AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a four-year elective program that started in San Diego Unified, but has spread globally since its inception in 1980. AVID is designed to help mostly first generation college students (students whose parents did not attend college) prepare for entry into a 4-year college or university out of high school.
At Patrick Henry High School, that means encouraging AVID students to take rigorous classes that will prepare them for college rigor, such as Honors or Advanced Placement (A.P.) courses. Another element of AVID is to provide students with the opportunity to go on college visits.
At Henry, each school year, the AVID elective goes on one one-day field trip that is open to all AVID students, and then a five-day field trip that is open to only the AVID junior class. College visits are a crucial component of the AVID experience, since when students visit numerous college campuses, they can begin to see themselves attending those schools, and will therefore be motivated academically in class to fulfill their college dream.
This year, the AVID elective is visiting UC Irvine, Long Beach State, and CSU Fullerton on Friday, Oct. 25.
Then, Feb. 17-21, the junior AVID class is visiting 14 colleges throughout California, including UC Davis, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and UC Santa Barbara.
The AVID students know when they start at Henry as AVID 9th graders that since the junior AVID field trip is during school, they need to fundraise for it, with the goal of raising $30,000 to cover the charter bus, four nights of hotel stays, food, and substitute teachers for the teacher chaperones.
If you’re interested in donating to the AVID Field Trip fund, go to: https://gofund.me/9f80efb5 o https://donate.patrickhenryhs.net/donate
Editor’s note: Copy and photo provided by Patrick Henry High School.
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