(Advancement Via Individual Determination)

AVID  is designed to prepare students for their future - particularly for 4-year colleges. We are an elective program with over 200 students. Our activities focus on WICOR (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization and Reading) in order to get students to start thinking at a higher level. We take students who have typically been underrepresented in college and give them the support, tools and confidence to be a success.

Twice a week we engage in college-style tutorial study groups where students work together to figure out things that have confused them in their academic classes. It can be very challenging to do this on your own without a teacher giving you every step of the answer but once you figure out how it is empowering! Our students become independent thinkers and learners through this process. 

AVID is NOT easy. Our students work incredibly hard. So, we make sure to make room for some fun. Finding good friends and people who will support you is the most important thing you can do in middle school. We spend our Fridays in AVID playing games, watching movies and just getting to know each other. You will build friendships that will literally last a lifetime with people who you can truly trust and who you know are going in the same direction you are.

Throughout the year we take field trips to visit local colleges. For many of our students it is their first time seeing what college life is like (surprise, it isn't like what you see in the movies!) We have visited UCR, CSUSB, Cal State Fullerton, UCLA, UCI, Cal Poly Pomona, and Chapman University among others. 

If you are self-motivated and determined to be successful in your academic journey to college, Join  AVID ! Applications, information and videos are on the the JMS PowerSchool Learning Page for incoming 6th grade students. 

​For current 7th grade Panthers, please email your counselor letting them know you are interested.