The Mariner Middle AVID classroom buzzed with activity Jan. 31, as groups of students worked out problems with their peers using higher-level Socratic questioning.

“It’s just my role to facilitate,” said AVID Coordinator Heather Kindl.

The activity is called AVID tutorials, Kindl explained, and it is one of the reasons the school was named an AVID Schoolwide Site of Distinction for the sixth straight year.

Kindl said 67 seventh- and eighth-graders are enrolled in AVID classes. Students must apply and interview for acceptance into the class, which is an additional academic class in their schedule.

Mariner received schoolwide distinction, Kindl said, because AVID fundamentals are incorporated throughout the school, not just in the AVID classroom.

Students who are not enrolled in the elective are also taught with the learning model that helps them understand concepts and state ideas at complex levels to help prepare them for college. The program starts with a foundation in writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading called WICOR.

Advancement Via Individual Determination was created in 1980 by a California teacher who saw too many students slip through the cracks, so she created a system to help them prepare for career and college by focusing on organization, study skills, notetaking and other effective learning strategies. 

Kindl said her students are dedicated and highly invested in their future success. They visit at least two colleges during the school year and complete local service projects.

“They all have the drive,” she said. “It’s part of our culture and climate.”

For example, the grade-level teams are represented by college teams, rather than the names “A” or “B,” for example, as in many middle schools. College flags hanging in the gym represent the universities where Mariner AVID students have attended.

Students are now working on creating their own conversational “Ted Talks” describing a personal character flaw without the use of notecards.

“I’ll do one too, because it’s only fair,” Kindl said. “It’s a great way to push them out of their comfort zones.”

Kindl said the fact that district elementary schools follow the Leader in Me philosophy helps students immensely by the time they reach middle school and use AVID strategies.

“I definitely see more problem-solving and empathy,” Kindl said. 

Retired teacher Janet Andrelczyk now serves as an AVID tutor in the classroom, and students have also been trained to tutor peers after school. 

Kindl said she has seen students blossom from quiet learners to confident public speakers.

“That’s the most fun for me – to see the growth,” she said.