Thursday, December 13, 2007
Happy Trails to Joelle and Miguel!
We said goodbye this week to two of our favorite AVID students, Joelle N. and Miguel D. Joelle has been in Sigonella for three years. She came to us from AVID in Japan in her 7th grade year and is now returning there in her 10th grade year. Joelle has been very successful in AVID and in her college prep classes. She always has kept a great binder and is a wonderful addition to any tutorial group. We know she will be a success at her new school, in college, and in life! Joelle aims to earn a bachelor's degree in nursing, perhaps through ROTC in college.
Miguel joined AVID in his 10th grade year, just 18 months ago. He has also improved his grades while taking honors and AP classes. Miguel has been a good friend and classmate to many AVID students, and they, along with his teachers and tutors, are sad to see him leave us for his new home in Virginia. Miguel is very artistic, also, and may well pursue a degree in the arts. Here, his AVID classmates give him a round of applause at his farewell party.
Both students gave stirring farewell speeches at the Family Workshop in November.
Labels: AVID
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Study Trip to Roman Mosaic Site
The high school students from Ms. Pienta's and Ms. Novak's AVID classes combined with their teachers and tutors on a study trip to the ancient Roman villa at Piazza Armerina.
Once at the site, students were divided into five groups and assigned to a specific room within the site to study and learn about the floor mosaic. Next, each group chose a "docent," or "expert" to explain their room to the other groups. Students then rotated from room to room, listening to the explanations and asking questions. All the docents did a GREAT job!
The Roman villa is thought to have been the hunting lodge of an emperor of the Roman Empire in the 3rd or 4th century A.D. The villa floors cover 3500 square meters (42 colorful floors in 63 rooms) and are made up of an estimated 30 million little tiles. We had the opportunity on this trip to see the villa undergoing an Xtreme makeover! A grant from either UNESCO or perhaps Italy is paying for the cleaning, restoring, and preservation of this fabulously rich archaeological site. We could still move around and see most of the floors, but we also saw lots of workers, hoses, bags of grout, tiles, glue, air hoses, electrical cords, plastic, etc. It was archaeology at work!
Another high school AVID study trip is planned for late May or early June to attend an evening performance of an original ancient Greek play in the Greek theater at Siracusa.
Labels: AVID, inquiry, mosaics, Roman villa
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
AVID Featured in Teachers' Union Magazine
Take a look at this article about AVID in the American Federation of Teachers publication - American Educator - Fall 2007 - "Focusing on the Forgotten." Here is a short excerpt from the article:
"The program’s hallmarks are exceedingly practical. AVID provides students with a teacher who regularly checks their work in all of their classes, works with them daily to improve their writing and study skills, and, so they don’t fall behind, stays in close contact with students’ content area teachers. Most importantly, AVID students must take responsibility for their own education. AVID requires them to challenge themselves, and not simply coast through easy classes; they must take at least one AP or honors class each year.
"AVID is not an intervention program for at-risk kids who may drop out of school or end up in jail. It’s for that often overlooked kid in the middle, who is bright and has great potential. It’s for students who would be the first in their family to attend college, but who never dreamed they could do so because they didn’t have the grades or the money. AVID is also for teachers striving to reach the Cesar Morans in their classrooms. It’s for teachers who want to expand access to higher level classes to more students, regardless of race or class."
This is a really good article about AVID in general. Read the whole article at the link above!
"The program’s hallmarks are exceedingly practical. AVID provides students with a teacher who regularly checks their work in all of their classes, works with them daily to improve their writing and study skills, and, so they don’t fall behind, stays in close contact with students’ content area teachers. Most importantly, AVID students must take responsibility for their own education. AVID requires them to challenge themselves, and not simply coast through easy classes; they must take at least one AP or honors class each year.
"AVID is not an intervention program for at-risk kids who may drop out of school or end up in jail. It’s for that often overlooked kid in the middle, who is bright and has great potential. It’s for students who would be the first in their family to attend college, but who never dreamed they could do so because they didn’t have the grades or the money. AVID is also for teachers striving to reach the Cesar Morans in their classrooms. It’s for teachers who want to expand access to higher level classes to more students, regardless of race or class."
This is a really good article about AVID in general. Read the whole article at the link above!
Labels: AVID
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Record Number Attend First Family Workshop
Over eighty parents, students, and staff attended the first AVID Family Workshop of the school year on October 2. The workshop, which was held above Applebee's, was a combination of information and celebration for attendees.
AVID juniors Brittany B. and Miguel D. were the masters of ceremony for the evening. AVID Coordinator Maryellen Pienta welcomed attendees and gave parents an overview of "The Top Ten Ways to Succeed in AVID," stressing the parents' role in the program.
Cristina and Nicole L. and Kevin and Kris R. gave presentations on their tours of college campuses in Georgia, Florida, and New York this past summer. All of them had different ideas of what was most important to them before and after visiting the various colleges.
Ms. Kaarin Coe, ASACS (Adolescent Substance Abuse Counseling Services) counselor for the school, presented families with an overviews of the program and how she assists students in various areas. One important area she helps students in is dealing with stress.
Ms. Lisa Balboni, English as a Second Language specialist K-12, described her role and her involvement with AVID. Ms. Balboni received special training in AVID as an ESL specialist this past summer in Atlanta, Georgia. The two programs are natural partners.
Senior AVID students Patrick F., Carlo A., and Mia S. took over for the next part of the evening, which was the AVID contract signing ceremony for twenty-five new AVID students in grades 7-11. Patrick, who is in his sixth year of AVID, reviewed the student's commitments in the AVID contract and commented from personal experience on the importance of each one. Carlo and Mia then called forward each new student with a parent to sign the individual contracts. AVID teacher Patricia Novak assisted with the signing.
Jan Sibayan, middle school AVID teacher, closed the evening with a message from a former Sigonella AVID student and the drawing for the door prize.
Everyone enjoyed cake and beverages before leaving.
The next AVID Family Workshop is slated for November 20.
Thanks to all who made the evening such a great success!
Labels: Advancement Via Individual Determination, AVID, contracts
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Farewell to Jennifer O'Connor
Although farewells are a part of military life, it is never easy. Saying goodbye to our head AVID tutor, Jennifer O'Connor, this month was not easy for any of us in AVID. She has been the driving force of the tutorial component at Sigonella for two years.
Mrs. O'Connor spearheaded the Planter Project, an all-AVID community service project that involved cleaning, trimming and beautifying the planters in front of the NEX a year and a half ago. She organized the entire day: assigning students and parents to teams, securing funding, buying supplies, getting lunches provided, coordinating the pickup of dozens of trash bags of clippings, and getting a story in the paper and on AFN. It was HUGE effort and a HUGE success!
Every school day, Mrs. O'Connor was there to work with students and teachers in both curriculum and tutorials. She graded hundreds of binders, stamped hundreds of agendas, collected data for recruitment, interviewed students, attended and worked at Family Workshops, got new students up to speed, said farewell to departing students and tutors, recruited and trained new tutors, lobbied for AVID in the community, built the AVID Certification Binder, had her own father come in as a guest speaker, and much, much more--all with a cheerful disposition and a smiling face! Mrs. O'Connor was the one who mentored, encouraged, pushed, prodded, listened, patted on the back, and led by example. She touched the lives of all the AVID students in ways only they know and realize. She will be sorely missed as she and her family begin a new phase of their lives in Virginia. Because of her experience in AVID, Mrs. O'Connor is moving toward getting certification to teach herself. We think that is a GREAT idea! 
Labels: AVID, jennifer o'connor, tutor
AVID Helping with SAT Prep
By Will Morris, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, September 26, 2007
One of the most dreaded parts of the college application process for many students is taking the SATs.
A student’s SAT score, along with his or her grade-point average, are considered by college admissions officers to be the best predictor of academic success at the university level.
AVID instructors try to mediate students’ fears by exposing them to the SAT pretest, or PSAT, as early as middle school. Nevertheless, SAT scores fell in 2007 among students in Department of Defense Education Activity schools.
Students in DODDS-Pacific scored slightly better than seniors nationwide in the SAT’s critical reading portions, but scored lower than the national average in math and writing, according to exam figures released earlier this month.
In South Korea, Okinawa, Japan and Guam, more than 650 students averaged 504 in critical reading, 502 in math and 485 in writing.
Last week, in an interview, Pacific AVID coordinator Melanie Bales said the test has changed and requires students to spend more time preparing for it than in the past.
She added that AVID students receive special attention in critical reading and writing, two skills essential for taking the test. They are also quizzed extensively and taught test-taking strategies.
--Will Morris
Pacific edition, Wednesday, September 26, 2007
One of the most dreaded parts of the college application process for many students is taking the SATs.
A student’s SAT score, along with his or her grade-point average, are considered by college admissions officers to be the best predictor of academic success at the university level.
AVID instructors try to mediate students’ fears by exposing them to the SAT pretest, or PSAT, as early as middle school. Nevertheless, SAT scores fell in 2007 among students in Department of Defense Education Activity schools.
Students in DODDS-Pacific scored slightly better than seniors nationwide in the SAT’s critical reading portions, but scored lower than the national average in math and writing, according to exam figures released earlier this month.
In South Korea, Okinawa, Japan and Guam, more than 650 students averaged 504 in critical reading, 502 in math and 485 in writing.
Last week, in an interview, Pacific AVID coordinator Melanie Bales said the test has changed and requires students to spend more time preparing for it than in the past.
She added that AVID students receive special attention in critical reading and writing, two skills essential for taking the test. They are also quizzed extensively and taught test-taking strategies.
--Will Morris
Labels: AVID, college admission, SAT
Saturday, September 29, 2007
DODDS looking to give students AVID study habits
By Will Morris, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, September 26, 2007
TORII STATION, Okinawa--"One world, one binder."
One of the first lessons AVID teacher Brian Swenty tries to instill in his students at Osan Air Base, South Korea, is about organization.
"Many of our kids experience immediate success just by getting organized," Swenty, 32, said of his Advancement Via Individual Determination class, an elective offered in DODDS middle and high schools.
The program is designed to help "middle performing" students develop the academic skills and personal character needed to be successful in the grades they are in and prepare them for the next academic step to come, including college.
Swenty was one of 35 AVID teachers who gathered last week at the headquarters of Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Pacific on Okinawa.
By all accounts, the program is successful.
Melanie Bales, 47, the Pacific AVID coordinator, said that when compared to their counterparts, a greater percentage of AVID students go to college and graduate.
Bales said about 10 percent of DODDS middle and high school students are enrolled in the program. Children either are recruited into the program, or are admitted after testing.
Ed Fielder, 56, a middle school teacher at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, said students in the program must agree to a set of terms, including taking rigorous classes. All the requirements are laid out and students must sign a contract agreeing to meet them.
Fielder said a large part of the program has to do with raising the expectations that the students have of themselves, and the second part of the program is helping them meet those expectations.
"We motivate them, and then we monitor them," Fielder said.
AVID teachers said they try to develop the academic infrastructure students need to be successful. Students are taught organizational skills, time management, the process of writing and Cornell Note Taking, designed to help students memorize course work and analyze it.
Along with academic skills, the teachers said, they help students develop aspects of their character that are essential to academic success, such as team-building and social skills, and personal responsibility.
Thelberstine Buford, 46, a teacher at Daegu American School in South Korea, echoed Swenty’s thoughts that organization is the key to academic success.
Successfully maintaining "The Binder," as it is called, is worth 50 percent of her students’ grades, she said. All the work that students do for class, including notes and homework, is required to be in the notebook.
A large part of classwork for AVID students is getting them ready to apply to college and be successful there. Students study for entrance exams, learn about financial aid and even go on field trips to colleges and universities in the States.
"We spend a lot of time just getting them used to the culture of college," said Swenty.
The program isn’t without its challenges, however. Swenty, Fielder and Buford agreed that the program has a high turnover rate because military children tend to move around a lot.
"In a stateside school, if [a student] gets in AVID in the seventh grade, they’re going to stay in for six years," Bales said, adding that many AVID students in DODDS stay in the program for only two or three years before they move back to the States.
Pacific edition, Wednesday, September 26, 2007
TORII STATION, Okinawa--"One world, one binder."
One of the first lessons AVID teacher Brian Swenty tries to instill in his students at Osan Air Base, South Korea, is about organization.
"Many of our kids experience immediate success just by getting organized," Swenty, 32, said of his Advancement Via Individual Determination class, an elective offered in DODDS middle and high schools.
The program is designed to help "middle performing" students develop the academic skills and personal character needed to be successful in the grades they are in and prepare them for the next academic step to come, including college.
Swenty was one of 35 AVID teachers who gathered last week at the headquarters of Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Pacific on Okinawa.
By all accounts, the program is successful.
Melanie Bales, 47, the Pacific AVID coordinator, said that when compared to their counterparts, a greater percentage of AVID students go to college and graduate.
Bales said about 10 percent of DODDS middle and high school students are enrolled in the program. Children either are recruited into the program, or are admitted after testing.
Ed Fielder, 56, a middle school teacher at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, said students in the program must agree to a set of terms, including taking rigorous classes. All the requirements are laid out and students must sign a contract agreeing to meet them.
Fielder said a large part of the program has to do with raising the expectations that the students have of themselves, and the second part of the program is helping them meet those expectations.
"We motivate them, and then we monitor them," Fielder said.
AVID teachers said they try to develop the academic infrastructure students need to be successful. Students are taught organizational skills, time management, the process of writing and Cornell Note Taking, designed to help students memorize course work and analyze it.
Along with academic skills, the teachers said, they help students develop aspects of their character that are essential to academic success, such as team-building and social skills, and personal responsibility.
Thelberstine Buford, 46, a teacher at Daegu American School in South Korea, echoed Swenty’s thoughts that organization is the key to academic success.
Successfully maintaining "The Binder," as it is called, is worth 50 percent of her students’ grades, she said. All the work that students do for class, including notes and homework, is required to be in the notebook.
A large part of classwork for AVID students is getting them ready to apply to college and be successful there. Students study for entrance exams, learn about financial aid and even go on field trips to colleges and universities in the States.
"We spend a lot of time just getting them used to the culture of college," said Swenty.
The program isn’t without its challenges, however. Swenty, Fielder and Buford agreed that the program has a high turnover rate because military children tend to move around a lot.
"In a stateside school, if [a student] gets in AVID in the seventh grade, they’re going to stay in for six years," Bales said, adding that many AVID students in DODDS stay in the program for only two or three years before they move back to the States.
Labels: Advancement Via Individual Determination, AVID, binder, Cornell notes
Monday, September 24, 2007
First Family Workshop Fast Approaching!!
The first AVID Family Workshops of the new school year will be held on Tuesday, October 2, at 17:00 in the meeting room above Applebee's.
Highlights of the workshop will be the AVID Contract Signing by all new AVID students and their parents, "Our Family's College Tour" by the Rodriguez and Lara families, an introduction of the ASACS program by Kaarin Coe, and an overview of the upcoming year in AVID.
Put it on your calendar now!!
Highlights of the workshop will be the AVID Contract Signing by all new AVID students and their parents, "Our Family's College Tour" by the Rodriguez and Lara families, an introduction of the ASACS program by Kaarin Coe, and an overview of the upcoming year in AVID.
Put it on your calendar now!!
Labels: AVID, college tour, family workshop
AVID Program Growth in 27 Years
Beginning with one high school and 32 students in 1980, AVID now serves nearly 300,000 students in over 3,500 elementary and secondary schools in 45 states and in the District of Columbia across 15 countries.
Labels: AVID
Friday, September 21, 2007
AVID about Fall Athletics!
Quite a number of AVID students are representing Sigonella this fall on the school athletic teams. I, for one, believe strongly in the value of participation in sports. It teaches many skills and values that aren't always part of the regular curriculum. It builds healthy bodies and minds and teaches the concepts of team, discipline, and leadership. It also looks good on college applications!
Here are our AVID high school students in sports:
Boys Volleyball: Kevin R, Camron S, Tim F, Patrick B, and Kris R.
Girls Volleyball: Mia S
Cross Country: Denise P, Jennifer P, and Patrick F
Football: Marco M, Torey D, Nico R, Adam B, and Taylor R
Tennis: Miguel D
All of the above sports opened last weekend (September 15) AWAY at various locations in Italy and Germany. Best performance of all was by Jen P, who finished in FIRST place in girls' cross country!Good luck to all this season! Bring home the gold!
Here are our AVID high school students in sports:
Boys Volleyball: Kevin R, Camron S, Tim F, Patrick B, and Kris R.
Girls Volleyball: Mia S
Cross Country: Denise P, Jennifer P, and Patrick F
Football: Marco M, Torey D, Nico R, Adam B, and Taylor R
Tennis: Miguel D
All of the above sports opened last weekend (September 15) AWAY at various locations in Italy and Germany. Best performance of all was by Jen P, who finished in FIRST place in girls' cross country!Good luck to all this season! Bring home the gold!
Labels: AVID, Sigonella, sports
Saturday, September 15, 2007
"Mister Wizard" Visits AVID Classes
Our first guest speaker in AVID this year demonstrated how you can walk though paper. More importantly, though, he showed students that you can combine the things you love with your education to find a fun and interesting job. Rob Vary, brother of our own AVID tutor Kathy Vary, spoke to four AVID classes this week while visiting Sicily.
Rob grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania just a few years ago. He earned his bachelor's degree in physics, but he spent much of his free time in the field of drama. "I acted in just about every production the college performed," he told students.
He also began to work at the college's planetarium, and eventually developed a program to showcase it to people outside the science department.
All of that has led him to his current job with the Maryland Science Center in their outreach program. He works with a team to produce and deliver shows about science to schools and libraries. Their "big shows" are for audiences up to 250 students, while "small shows" are for classroom-size audiences. "Our goal is to get kids of all ages really excited about science," he said. They do that with everything from explosions to simple demonstrations for students from kindergarten up to seniors in high school.Rob demonstrated one act from a show he does called "Mindbenders." Using a class member, he taught/reviewed the scientific method and showed how you can "walk through paper."
Students had opportunities, as always with guest speakers, to ask questions afterwards. We all greatly enjoyed Rob Vary's visit and thank him for using some of his vacation time to talk to us!
Labels: AVID, Gettysburg College, Maryland Science Center, Rob Vary
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Not AVID---
Zach B (7th grade AVID) recently wrote this tongue-in-cheek description of an AVID student:
"Opposite of DIVA"
"Opposite of DIVA"
- Sit in back rows
- Lean back
- Open a comic book and put it in your textbook
- Unite the eraser in a battle
- Count your missing assignments and try to have more than the person beside you
- Have a snack and chew loudly with your mouth open during class.
AVID? NOT!
Labels: AVID
Friday, June 15, 2007
SAT Test Dates for Sigonella 07-08
The SAT test dates for Sigonella have been set for next school year. The SAT will be given in October, November, December, and June. Registration for DoDDS overseas schools is the same as other INTERNATIONAL locations (earlier than the States). Check the College Board website (on the right sidebar) to register as early as possible for the dates you want.
Juniors and seniors should registering for this test. Younger students will take the PSAT in October.
Juniors and seniors should registering for this test. Younger students will take the PSAT in October.
Labels: AVID, College Board, SAT, Sigonella
BJ Moving on to College
Congratulations to BJ Washington, a former AVID student at Sigonella HS during his junior year. BJ recently was graduated from high school in Virginia and will be attending either Benedict College or Morgan State University. He hopes to continue to play football at Benedict and is in negotiations with the coach there.
BJ writes: "Mrs. Pienta, you are a life saver. I don't think I would have been in college if it was not for you. Everything you taught me helped, especially the Cornell notetaking system you taught me. That helped me a lot. I understood what the teachers were talking about more by writing questions on my notes and having them answer it."
We at Sigonella all wish BJ the best in college and know that he will continue to succeed by using Cornell notes there, too.
Labels: AVID, Benedict College, Cornell notes
Monday, May 14, 2007
Mia's Long-Awaited Birthday Party in AVID!
Last Workshop of the Year Well-Attended!
On May 8, the last AVID Family Workshop of this school year was held above Applebee's. Despite the nice spring weather and the change of location, between 70-80 people attended this event.
Ninth-grade AVID student Chynnah T. was the mistress of ceremonies for the evening. She welcomed the group and introduced each speaker. AVID students who attained third quarter honor roll status were recognized and introduced by middle school honor student Sedric F. and high school honor student Patrick F.
A number of students will be leaving Sigonella this year, and several of them shared their experiences in AVID, telling how the program helped them become better students in many different ways. The speakers were Alex T. (9th grade), Asher B. (11th grade), Elisa V. (9th grade), Madiea C. ( 7th grade), Danelly A. (7th grade), Tiera L. (7th grade).
Next on the program, parents and students were able to add more information to their college portfolios as Ms. Pienta gave a presentation on financial aid, including the types of aid, the cost of college, how aid is awarded, and how to apply for it.
Ms. Sibayan closed the program and drew the winning number for the door prize, which went to the Burke family. Congratulations!
Thanks to AVID site team members and tutors for their help and support: Ms. Ascierto, Ms. Balboni, Ms. O'Connor, Ms. Vary, Ms. Rettie, and Ms. Camuso. Thanks also to Ms. Folmer for arranging the location and Mr. Brown for AVID support.
The next AVID Family Workshop will be held in September 2007. Stay tuned!
Ninth-grade AVID student Chynnah T. was the mistress of ceremonies for the evening. She welcomed the group and introduced each speaker. AVID students who attained third quarter honor roll status were recognized and introduced by middle school honor student Sedric F. and high school honor student Patrick F.
A number of students will be leaving Sigonella this year, and several of them shared their experiences in AVID, telling how the program helped them become better students in many different ways. The speakers were Alex T. (9th grade), Asher B. (11th grade), Elisa V. (9th grade), Madiea C. ( 7th grade), Danelly A. (7th grade), Tiera L. (7th grade).
Next on the program, parents and students were able to add more information to their college portfolios as Ms. Pienta gave a presentation on financial aid, including the types of aid, the cost of college, how aid is awarded, and how to apply for it.
Ms. Sibayan closed the program and drew the winning number for the door prize, which went to the Burke family. Congratulations!
Thanks to AVID site team members and tutors for their help and support: Ms. Ascierto, Ms. Balboni, Ms. O'Connor, Ms. Vary, Ms. Rettie, and Ms. Camuso. Thanks also to Ms. Folmer for arranging the location and Mr. Brown for AVID support.
The next AVID Family Workshop will be held in September 2007. Stay tuned!
Labels: AVID, college, family workshop
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Family Workshop #3 in the New MPR!
The third AVID Family Workshop was conducted in the new MPR (The Knights Hall) on February 6. Ninth-grade student emcees Alex T. and Patrick B. (above) welcomed over eighty participating students, parents, teachers, and friends. The emcees began the presentation with "the bad news" and "the good news" about college admissions. Ms. Pienta continued with information on such topics as in and out-of-state tuitioin, residency, gradution rates, and much more. AVID families received special inserts for their College Portfolios on these topics.
Departing ninth-grade AVID student Elisha H. gave her farewell address, and middle school AVID student Madeia C. read the departing words of Kierra N. Aica D. presented a baby gift from AVID students to departing AVID tutor Ms. Imlah.
Ms. Sibayan closed the workshop and thanked participants for their support and attendance. Everyone enjoyed many delicious cookies and juice afterwards.
Thank you to everyone who made this workshop a great success, especially Mr. Brown, Mr. Aevermann, Ms. Smith, Ms. Camuso, Ms. Lara, Ms. O'Connor, Elisa V., Miguel D., Patrick F., Tim F., tutors, counselors, administrators, students, and parents!
Departing ninth-grade AVID student Elisha H. gave her farewell address, and middle school AVID student Madeia C. read the departing words of Kierra N. Aica D. presented a baby gift from AVID students to departing AVID tutor Ms. Imlah.
Ms. Sibayan closed the workshop and thanked participants for their support and attendance. Everyone enjoyed many delicious cookies and juice afterwards.
Thank you to everyone who made this workshop a great success, especially Mr. Brown, Mr. Aevermann, Ms. Smith, Ms. Camuso, Ms. Lara, Ms. O'Connor, Elisa V., Miguel D., Patrick F., Tim F., tutors, counselors, administrators, students, and parents!
Labels: AVID, family workshop, Sigonella
Lt. Alex Allen, MIT Grad, Talks to AVID Classes
Submitted by Caitlin G, 9th grade AVID student 
Recently, Lt. Alex Allen spoke to our class about his path to college. He started off speaking to us by asking questions such as "Why do you want to go to college?" and "How do you think it will help you?". Our class learned that he had lots of tips and advice for us future college graduates.
Lt. Allen grew up in Vermont on a family farm. He was a good student and participated in many sports. He became interested in engineering while watching robot competitions on PBS. Lt. Allen attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). On his way there, he applied early, became wait-listed, and improved his application a lot. He also interviewed with a professor at Dartmouth (who was an official interview for MIT) and contacted the MIT football coach about playing there. He told us it is important to make yourself stand out in your application and that colleges want diversity. He received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.
Lt. Allen informed our class that college is more than just the education--it's about growing up, too. He said you learn a lot about relationships, internships, and becoming connected (networking). During his years at MIT, Lt. Allen married his high school sweetheart, Kathy, worked on the school's nuclear reactor, and participated in the robot competition.
When asked about financial aid, Lt. Allen said that he received scholarships and loans and then entered the Bachelor's Degree Completion Program with the Navy. The Navy paid him to go to school, and he had a job on the side.
Tenth-grade AVID student Nico L. asked if Lt. Allen thought college was more relaxed than high school. He replied saying he believed it was, and that he enjoyed his college experience.
Currently, Lt. Allen works at the top of a chain of many people. His future plans, after finishing the four years owed to the Navy, are to continue in a position where he helps other people. He said that with his degree, he could have unlimited options. There is definitely smooth sailing ahead for this MIT graduate.
Recently, Lt. Alex Allen spoke to our class about his path to college. He started off speaking to us by asking questions such as "Why do you want to go to college?" and "How do you think it will help you?". Our class learned that he had lots of tips and advice for us future college graduates.
Lt. Allen grew up in Vermont on a family farm. He was a good student and participated in many sports. He became interested in engineering while watching robot competitions on PBS. Lt. Allen attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). On his way there, he applied early, became wait-listed, and improved his application a lot. He also interviewed with a professor at Dartmouth (who was an official interview for MIT) and contacted the MIT football coach about playing there. He told us it is important to make yourself stand out in your application and that colleges want diversity. He received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.
Lt. Allen informed our class that college is more than just the education--it's about growing up, too. He said you learn a lot about relationships, internships, and becoming connected (networking). During his years at MIT, Lt. Allen married his high school sweetheart, Kathy, worked on the school's nuclear reactor, and participated in the robot competition.
When asked about financial aid, Lt. Allen said that he received scholarships and loans and then entered the Bachelor's Degree Completion Program with the Navy. The Navy paid him to go to school, and he had a job on the side.
Tenth-grade AVID student Nico L. asked if Lt. Allen thought college was more relaxed than high school. He replied saying he believed it was, and that he enjoyed his college experience.
Currently, Lt. Allen works at the top of a chain of many people. His future plans, after finishing the four years owed to the Navy, are to continue in a position where he helps other people. He said that with his degree, he could have unlimited options. There is definitely smooth sailing ahead for this MIT graduate.
2nd Quarter Honor Roll for HS AVID Students
Once again, many AVID students were honored at the high school awards assemblies for attaining honor status for the second quarter of the school year.
Two AVID students, freshman Caitlin G. and junior Patrick F., had 4.0 or better for the quarter!
Other award-winning freshmen were Aica D., Patrick B., Alex T., and Camron S.
Sophomore honorees were Tim F. and Stella S.
Carlo A. and Kevin R. were the other juniors achieving honor status.
Congratulations on a job well done, AVID students!
Two AVID students, freshman Caitlin G. and junior Patrick F., had 4.0 or better for the quarter!
Other award-winning freshmen were Aica D., Patrick B., Alex T., and Camron S.
Sophomore honorees were Tim F. and Stella S.
Carlo A. and Kevin R. were the other juniors achieving honor status.
Congratulations on a job well done, AVID students!
Labels: AVID, honor roll
