Paint Branch is a highly ranked school that offers many opportunities to its students. While celebrating success is easy, working to make sure those who need support get it is just as important.

To assist those who need strong academic support, Paint Branch has several specialized programs, but the most prominent program offered at PB is AVID, a program new to the school this year.

The AVID Program – which is short for Advancement via Individual Determination – came to Paint Branch this year thanks to Dr. Rogers and former assistant principal Mr. Monteleone, who saw the program in action at another school and presented it to Dr. Rogers, who loved the program.

The program, which is for ninth and tenth graders this year, requires prospective students to apply in order to be admitted for the upcoming school year. This year, students will apply in the spring of 2015. The focus of the application is student GPA and test scores, as well as the opportunity for students to state why the AVID Program would be helpful to them. Student applications are reviewed by the AVID site team or a nine-member panel of teachers and administrators at Paint Branch. If a student is accepted, his or her participation is completely voluntary.

According to AVID Coordinator Ms. Crump, the goal of the program is to help students who usually maintain a GPA ranging between a 2.0 and a 3.0 to increase that GPA, build their academic skills and provide them support and encouragement that will, hopefully, help them gain admission to a four-year college after graduation. Ms. Crump states that, while the program is still quite new, most students are doing well and several made honor roll last quarter.

Another facet of the program that Ms. Crump is hopeful about and excited for is the positive impact it can have on kids who would be the first in their family to attend college. She says, “Half the students would be the first generation to attend a four-year college or university.”

This year there are two 9th grade AVID classes and two 10th grade AVID classes, and the program will add two 11th grade classes next year. According to Ms. Crump, by year three, all grade levels will be included, which should take the program to about 225 students.

One interesting aspect of AVID is that it requires teachers to attend training over the summer to familiarize them with the AVID curriculum and strategies. Having AVID trained teachers benefits students as the majority of their teachers have consistent classroom procedures and expectations. The teachers working in the program this year are English teachers Ms. Pettigrew and Ms. McDonald, math teachers Ms. Tang and Ms. Zwaan, science teachers Mr. Cottrell and Ms. Thompson, and social studies teachers Ms. Gardes and Ms. Street. In addition to having dedicated AVID teachers, Ms. Kimmel serves as the counselor for the students to ensure even more support and consistency.

Ms. Kimmel has truly enjoyed the experience of working with such a strong group. She says enthusiastically, “It’s a wonderful opportunity as a counselor to work with a group of students who have signed up for a program that will push them to become better students. It hasn’t been an easy road for all of our students, but they are working so hard and we are already seeing so much progress!”

Ms. Kimmel sees AVID as something more than just a program for the students who are enrolled in the program, though. She sees its effectiveness in those who teach the classes and the volunteer students who work with the program as well. “Working together as an AVID team has been great because we really work together to support our students (and each other when we need it),” says Ms. Kimmel. “It’s also wonderful seeing the NHS interns who work within the AVID elective classes and have become mentors/tutors for our AVID students They too are learning so much, and they are really enjoying the experience as well.”

In addition to being placed in core classes with AVID trained teachers, all AVID students have an AVID elective class, which is taught by either Ms. Crump, Ms. Pettigrew or Ms. McDonald. Ms. Crump says the elective class is fun to teach and that she works hard with her students to build communication skills, better their opportunities, and gain team-like abilities and support systems for one another in their elective period.

Ms.Pettigrew says that “students take the skills they have learned and apply them. Skills such as using Cornell notes, participating effectively in graded discussions, and keeping their notebooks organized for easier studying.”

The AVID students have taken several field trips during first semester, including a trip to the University of Maryland which exposed them to a college setting. Events like this are part of what make AVID great for students like 9th grader Isaiah Whitt, who says that AVID has been good for him and “is really helpful.”

Asked about her favorite aspect of the program, Ms. Crump says, “My favorite thing about the program is interacting with the students and seeing them grow in their abilities.”