Making them avid students

Deirdre Newman

Newport Harbor High School freshman Eduardo DeLaCruz saw his grade in

history slip from an A to a D in the last month of last quarter.

“I didn’t do the projects because I didn’t have a computer at home,”

Eduardo admitted, adding that he was too shy to tell his teacher why he

didn’t turn them in.

His teacher, Angela Newman, however, was perceptive enough to realize

that while Eduardo may have lacked resources, he did not lack potential.

In fact, he was a perfect candidate for the school’s Advancement Via

Individual Determination program, a four-year college-prep program for

underachieving, yet capable students.

Newman, the director of the AVID program and its first-year teacher,

says the goal is to catch the middle-of-the-road students who tend to

fall through the cracks.

This is the fifth-year the AVID program has been challenging students

at Newport Harbor. Each year, the program has expanded to reach more

students. Currently, there are 140 students enrolled.

Even getting into the program is intense -- students go through an

interview process as eighth-graders and have to show motivation and

commitment to make it through all four years.

The four-year program is taught by a different teacher with a

different area of expertise each year. Newman tackles the freshmen and

whips them into shape with a study skills program that helps them make a

successful transition from junior high to high school. All students in

the program are expected to maintain a 3.0 grade-point average or above.

College students and older AVID students act as tutors, helping the

younger students with concepts they don’t fully understand in class. They

don’t give the answers, but facilitate discussion that will ultimately

lead the students to a higher level of understanding.

After only being in the program for about a week, Eduardo is working

hard to keep up with the demands of the class.

“She gives us a lot of homework and I struggle because I have a lot of

homework from my other classes,” he said.

Freshman Susana Rios, who started in the fall, said she has already

seen her grades improve.

“The tutorials help me study for tests,” Susana said. “It provides

extra help and is a good experience as a freshman.”

Newman also provides a healthy dose of life skills, infusing her

lectures with ethics and value discussions to keep the students focused

on their goals.

She also gets them started early on the entire college application

process, since many will be the first in their families to go past high

school.

Although Newman doesn’t work with students after their freshman year,

she still keeps tabs on them as they progress through the rest of the

program.

“I have to stay more on top of them than a counselor would,” Newman

said.

While the AVID program is intense, it is also meant to function as a

family of support for students. The atmosphere in the class is laid-back

as students engage in a collaborative process of analysis and discussion.

On a recent afternoon, some students were doing math problems on the

blackboard while others were working in clusters talking about various

topics.

Eduardo, who said he was a little hesitant to sign on because he was

afraid it would be boring, said he was pleasantly surprised.

“It’s a really fun atmosphere because I know everyone and everyone

talks to each other and is helpful,” Eduardo said. “No one judges you.”