Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) students from all grade levels were recognized during the school’s annual AVID Night, held yesterday in the school’s cafeteria. The event celebrates student participation, academic progress and overall involvement in the AVID program, bringing together students, teachers and families alike.
AVID is a program designed to support students in developing skills for college and career readiness. The program emphasizes organization, good study habits and personal growth while also encouraging student participation in leadership roles and community service.
The evening began with a taco dinner at 5:30 p.m., followed by the awards presentation at 6 p.m. During the awards ceremony, students were recognized for academic achievement, leadership and organizational skills, community service hours, preparedness and quality.
One of the highlights of AVID Night is recognizing student growth over time. According to sophomore AVID and chemistry teacher Douglas Race, the ceremony reflects how students develop academically and personally through the program.
“I have students who are very shy and don’t talk, and how they’re not afraid to put themselves out there more,” Race said.
Ensuring growth is celebrated for all grade levels requires planning and coordination. Club advisor Cecilia Lopez said communication was a key factor, especially for students and teachers who are participating in planning and attending these events for the first time.
“Communication is the first one, because when we have new students and new teachers that have never been a part of the award ceremony, it’s important to communicate well with them and not assume that they know any of the information. Just assume that they’re blank slate so that the event runs smoothly and everyone enjoys it,” Lopez said.
Beyond communication, balancing input from students and club officers adds another layer to the long planning process. Lopez also described challenges in coordinating the event, including balancing input from students and club officers.
“Some of the challenges are organizing not only the adults, but also organizing the students. So there are the challenges that we faced at this last award tonight ceremony with the club officers, because they all have opinions that are valid, and it’s coming to a consensus together where everyone likes the theme, everyone likes the order of events, everyone likes the food,” Lopez said.
In addition to recognizing achievement, AVID Night serves to strengthen connections between students, teachers and families. Lopez describes the ceremony as a way to allow students to see their progress acknowledged beyond day-to-day classroom work.
“It helps build a strong connection because the teachers we think about our kids all the time, but we never verbalize it, and it’s important that students are being recognized for their hard work, and not just the day-to-day class, but we see consistent progress and that they know that we’re, you know, recognizing them, and they’re not just here to do an assignment and then they’re done and they’re out, the purpose is to create a bond with AVID kids, because it’s a unique class, so that they know how to deal with relationships, professional relationships in the future,” Lopez said.
The ceremony concluded with students receiving their awards and much applause from peers, teachers and families. AVID Night highlighted individual achievements while emphasizing the collaborative efforts of students, club officers and advisors in organizing the event. The night provided an opportunity to celebrate consistent leadership and effort across all participating grade-level AVID students.
