanzaa Workshops; Holiday Festivities in each center; Parent/Student/Tutor Reception; Parent Meeting; orientation for students; the tenth center opened at Cedar Shoals.

April 95: Barbara said it has been a good year and she is especially proud of the Parkview Center which has developed a partnership with Barrow School and all students in that program have improved significantly. The banking presentations were well received by the children, they really paid attention and asked many questions.

February 96: Program activities included The Athens Tutorial Law School Graduation (26 students) with Judge Steve Jones giving the Commencement Address.

April 96: Law School Graduation at the Thomas Lay Center, March 9th - Judge James McDonald gave the commencement address; Effective Parenting Seminar graduation March 7; Culture Day at East Athens Center - UGA students presented culture through music, dance and speeches (Mrs. Connie Moran); "Stop the Smoking" workshops at Parkview and Thomas Lay Centers (Bennie Robinson);

Sept. 96: Summer Program highlights: 26 students attended the summer program -- curriculum consisted of law-related education, reading enrichment, educational field trips and guests speakers, three workshops. Also, an Effective Parenting Seminar was conducted for six weeks with 18 parents graduating.

May 96: Program Activities: ATP Law School; Effective Parenting Seminar; Easter Activities; Volunteer Training Session -- UGA Tate Center.

Feb. 97: Program Highlights: students attended an African oral history and musical presentation by Pappa Sussoa; students celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday by writing essays; volunteer orientation and a parent meeting were both conducted.

March 97: Program highlights: Black History Month activities (presentations, lectures/discussions and oral reports by students); "Law School," Reading Expo ‘97, sponsored by the Northeast Georgia Reading Assoc.

1997, Executive Director, Mrs. Barbara Archibald, was appointed to the state Board of Education by Governor Zell Miller.

April 97: Program Highlights: Dr. Robert Pratt addressed 20 students and parents during a workshop on "Famous African Americans;" students participated in Easter coloring contest at Chapter 11 Bookstore and made Easter thank you cards; Effective Parenting Seminars began at Rock Springs Center; ATP Law School held graduation exercises with Chief Joseph Lumpkin giving the graduation address; Kalesia Merritt and Benny Robinson presented a Conflict Management workshop.

Sep. 97: The Centers will open on Tuesday, October 7. On Monday, October 6, there will be a mock trial presented at the Rocksprings Center. This will be a special presentation for the fifth annual Bus Trip Across Georgia sponsored by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education. ATP Law School was one of 23 sites chosen from over 125 applicants.

Nov. 98: Program Activities: The Parkview Center held a Kickoff Balloon Party attended by Mrs. Jody Webber, Asst. Principal and nine teachers from Barrow Elementary School; students participated in make A Difference Day (to promote volunteer participation sponsored by the Volunteer Action Committee); East Athens students made African American masks and learned about the history of mask making; students participated in the Governor's Red Ribbon Week Drug Prevention Campaign and distributed drug prevention materials to community residents-students also signed a pledge card to remain drug free.

April, 2001, Barbara Thurmond Archibald, Executive Director, was chosen by the Girl Scouts of Northeast as Georgia's 2001 Woman of Distinction

March, 2002, ATP students participate in a food drive for the local Food Bank and attend Educating for Character program ending with a visit from the Athens Clarke County Firemen.

Spring 2003, Tutorial Center activities: The Athens Tutorial Program was asked by the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce to represent youth during its Centennial Celebration. During Black History month, the ATP researched Black Businesses past and present and created a display at the Athens-Clarke County Library. A program at the Athens-Clarke County Library was held featuring owners of Black Businesses in Athens. Mrs. Kate Carter gave a presentation on the Nobel Peace Prize at the Rockspring Tutorial Center. Mrs. Carter is the granddaughter-in-law of President Jimmy Carter. The Word of Character for the week was "Peace."

Jarvis Hayes, UGA Basketball Player, spoke to students at East Athens Community Center about staying in school and the importance of academic achievement; April was Volunteer Appreciation Month (students recognized tutors at a reception); Character Education Words of the Week were "appreciation" and "volunteerism;" ATP students participated in National Community Development Week through a poster contest coordinated by the Athens-Clarke County Housing, Education and Development Office (one student won third place and three received "honorable mention," prizes were awarded by Mayor Heidi Davison at the reception given by the Housing, Education and Development Office).