Anson-Jones Elementary partners with AVID, prepares students for college

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Summer is winding down and many students will resume in the next few weeks, but this fall students at Anson-Jones Elementary will be get a head start on their college plans thanks to a new partnership.

Anson-Jones Elementary School has partnered with AVID, an organization that provides schools with lessons, resources and support so children are ready for college by the time they graduate. Middle schools and high schools within Bryan ISD have already been participating in AVID as an elective, but Anson-Jones is the first elementary school in the district to offer it school wide for students K-4.

Through the partnership with AVID, teachers will begin researching AVID strategies and then teach them to their students, Anson-Jones Principal Alma Velez said.

“They will teach effective writing strategies, effective inquiry strategies, effective collaboration, that’s one of the focuses for our campus, organization strategies that are needed to be prepared for college and career readiness, and of course reading strategies,” Velez. “A lot of this is what we’ve already been doing only now we’re going to be delving deeper into the specific strategies as they relate to AVID.”

She noted that it’s never too early for children to start thinking about and planning for college.

“It’s most important to start young, so that our students can start setting those goals to achieve long term success,” Velez said.

This program will also make college more accessible to students.

“We do have a high population of low economically disadvantaged students that this could potentially be the last round of first generation college students is what our hopes are,” Velez said.

The AVID program is something Velez said they want to work not only for the children at Anson-Jones, but eventually across the entire district.

“I really just want my families and my students to be exposed, to know what options are out there and to be able to begin as early as kindergarten, to begin making those dreams come true, become a reality,” Velez said. “That’s ultimately my goal for my community here.”

One main focus of the program; organization. That program will require binders, zipper pouches, dividers and sheet protectors, but that goes beyond the standard school supply list, Tami Glenn, Anson-Jones kindergarten teacher said.

“We are actually asking our community to help us out and we know our community is amazing,” Glenn said. “They step up and they show up for our kids.”

Glenn said these supplies will be distributed to each student and are essential to successfully implement AVID on it’s campus.

“Our kids have an amazing opportunity, they come to school eager to learn and we don’t want something as simple as supplies to hinder that learning and to not allow them to utilize AVID to its fullest,” Glenn said. “At the end of the day it’s all about our students and getting them where they need to be and closing that opportunity gap.”

Donations of any new or gently used supplies can be dropped off at the school Monday – Friday during regular school hours. There is also an Amazon wish list that can be found at this link. Those interested can also call an AVID site member to pick up the items.