AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a college prep and special subjects class for high school students working towards their college goals.

AVID strives to strengthen student’s academic skills and grants them the knowledge they need to further their education. Students placed in the class have accumulative GPAs ranging from 2.5-3.5 and may be first-generation college students.

Founded in the year 1980 at Clairemont High School in San Diego, the AVID program enrolled its first official class containing 32 students. Today, nearly 38 years later, the program has grown and applied their techniques to over 6,400 schools in a total of 47 states throughout the US, and some other country institutions. It has recently become an elective option at Scappoose High School.

“It’s different for sure, but it’s really [useful] and it’s helped make classes easier,” said Rhiannon Canary, a junior who has been enrolled since the second semester of her freshman year.

AVID is taught using tutorials based on a student’s individual needs, which are customized by the classes advisor. Chelsea Morrill teaches freshman and sophomore classes; focusing on note-taking, text annotation, SAT vocabulary, PSAT and test prep. Ryan Poster instructs junior and senior classes, steering the focus towards college; featuring workshops for resume building, college and scholarship applications, and SAT/ACT prep.

To help improve their college applications, the class also offers several hours worth of volunteer work and community service.

“Last year was our first full year of AVID… We’re still in the beginning stages… But we are getting closer,” said Poster.