{"id":1320294,"date":"2020-06-01T16:49:19","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T22:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/?p=478636"},"modified":"2020-06-01T17:44:47","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T23:44:47","slug":"avid-graduates-are-avid-about-improving-their-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/avid-graduates-are-avid-about-improving-their-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"AVID graduates are avid about improving their lives"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.673835125448\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-478636-653\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/AVIDgrads-vdn-053020-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/AVIDgrads-vdn-053020-1-769x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Special to the Daily | AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, helps motivated students work toward college and beyond. This is part of Battle Mountain High School's AVID class of 2020.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, helps motivated students work toward college and beyond. This is part of Battle Mountain High School&#8217;s AVID class of 2020.<\/strong><br \/>Special to the Daily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/AVIDgrads-vdn-053020-1-769x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, helps motivated students work toward college and beyond. This is part of Battle Mountain High School's AVID class of 2020.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/AVIDgrads-vdn-053020-2-150x150.jpeg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/AVIDgrads-vdn-053020-2-1024x315.jpeg\" data-sub-html=\"Special to the Daily | AVID students are generally first generation, and stick together with their teachers and each other for four years.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>AVID students are generally first generation, and stick together with their teachers and each other for four years.<\/strong><br \/>Special to the Daily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/AVIDgrads-vdn-053020-2-1024x315.jpeg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"AVID students are generally first generation, and stick together with their teachers and each other for four years.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/AVIDgrads-vdn-053020-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/AVIDgrads-vdn-053020-3-1024x563.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Special to the Daily | Battle Mountain High School's AVID Class of 2020 on the first day of the 2019-20 school year.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Battle Mountain High School&#8217;s AVID Class of 2020 on the first day of the 2019-20 school year.<\/strong><br \/>Special to the Daily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/AVIDgrads-vdn-053020-3-1024x563.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Battle Mountain High School's AVID Class of 2020 on the first day of the 2019-20 school year.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/AVIDgrads-vdn-053020-4-150x150.jpeg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/AVIDgrads-vdn-053020-4-1024x490.jpeg\" data-sub-html=\"Special to the Daily | That's Eagle Valley's AVID Class of 2020 at a Denver Nuggets game.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>That&#8217;s Eagle Valley&#8217;s AVID Class of 2020 at a Denver Nuggets game.<\/strong><br \/>Special to the Daily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/AVIDgrads-vdn-053020-4-1024x490.jpeg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"That's Eagle Valley's AVID Class of 2020 at a Denver Nuggets game.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/news\/avid-graduates-are-avid-about-improving-their-lives\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/news\/avid-graduates-are-avid-about-improving-their-lives\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The walk across the commencement stage is the same distance for everyone. The road leading to it is longer and tougher for some.<\/p>\n<p>Erin Park and Sam Bartlett get that. They teach Advancement Via Individual Determination classes, more commonly known as AVID \u2014 a program that helps students who are motivated to go to college and beyond but need someone to light the way. Some didn\u2019t know English when they arrived in Eagle County. Most are the first in their families to consider college.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey knew they had to work to make things better. They couldn\u2019t just wait for things to get better,\u201d Bartlett said.<\/p>\n<h3>Working toward their dreams<\/h3>\n<p>AVID is a system. Like most successful systems, it works if you work it, Bartlett said, adding that \u201cwork\u201d is the operative phrase.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row vail-donation vail-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/03\/VD-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/03\/VD-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cYou need to find the right kids who show determination and are willing to make some sacrifices,\u201d Bartlett said.<\/p>\n<p>The AVID program recruits students who are motivated and serious about their academic futures. The class helps provide the skills needed to be successful with the ultimate goal of attending college.<\/p>\n<p>Park said their goals and dreams are like most graduating seniors\u2019 \u2014 aiming toward careers in things like engineering, business, nursing, medicine, the U.S. Marines \u2026<\/p>\n<p>In Eagle County Schools, AVID classes can start as early as sixth grade. The students stay with it as they enter high school. The class and their teachers stay together four years. Park and Bartlett have been with this year\u2019s classes since the students were freshmen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt allows teachers to build relationships. Once you build that relationship you can help them stay on the right path,\u201d Bartlett said.<\/p>\n<p>Once they\u2019re in they have to meet certain criteria, including grade point average and good behavior.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe say they have to act like an AVID student. Their teachers should know who they are,\u201d Park said. \u201cThroughout the last four years, I have witnessed this incredible group of students evolve into a family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some students start with the AVID program in sixth grade and stay with it through high school. Students need to show some drive. If they don\u2019t have that drive or are a problem, they can derail others, Bartlett said.<\/p>\n<p>Not always, though. There was this one kid who was defiant and confrontational. They looked beyond that veneer and saw the qualities AVID seeks. That kid is now working with a local veterinarian and is headed to college to study to be a veterinarian.<\/p>\n<h3>Already looking ahead<\/h3>\n<p>They\u2019re done, but like everyone else their school year didn\u2019t end with a traditional finish. Park and Bartlett hear from their AVID class members all the time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been really impressed. They\u2019re wise beyond their years. They\u2019re all level-headed about this,\u201d Park said.<\/p>\n<p>For the Class of 2020, commencement is not normal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to stand up there and say goodbye to them,\u201d Park said. \u201cWorking with this class-turned-family has been the highlight of my teaching career.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>About AVID<\/h3>\n<p>AVID is a national program that reaches 2 million students in 7,500 schools across 47 states. They train teachers to help close the opportunity gap and prepare students for college, careers and life.<\/p>\n<p>It started in 1980 amid the chaos of forced bussing on San Diego. Teachers at San Diego\u2019s Clairemont High School had low expectations for students bussed in from disadvantaged areas. Many believed these students could not succeed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.avid.org\/mary-catherine-swanson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mary Catherine Swanson<\/a>, English department head and teacher, was not one of them. She believed if students were willing to work, she could teach them the skills needed to be college-ready.<\/p>\n<p>By 1986, Swanson\u2019s AVID system was so successful at Clairemont High School that it expanded the AVID program throughout San Diego County, and eventually the country.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/news\/avid-graduates-are-avid-about-improving-their-lives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Vail Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, helps motivated students work toward college and beyond. This is part of Battle Mountain High School&#8217;s AVID class of 2020.Special to the Daily AVID students are generally first generation, and stick together with their teachers and each other for four years.Special to the Daily Battle Mountain High School&#8217;s AVID Class [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1320294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-03 20:21:24","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1320294"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1320295,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320294\/revisions\/1320295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1320294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1320294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1320294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}