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Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020 Shelton-Mason County Journal Page A—21,
Students at North Mason High School are receiving special support to raise
their readiness for college and careers. Herald Isabella Breda
Program prepares futre North Mason graduates
By Isabella’Breda
isabe/la@masoncounty.com
Middle-of—the-road students are
learning tactics'to help them excel in
classes and beyond graduation thanks
to the newly implemented Achieve—
ment Via Individual Determination
(AVID) program at Hawkins Middle
School and North Mason High School.
" “To be honest, if I had this in mid—
dle school, I probably wouldn’t be in
the same classes I am right now. I’d
probably be in a little more advanced
classes,” North Mason High School ju-
nior and AVID student Andres Gaspar
Gonzales said.
“Me being the first in the family (to
pursue college), I had nobody to look
up to or ask questions if it is going to
be college after this,” Gaspar Gonza-
les said. “(Teacher Jeff) Bevers is a re—
ally talkative person and if I dropped
a grade level he’d come and talk to me
and ask what is happening and how he
can help. He always lets me know the
importance of school.” . ‘
AVID is a national college readiness
nonprofit that provides educational
programming based on promoting
good study habits through organiza-
tion, note-taking and communication
for teachers to assist first-generation,
‘ low-income, minority students in suc-
cess through and after graduation.
Bevers, physical education special-
ist and track and field cOach, was the
first teacher to lead an AVID class of
about 20 students at NMHS' during
the 2018-2019 schobl year.
The class is a one-period, discus-
sion-based course, leading students
through AVID methods for hinder or-
ganization, Cornell note taking and
addressing students’ “Point(s) of Con-
fusion” both in school and in life.
Gonzales said students are expect—
ed to share any of their own points of
confusion during class with the goal
of peers guiding each other to the an-
swer, rather than giving the answer di-
rectly. “We try not to answer the ques-
tion, just make the person remember
things about the subject and look at
their notes,” he said. Meanwhile, other
students take notes to learn from oth-
ers’ reasoning processes. .
Tess Nix, history teacher at North
Mason High School, is leading the sec-
ond group of about 30 students, which
began during the current school year.
Students enrolled in AVID classes
are first identified by teachers for their
academic diligence, consistent atten-
dance, maintenance of a GPA of at}
least 2.0, and they are selected based
on their ability to meet the national
AVID criteria of first-generation, mi-
nority or low-income status. AVID
students, however, are not the only
students who can learn A/VID learning
' Andre‘s Gaspar Gonzales
North Mason High School junior; ‘
strategies, because at least one teach:
er in each subject area is also AVID-
trained. '
“These teachers are being taught
AVID strategies very intensely, but
teachers are sent from other depart-
ments to use those strategies in their
classes,” Principal Chad Collins said. .
The program is designed to target
each cohOrt directly but also touch
each student in the district, Assistant
Principal Steve Hackett said. “We
have centered all of our teaching pro-,
fessional development days to AVID
strategies,” Hackett said.
“N o matter if you’re teaching PE or ,
you’re teaching English — here is this
strategy and here is how you can use
it,” he said.
In 2018, statewide statistics re-
. ported 92% of AVID Washington se—
niors took the ACT, the SAT, or both,
99% graduated from high school and
89% successfully completed four-year
college entrance requirements. The
program’s positive outcomes, how-
ever, have been directly experienced
in both Superintendent Dana Rosen-
bach’s and Principal Robert Kalahan
at Hawkins Middle School’s former
districts.
“The whole idea is to support kids
that are — with just that little bit 'of
extra support —~ able to do high level
work,” Kalahan said.
Hard—working students who are
considered middle-of-the—road or low-
er—end academic performers and stu-
dents who are first-generation US.
citizens were prioritized in Hawkins’
AVID student selection, according to
Kalahan. “It is ideally designed for‘
students Whose parents have previ—
ously not gone to college, and that way
we are supporting really our lower eco-
nomic need students here,” he added.
Hawkins’ first AVID group began
during the current 2019-2020 school
year, with the goal of automatic ac-
ceptance into the AVID program at
'NMHS as they transition into high
school. , p \
This first step of introducing the
program into the middle and high
schools is part of avision to expand the
AVID program districtwide. “If we can
get our kids trained and talking about
college in elementary school —— for ex-
ample, Mr. Bevers’ son in third grade
at Bremerton is doing focused Cornell
note taking—then imagine by the time
they get to high school,” Collins said.
, According to Collins, the program
is funded by i the general education
budget, but 'if it were to expand from
beyond middle and high schoolthe dis—
trict would seek additional resources.
“Thisis really important to get‘in’to
school,” Gonzales said. “But, it’s also
helpful in both educational and real;
life purposes.” “