This year, the high school will graduate eight seniors from its AVID program. Of these, four students have been accepted into four-year colleges, two will be going to Santa Rosa Junior College, and the remaining two are undecided.
For the uninitiated, AVID is an acronym for Advancement Via Individual Determination. It is a worldwide, research-based program that identifies, recruits, and prepares students for four-year college eligibility by way of a special academic elective class, scheduled during the school day. As a program, AVID helps students who are often the least well served in our schools – students in the academic middle who are capable of success, but who are not reaching their potential.
“From the get-go, we drill it into our AVID students that four-year college is the goal,” said Tammy Rivara, who teaches math and leadership at the high school, in addition to her AVID class. “We are training them to be good students by encouraging responsibility in both school and life.”
Students are identified as AVID candidates by test scores, grades, and teachers. They are then recruited to join the program as long as no behavior problems exist. Often they are the first in their families to have an opportunity to go to college but don’t even know where to begin the process. AVID helps them prepare for and succeed in college by teaching them academic “survival skills” and college entry level skills.
On a worldwide level, the program has impressive results, with approximately 95 percent of its 120,000 enrolled students registering for four-year colleges.
Closer to home, AVID is making significant strides. All told, the high school currently has approximately 90 AVID students in grades 10 through 12. Next year, when the class is offered to freshman, that number will jump to a total of 120 students with students in each of the four distinct high school grade levels.
At the middle school level, this is the first year AVID has been offered. Kathy Eschelman is the AVID teacher at Adele Harrison Middle School and has nothing but praise for her students and the goals of the class. “Some kids get lost academically when they get to middle school and AVID is designed for those students who are in danger of falling through the cracks,” said Eschelman. “The key is to teach them to be organized and empower them to take charge of their own education.” In Eschelman’s class, there are currently 25 boys and girls in the seventh and eighth grades.
Cheryl Coldiron is the AVID teacher at Altimira, in addition to teaching art. Her class mirrors that of Eschelman’s with a mix of girls and boys in the seventh and eighth grades. “Almost all of my students want to take AVID again next year,” said Coldiron. “We had one field trip to a college and have had college students visit our class to encourage the students to go to college. Other guest speakers have come to talk about their careers and college experiences. It’s a wonderful experience for these students.”
Additionally, Coldiron’s students had worked on Socratic Seminars and Philosophical Chairs, which are a type of “gentle” debate to get students ready for high school and college experiences. They have also done collaborative learning, logic puzzles, and lots of inquiry-based reading and writing assignments.
“My students are required to take notes in their core curriculum classes using either Cornell Notes or Learning Logs, and show them to me for credit,” said Coldiron. “Their teachers have told me their AVID students perform better on tests because they are more prepared. The whole AVID experience is to provide support to the students, which appears to be happening.”
In terms of ethnic diversity throughout the AVID classes, the mix is 50 percent Latino students at Adele Harrison and 75 percent Latino at Altimira, and at the high school, the Latino population in AVID is about 82 percent.
Annette Murray is a coordinator at AVID North Coast, based in Santa Rosa. She said that the Adele numbers are typical for the United States. “If you look at the statistics throughout the US, about 50 percent of AVID students are Latino,” said Murray. “But regardless of racial background, if no one else in the family has been to college, these kids need a boost to get there.”
According to Murray, students who have been in AVID for three or more years are twice as likely to go on to college. For instance in Windsor, where the program has been in place at the seventh-grade level for a few years, her office has seen really successful results.
“Students who have been in AVID attend California State Universities at over three times the rate of all other California high school graduates,” said Murray. “The success rate is there because we encourage these students to take the harder high school classes like chemistry and Algebra II.”
According to Ben Stone, executive director of Sonoma County’s Economic Development Board, the county has a discrepancy between jobs and the local talent pool. The EDB’s Innovation Council is embarking on an outreach program to the current student population to get them enthusiastic about upcoming career opportunities in areas like green technology and biotechnology. Both Sonoma State and Santa Rosa Junior College offer courses and degrees in computer science and technology.
“As parents, it is our job to create awareness and get children involved in science and technology,” said Stone. “This is a often a cultural challenge but with the career opportunities we’re seeing in the county it is important that we convey the message that kids can actually change the world through these sciences.”
As for the students, most seem to enjoy being a part of the program, saying that by the time they reach their senior year, they are like one big family. “It’s a great program,” said Shawn Echeverría, who would like to pursue an education and career as a reconstructive plastic surgeon. “It opens a window to new career opportunities that I wouldn’t have known existed otherwise.”
AVID middle schoolers take proposals to Community Services and Environment Commission
Students from Adele Harrison and Altimira AVID classes each presented proposals at this week’s Community Services and Environment Commission meeting. The students are participating in a nationwide program called SiteSeeing. The nationwide program was created by Minnesota design educator, Mary deLaittre. The intent of the program is to empower youth to claim ownership of their community, to take responsibility for their environment and to participate in public decision-making processes throughout their lives.
For SiteSeeing, students at Altimira proposed creating a garden on their school grounds. They envision a quiet, peaceful area with a fountain and benches called the “Butterfly Garden.” They plan to plant flowers and vegetables, someday maybe even growing enough to sell at the local Farmer’s Market. If approved at the meeting, students will set things in motion for a multi-year project including fundraising, planning and construction efforts.
At Adele, students are interested in building an outdoor volleyball court and their proposal discussed how and where this would be built on the school grounds. Already setting fundraising in motion with a car wash, the students are excited about the possibility of having another activity to participate in during recess. If approved, the students will need to further plan the construction of the court as well as its ongoing maintenance..
AVID seniors are college bound
Kyle Magnani will attend SRJC for 2 years, then plans to transfer to Dominican, Chico State or Monterey.
Kris Neumann will attend SRJC for 2 years focusing on viticulture, then transfer to UC Davis continuing that same focus.
Rigo Magana will attend SRJC with his interest in Music.
Carolina Gomez will complete 2 years at SRJC, then pursue Spanish Literature at San Jose State University.
Claire Wellington and Sandi Torres will attend Dominican University in San Rafael – Claire pursuing elementary education and Sandi studying adult mental health in the field of Psychology.
Brenda Morfin will attend 2 years at SRJC then to St. Mary’s for premed.
Megan Riddell will attend SRJC 2 years then transfer to a UC for the study of medicine.
Yaneli Mata will attend St. Edwards in Austin, Texas to study Criminology and Psychology.
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