UT hosted around 100 local elementary school students on Monday to kick off it’s participation in a program geared toward keeping kids from dropping out of high school and helping them get to college.
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is a nationally recognized program that focuses on grades eight through twelve to help students become eligible for college. Two local schools, Shields School and Burns Middle School participated.
The event was organized by professor Martha M. Harrison and Burns Middle School teacher James Gibbs.
‘We wanted to show students that private universities are in their reach,’ Gibbs said. ‘We wanted co-operation between UT and the students.’
‘I hope this is going to lower the drop out rate and keep kids engaged in learning,’ said Sarah Young, graduate assistant to Martha Harrison.
Several UT officials welcomed the middle school students, including Dean Bill Rhey, Dean Anne V. Gormly and Education Chair Hunter O’Hara. They encouraged the students to study hard and go to college.
‘UT has a vested interest in getting young students to think about their college careers,’ said Dean Gormly. Gormly said she has been involved with helping children for a long time and is ‘very excited about this program.’
Some children in AVID feel strongly about what the program is giving to them.
‘We’ve been in this program since the begining of the this school year and it’s helping me in my classes. I’m getting better grades than I ever did before,’ said Burns Middle School student Amy Rivera.
‘I like AVID because you make a lot of friends and get to do a lot of activities,’ said Peter Lepeiretta of Burns Middle School. ‘I hope it will help me get a scholarship so I can have the money to go to college.’
‘I hope [Avid] will help me rise above others and to succeed at anything I want. I want to be a marine biologist one day,’ said Mikaela Jarman of Burns Middle School.
The children in the AVID program took grasp to the opportunies that UT had to offer them and the program is hoping to come back next year.
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