AVID Students Aim High
A couple weeks ago, my colleague, Jian, and I spent some time at New Brunswick High School, talking to a group of AVID students and learning a little bit more about them. What we learned was that not only are these students preparing for a bright future, but the program itself and their AVID teachers have provided a level of care, support and encouragement that many do not get at home and is what has helped these teens succeed.
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), is a program that helps students overcome obstacles and achieve success. NBT helped bring AVID to the New Brunswick Schools many years ago and it has proven to be a huge success.
Our schools are full of students who possess a desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard, but many of them do not truly have the opportunity to be college-ready. These are often students who will be the first in their families to attend college and are from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education. AVID provides teachers and schools with the tools needed to help these students succeed on a path to college and career success.
For one period a day, students receive the additional academic, social, and emotional support that will help them succeed in their school’s most rigorous courses. I was impressed to learn that at NBHS, 78% of the AVID students are taking at least one AP class, earning college credit before they even leave high school.
In the coming weeks, I am going to share some of their stories on NBT’s social media pages, and we are asking for your support as we help get these students ready for their next step.
NBT has gifted laptop computers to the graduating seniors for the past 8 years so these dedicated students have one of the most important tools needed to succeed in college. We realize the financial burden going to school can be for all families and we are committed to helping ease that burden. I discovered that even with the most generous financial aid package, most students still face a gap of $2,000 -5,000 in costs that they struggle to fund.
At NBT, we want to acknowledge our city’s youth and their great achievements, and we want students to focus on continuing their education. We hope you will join us as we show them that we care and are alongside them as they continue to achieve and build bright futures. To support the AVID Program, please donate online or download our sponsorship form and mail it to us.
To read upcoming stories about AVID students, please like and follow NBT's Facebook page.
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