Great grades, excellent goal setting, efficient study habits— just some of the things students can learn on their journey to academic excellence at Westmont. In addition to AP courses, tutoring, and study hall that all exist as well known methods to better academic achievement, another helpful, yet less known tool, AVID, also serves students tremendously well when striving to stand out academically.
AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a program aimed at giving better opportunities for higher education to high school students. At Westmont, students receive more encouragement to apply and attend four-year universities. Through lessons given on “note taking, goal setting, team building, reading improvement, test-taking skills, study and time management skills, and personal organization,” students enrolled in the course are set up for scholarly success. The class also visits universities and listens to seminars from college and career speakers to further set up students for success outside of school.
Students interested in improving their academics or hoping to get a “leg-up” on other applicants can join the class through an application process. All grades, 9 through 12, are invited to enroll in the class. The only requirement for enrollment, students must maintain their GPA at a minimum of a 2.0, and stay enrolled in college preparatory courses. For students’ great success in the course, AVID certainly stands as a course worth taking.
If interested, contact AVID teachers Andrew Narva at anarva@cuhsd.org, Christopher DiGrazia at cdigrazia@cuhsd.org, Elizabeth Jarrett at ejarrett@cuhsd.org, or John Tavernakis at jtavernakis@cuhsd.org or visit the AVID informational page on the school website.