Timberline High School Set to Graduate First AVID Students

avid timberline high school
AVID students (from left) Olivia Campeau, Alan Berbisco, Nathan Ratuita , Diana Perez, Summer Matta-Kasper, Amanda Rich celebrate at a 70s themed outing at Skateland.
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By Esti Izuagbe, Timberline High School intern to ThurstonTalk.

avid timberline high school
Timberline High School students (from left) Esti Izuagbe, Jaun Lugo, Kalika Johnson, Olivia Herting pose during an AVID activity during class.

Some students will be celebrating graduation in an extra special way in June. During Timberline High School’s graduation ceremony, the North Thurston Public Schools high school will graduate its first class of AVID students.

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is a program that is used to help high school students achieve the goal of going to college. The program consists of critical thinking, college visits, and a family-like atmosphere. Tutorials are coordinated twice a week to prep students for higher level study groups. In 2011, Timberline was the first local high school to start this program.

Kalika Johnson joined the program because she had experienced it in Colorado during middle school. She said that she had enjoyed it and wanted to reach out to other students. Johnson recalled her first year in the program, “At first it was difficult to adjust because some people already knew each other, but over the years it was easier to open up to them.” She never thought she would be so close to people of her age.

AVID has taught Johnson how to act professionally and how to organize her schoolwork. “If you’re younger or a freshman, you should apply because you can learn so much. Not just education, but social skills that have to deal with real world stuff. Maybe you’ll even make lifelong friends,” she says. Johnson advises people who are looking into AVID to give it a chance. In the fall, Johnson plans on going to South Puget Sound Community College to work on her pre-requisites before transferring to Central Washington University.

avid timberline high school
AVID students (from left) Olivia Campeau, Alan Berbisco, Nathan Ratuita , Diana Perez, Summer Matta-Kasper, Amanda Rich celebrate at a 70s themed outing at Skateland.

Olivia Campeau joined AVID based on her mother’s suggestion. Campeau thought it would just be a study hall, but realized it was more than what she thought. She felt like she took on a leadership role over the years. “I felt like senior year was the best year because I got to see everything fall into place,” she explains. “I feel like this class is the reason why most of us had the drive to do well.” This seems to be true because she’ll be attending The Evergreen State College full-time while working as a manager at KFC.

Kaitlin Daniels, on the other hand, joined AVID the second semester of freshman year, after she was invited by AVID teacher, Paul Dean and Rob Denning. Since then, she feels like everything has been good for her. She met new people and her grades improved, which was surprising for her because she thought that it would just be like any other class that she had taken. “I like it here,” summarizes Daniels.

“It’s okay to ask for help, that’s the big thing,” Daniels states since many students have trouble seeking help when they need it. She also thinks that people should pursue their dreams. That is why she will be attending Central Washington University to study design and production with a minor in fashion design.

Rob Denning has been working with these students since the program started. He had worked with other students who were either unsupported or floated in the middle. He had the personal desire and wanted to play a role. “The more I learned about AVID, the more I thought that it was a program that our district needed,” explains the Timberline teacher.

avid timberline high school
In June, Timberline High School will graduate its first class of AVID students.

He never expected the class would feel like a family to him. “You’ll never know how close you’ll get with students. You become part parent, mentor, counselor, coach, and dishwasher,” he jokes. Sometimes he felt guilty about pushing his students, but he’s also very proud of what his students have accomplished. He expects to hear great news from the soon to be graduates.

After this school year Denning will continue to teach and serve as the AVID coordinator. Denning’s final words on AVID were, “AVID doesn’t do the work for the student. It provides the structure and tools for goal oriented students to reach and exceed those goals,” he summarizes.

 

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