They walk in, grab a snack or two, and hunker down at a table with their tutors to begin their schoolwork.

Along the way, students typically improve upon their grades through their participation in the Homework Helpers afterschool program held at the Palmerton Area Library.The program, for students in grades 1-8, is held from 3-4:15 p.m. Monday and Wednesday. It's free, but parents much register each child.As part of the program, volunteer tutors help children with their homework and other assignments.Aiden Acevedo, a fourth-grader from S.S. Palmer Elementary, is a frequent visitor to the program.Aiden said he attends the sessions on a regular basis to work on his lessons."Mostly math," Aiden said. "She helps me with my homework, and I appreciate it."Kelly Westermann, a senior at Palmerton Area High School, said she enjoys her role as a volunteer tutor."I help students with their homework and make sure they're doing it correctly," Westermann said. "If there's problems, I help them; as a student, I've been through it, so I might as well share my knowledge."A few tables down, Kris Hoffner, a retired teacher from Towamensing Elementary School, helps tutor sixth graders Trevor Stoeckel and Mason Huntington."My scores slipped a lot, and I'm trying to pick it up," Trevor said. "We just got our report cards today, and my grades have increased."Mason said both his language arts and spelling grades have increased, likely as a result of his participation in the program."We come here and study a lot, and we do our homework," Mason said.About 25 students take part in the program, according to library director Diane Danielson."Most of our tutors are older retired teachers or high school students," Danielson said. "We have teachers who miss that connection with the kids; it's a cool thing to see."One of those volunteer tutors is Marian Hoffner, a retired reading teacher from Palmerton Junior High School.Hoffner, who is in charge of the program, said it's a great feeling to see the students make progress on their report cards."I see a lot of them getting A's and B's; I think it does make a difference," Hoffner said. "The adults who come, and the kids, are very faithful."For more information on, call the library at 610-826-3424, or visit palmertonarealibrary.com.