Oxford School District’s AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program is celebrating its second class of graduates: Kirsten Booker, Kalvia Caldwell, Gray Cassidy, LaKendra Corothers, Jazlynn Dunn, Jacquez Elliott, Jamal Giles, Kaitlyn Heard, Kiera Hilliard, Kallie Moore, Fredrick Netterville, Laila Owens, Madison Thompson, Xyland Tyson, Mario Urbina, Gabriel Zinn

AVID is a college-readiness program designed to prepare students for admission to four-year colleges and universities and to prepare them for a global society. The AVID Class of 2022 was accepted into over 23 different junior colleges, private colleges, and public universities across the south. Over $100,000 in scholarships and grants have been awarded to this year’s AVID graduates to attend college.

Among the sixteen AVID students, six are going to four-year universities, six are going to community college, two are joining the military, one got a full-tuition paid scholarship to BaseCamp Coding Academy in Water Valley, and one is preparing to earn his commercial driver’s license.

The 2022 AVID Class completed four years of community service with the Pack the Police Car canned food drive. AVID students participate in numerous college tours over their four years including Delta State University, Northwest MS Community College, Northeast MS Community College, Mississippi State University, Holmes Community College, and The University of Memphis. The AVID Class of 2022 participated in team-building activities at Camp Hopewell during their junior year to learn how to build trust with their classmates and work as a coherent group to achieve their goals.

AVID begins at Oxford Intermediate School with a school-wide approach to the AVID mission and aligns with the district’s Portrait of a Graduate. Once students leave OIS they have the opportunity to join the AVID elective in grades 7-12.

Students must maintain a certain GPA, have teacher recommendations, have good school attendance, and have zero behavior issues to be interviewed for the program.

Once accepted students take two years of AVID at OMS to learn organizational skills, begin college and career research, learn how to communicate effectively, learn to work with others, etc., after OMS students then take AVID for four years at OHS as a credited class. Students learn ways to successfully navigate life outside of high school-whether it is college, military, or the workforce. Students learn about colleges across the US, have guest speakers from different careers, and research careers that best fit their personalities and what they want to do.

“Our AVID teachers Jackie Leopard Jones, Brandi Kay, and Lauren Lauzon have taken our program to new heights,” said AVID Director Marilyn Barnes. “Their leadership has been a major part of growing our program to where it is.”

A well-developed AVID program improves school-wide standardized test scores, rigorous course enrollments, and the number of students attending college. It has a proven track record in bringing out the best in students, and in closing the achievement gap.

AVID is at work in nearly 4,900 schools in 46 states as well as the District of Columbia and 16 countries/territories.