Local Tutor Helps Build Educational Community [Greatest Person in 3V]

As the realm of education evolves, so do Maryann Butkevich's two East Setauket-based tutoring businesses, Clubhouse Kids and College 101, located at 290 Main Street.

Take, for instance, the sweeping changes recently made to the Three Village Central School District's elementary school math curriculum. When the district , teachers received training as the school year began – but Butkevich's tutoring staff attended summertime training sessions before the school year so as to be prepared for the influx of kids struggling to adapt to the new curriculum.

And when changes to tests like Regents exams and the SATs come down the pipeline, Butkevich makes sure her tutors are prepared to help the students taking those tests, too. She has also brought in professionals to run seminars about college-related topics like the admissions process and NCAA qualifications.

"There are myths about college application process. It’s quite a quagmire of misinformation," she said.

There's no "magical formula" to success in this industry, Butkevich said. And although she has lost some students to home tutors, she feels home tutoring isn't as successful as tutoring in a classroom setting, comparing it to having a treadmill in your house. She currently has four classrooms and five other teachers in the program. She even offers need-based scholarships, valued at $700 each.

"Theres a tutor for everybody," she said. "I believe in fewer hours over a greater length of time."

She got her start in education as a tutor in 1999 with an office in Huntington before moving her business to Port Jefferson in 2005 and East Setauket in 2008. She was the executive director of Princeton Review, and has written standardized test training materials. She's built her tutoring business from the ground up, starting with four students in 2001, and eventually serving about 200 kids per year.

"I really care about what we do and we really try hard to give them the best we can," Butkevich said.

She has been a Three Village resident since 2000. A single mother of two, Butkevich and her kids live in what she described as "a little old sea captain's house" built in 1835. She can see her house from her Main Street classroom, and she's home in time to pick up her kids, 10-year-old Jake and 7-year-old Mia, at the bus stop each day.

Along her journey, Butkevich has gotten involved in the community by teaching religious education and running a Daisy troop. She has also taken up fundraising for and raising awareness of important local causes, such as Relay for Life and the . She and her kids have had some successes, like handing out bags of food to homeless people in New York City each December when she takes her kids to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

"More important than the money is I wanted to get my kids involved in community service," she said. "They make me remember what’s important. ... At 44 sometimes you forget what’s right and wrong. They are better role models than any adults I know."