AVID: More than just a classroom experience

In addition to being a college readiness class, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), takes several trips throughout the school year. Recently, AVID took field trips to the California Academy of Science and the de Young Museum.

Freshman Eduardo San Miguel is an AVID student. He remembers his experience with other freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors at the field trip to the California Academy of Sciences and the de Young Museum. He says, “In the de Young museum, we looked at art from the Americas. [Later], we looked at art from Africa and the Pacific Islands. In the Academy of Sciences, we went into the planetarium and watched a show about the universe together.”

Freshman Anthony Ortega, also an AVID student, says, “At the Academy of Sciences we visited the planetarium and the aquarium, and [we] saw [what] our ancestors looked like.”

Besides the trip to the California Academy of Sciences and the de Young museum, Ortega also recalls a field trip several months ago. He says, “In October, we went to many different colleges to see [what] a college campus was like. The purposes for the college visit were to see how a college environment is and to get a feel of a college.”

Although there are regular field trips, AVID meets as a class. “Right now, we just learned how to fill out some college applications and what some colleges might expect from us to know and fill out,” Ortega says. “We learned what makes a good résumé and how to make one because some colleges and all jobs need it.”

Field trips aside, the return of Melissa Perino was also a major event for AVID students. Perino went on maternity leave and recently returned. Freshman AVID student Osvaldo Bernal says, “Mrs. Perino helps us out with our grades, guiding us in bringing them up. She also helps us out with things related to our planning for colleges.”