AVID Day celebrations held at Highlands Middle School
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“When I say ‘AVID,’ you say, ‘ROCKS!’”
Students in the Achievement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program at Highlands Middle School kicked off their AVID Day celebration on Friday with a special chant. This year’s AVID Day marked 45 years of AVID education in schools nationwide.
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Students answered the prompt “Because of AVID I…” to discuss the impact the program has had on them.
“It’s really a college and career readiness course for a lot of our students who maybe would be first-generation college students,” said Anthony Lupia, who teaches eighth-grade AVID and seventh-grade science. “We really build around a framework of organization. A lot of our students are super organized, and it helps them succeed in school.”
The other three AVID teachers at Highlands – Caryn Friedman, Diana Lopez, and Catherine Barrera – completed similar exercises in their classrooms. The prompt served to recognize the strides students have made with the help of AVID and also get them excited for the year ahead.
“AVID has helped me a lot academically and to become a better person,” said Sophia Reinoso, an eighth grader at Highlands. “AVID helps me stay organized, keep my grades in check and really helps me not slip into becoming a worse student than I really am.”
Sophia wrote: “Because of AVID, I am creating a future filled with success.”
She also spoke about how last year’s project on colleges, in which each student picked a college to study, helped her begin planning for her future.
Another eighth-grade student, Lizzy Orzuna, wrote: “Because of AVID, I can achieve any goal when I put my mind to it.”
“It doesn’t only help you academically; it helps you become a better person because you become more responsible and can help others,” Lizzy said.
She hopes to become a lawyer so she can help make the world a safer place. She believes that AVID can help her achieve her goal because of how it has shaped her as a leader.
Mr. Lupia is looking forward to an exciting year of AVID education.
“I’m excited for our career unit because I love to see what the kids are interested in pursuing and showing them a pathway to get there,” he said.
