Every year, Vallivue High School’s juniors and seniors have the opportunity to visit colleges and universities with their friends and fantastic AVID teachers to help them decide on their future career paths. Every year, their location changes; they either head up north or down south. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. AVID helps students prepare for the future, stay on top of their academic progress, and explore various career paths. AVID helps students take trips, such as the North and South trip, to help them find which campus would best fit their needs.
Mrs. Batten and Mrs. Steacker are AVID and ELA teachers at VHS while Mrs. Rice and Mrs. Hubler are Summitvue and Vallivue Middle School AVID teachers. Mr. Meninga helps the AVID teachers but teaches social studies. These teachers went north this year, visiting Eastern Oregon, Washington State University, the University of Idaho, and Lewis and Clark State College. They also took part in activities such as a nice lunch cruise on the Columbia River. Both juniors and seniors received compliments everywhere they went, showing respectful behavior on and off the campuses.
Steacker enjoyed seeing the students going onto the lunch cruise., seeing the beautiful views and watching the students take everything in. Taking the students on these trips is very beneficial because Steacker says it “builds and adds to the AVID family.” These trips also help see what the people are like on different campuses and what a routine would look like.
Batten enjoyed the team-building activities from the lunch cruise as well as those at LCSC. The auto detailing, which involves deep cleaning and paint correction, was particularly impressive. Students were able to visit colleges of different sizes, ranging from small to medium to large campuses. Students were able to see what the residence hall looks like, eat on campus, and check out programs and professors. All of this can be put to use to compare different living options.
All the teachers agree that going on trips like these is very helpful and beneficial because where to attend college is a significant decision, and every student graduating wants to determine which school will best fit them and help them achieve their path to success. There is no better way to decide than visiting the campuses in person.
From a junior’s point of view, Malayla Hernandez said all the AVID trips she had been on so far have been helpful to her because they gave her an overview of her future more clearly. Trips like this one also help her lock in and focus more on one major. For example, if you want to be in the mechanical field, visiting campuses like CWI can help you see a clear image of what you would be doing. Hernandez says, “It’s the last high school trip I’ll go on, especially with all the people I grew up with.” She hopes next year’s trip is as positive as this year’s was.
Senior Alicia Soto says the AVID trips she has been on have been fun, especially because of all her friends. This trip, specifically, was beneficial because it shows her which college she does not want to attend. Soto said, “Yes, the campus at Washington was pretty, but I wouldn’t go there.” AVID has helped her choose a career, and over time in high school, it has changed. At first, she wanted to be in the medical field, but now she wants to become an elementary teacher. If she could go on another trip, she would want to go to Utah State again. AVID has helped her plan her future by going on these trips and disciplining her in class by always staying on top of her work and pushing her to her fullest potential.
Seniors will cherish this trip as a fond memory and continue their high school journey moving forward, while AVID has special plans in store for them. Overall, AVID has helped students discover new things and will continue to help them find the best in themselves.
