Yolo Middle School already has a couple years of experience with the AVID program, but recently the designation got a boost, at least appearance-wise with official signage and a ribbon-cutting celebrated by all the current AVID students and staff.
AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. It is a program that helps students prepare for college or career-training by focusing in on key learning techniques known as WICOR, which stands for writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading. As the students go up in grade, the progression on these concepts advances.
The program is run by Vice Principal Craig Mello, who serves as the AVID coordinator. There ae three classes and the instructors are Erika Cruz, Cynthia Bautista and Oscar Madrigal.
The instructors teach organizational skills, especially in the realm of notetaking and they monitor the students’ grades and performance in general education classes.
Luis Torres, a seventh grader, joined AVID in sixth grade because he recognized he was having a hard time focusing in some of his classes.
“I was really struggling with my study habits and things like that,” Torres said. He explained that AVID has taught him the organizational and time management skills that have helped him thrive in class.
Lylian Telly, a seventh grader, has really appreciated the lessons on taking notes.
“It has made me more capable of picking up what will be on tests and quizzes and the assignments that I have,” she said.
They also take field trip to universities in California. Last year the students went to Stanford University and Santa Clara University. This year they will be going to San Jose State and possibly Fresno State.
The school has had AVID up and running for three years, but just recently got signage for the outside fence, Mello is hopeful it will spark even more curiosity and interest about the program.
The AVID program isn’t just one that a student can enroll in. They have to have teacher recommendations, the parents have to be involved and the students sign a contract stating their commitment to the program.
“It’s more of a teacher recommendation that they see potential than it is about a GPA,” Mello said.
Juan Sanchez, an eighth-grader at Yolo, said he signed up for AVID in his 6th grade year because he wanted to be able to achieve his goal of going to college. The Newman Crows Landing Unified School District and CSU Stanislaus are working on a program called Warrior Promise that could make that goal a reality for a lot of the students. While all the details still need to be finalized, the program would essentially give automatic entrance into Stanislaus State for any NCLUSD student that has participated in avid throughout their high school years at Orestimba High School.
