LHHS AVID student Kwaniyah Osborne (in hot pink) shares dinner with loved ones who've supported her quest to go to college
Lake Highlands High School hosted a dinner for AVID last week to show appreciation for AVID students, their families and the people who support them. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, and it’s designed to identify kids who have the ability, but perhaps not the confidence, to go to college and equip them to make it happen.
AVID kids come from all backgrounds and circumstances, but the typical AVID newcomer has never taken an Advanced Placement course or class for college credit. They never visited a university campus while on vacation with their families, and their parents didn’t dress them in their alma mater logo as toddlers. In fact, most AVID students will be the first in their family to go to college at all.
Lake Highlands Freshman Center was one of the first schools in the area to take up the AVID mantle, with LHHS, LHJH and FMJH quickly following. Students with bright minds are pulled into the program by teachers who see their potential, and they’re given lessons on organizing a backpack, arranging a binder, taking class notes and studying for tests.
Often, AVID students are tempted to give up. It’s much easier to take the easier classes – the ones without big projects, long papers and hard tests. Sometimes their parents, who didn’t attend college themselves, figure the kids would be better off getting an after-school job or helping around the house.
That’s where the AVID Spaghetti Dinner comes in.
Brothers Pizza donated 150 servings of their delicious ziti pasta (they’ve been supporting the program for years). Central Market gave 100 loaves of fresh baked French bread. Olive Garden contributed salad for 200 people, and Campisi’s Egyptian gave salad for another 100. AVID students dined and laughed with their teachers, parents, and whoever else in their life has been there to lift them up and keep them going.
In this photo, Kwaniyah Osborne (in the hot pink shirt and headband) poses with her sisters, her mom, her grandmother and her great-grandmother. Also shown is her “Big Sis” from the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. Congratulations to Kwaniyah and to all the AVID kids who are building a brighter future via individual determination and hard work. And thank you Brothers, Central Market, Olive Garden and Campisi’s for investing in these kids and their education.
