Thursday, April 30, 2009
Brittany's Off to College!
Congratulations to AVID Senior Brittany B. on her recent acceptance to Lynn University in Florida. Lynn, founded in 1962, is a private, coeducational institution located in Boca Raton, Florida. 
Ms. Pienta on AVID 30th Committee
AVID at Patch High School featured in Stars & Stripes
Below is a portion of the recent article about AVID at Patch High School in Germany:
At Patch High School, 65 students are enrolled in Advancement Via Individual Determination, an elective course designed to give academic support for students who aren’t working up to their potential.
The program is offered at high schools across Europe, but Patch is currently the only school in Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe to be certified as a "Level Three" schoolwide program, the highest classification impacting the most students. DODDS-Europe officials say other schools are working to expand the reach of their programs.
Claire Dickmeyer, the AVID teacher at Patch, started the program at the school 10 years ago and has watched the students flourish.
"Every one of them will go on to college," Dickmeyer said of her current group.
During a typical day in the AVID classroom, students spend a portion of their time with tutors to get extra work in classes such as physics, history and math.
They also work on college preparation. Starting in freshman year, the students spend time writing letters to colleges, drafting resumes and researching financial aid and scholarship opportunities. That early focus translates into higher rates of college attendance for the AVID students, said Dickmeyer, who is in the midst of a recruiting campaign to attract more pupils to the program for next year.
Indeed, 95 percent of the students who take part in AVID go on to college, compared to a national average of 60 percent, according to program data.
To be eligible, students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0, complete an interview and sign a contract committing to a college preparation course load. The students also must agree to take honors and advanced-placement classes.
Andrew Cass, a Patch senior, boosted his GPA from 2.1 to 3.0 during the past two years because of the study skills learned in the class. The special note-taking and organization techniques require a lot of effort, but they payoff, he said.
There’s also the close scrutiny from the teacher. "If you’re not doing well, Ms. Dickmeyer will interrogate you in front of the whole class," Cass said.
Read the entire article here: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=62360
AVID Student Named Athlete of the Week in Europe
The text of the article follows:
European athletes of the week for the April 30 edition
James
Campbell
Track and Field
Sigonella
Last week: Campbell, a junior sprinter, threw his hat into what's becoming a tantalizing ring for the European 100-meter crown by clocking 10.90 seconds Saturday in Naples. That's one one-hundredth of a second faster than the season's previous fastest 100, run by Heidelberg's Chris Frazier the previous week and a personal best for Campbell.
But according to his coach, Jen Bunyan, Campbell might have more on his mind than Frazier at next month's European championships at Rüsselsheim, Germany. He might be gunning for a DODDS record.
"Before the meet , I ... pointed out the record of 10.50 (set in 2001 by Ramstein's Isaiah Fluellen) and told James he could do this."
Bunyan wrote that a friend and teammate helped Campbell along to his 10.90. "… I put his teammate, Horace Windham, who by the way also qualified for the (European) 100 (11.70) …in the same heat," she said. "They push and motivate each other.
"He is a truly great athlete who displays excellent sportsmanship at all times," Bunyan concluded.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
He's a Star!
AVID Junior Adam B. recently starred in his second major role of the schoolyear as he put in a very talented performance in a major role in Harvey, a comedy. Adam hopes to pursue a major or minor in drama while in college. Break a leg! College Choices!
Congratulations to AVID seniors Tim F. and Jen P. on their recent college acceptances. Tim has received acceptances at Texas Tech and the University of Texas at San Antonio. He recently had the opportunity to visit both campuses with his dad and has yet to make a final decision on which he will attend. Tim plans a major in math education.Jennifer P. recently was accepted at the University of California-Merced, one of the newer, if not the newest, UC campus.
Choices are good!
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Family Workshop Well-Attended and Received!
On March 24, more than fifty students, parents, family members, and faculty gathered above former Applebee's for an AVID Family Workshop that was both entertaining and informational.
AVID Junior Niko R. was the emcee for the evening. He welcomed everyone and then introduced Assistant Principal Dorothy King, who gave a short address and welcome. Ms. Novak then spoke to the audience about upcoming college entrance tests and the inserts for the college binder. Next, we were all entertained by a reader's theater from Phantom of the Opera, performed by Ms. Sibayan's middle school AVID class. 
