WE MAKE THINGS HAPPEN:
The Leadership for AVID at Betty H. Fairfax High School
Laura Strange-Smit is a staple to the community of first-generation students at Betty H. Fairfax High School. She is the AVID site coordinator after years of being involved with the program. Strange-Smit helps numerous students each year achieve their goals. She is a motivator and a wise educator. At first it wasn't easy for Strange-Smit, she faced hardships along her journey as an educator. She began her journey in Bloomington, Indiana, then moved to Indio, California, where she got her start as a middle school teacher, and finally ended up in Phoenix, Arizona, to teach high school.
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It was 1996 when Strange-Smit first heard about the program from a friend. She was teaching in Indio, California at the time. Her friend asked her if she would be interested in a program called AVID. She asked Strange-Smit if she would be interested in attending a training session, Strange-Smit said, “I really didn’t know much about it then but after I went to that summer institute in San Diego, California, that’s where I was exposed to the history of AVID.” She learned a lot about the program and after some thought she said, “This is for me.”
You can listen here for a snippet of her story:
Jef Heredia is the current principal at Betty H. Fairfax. He has worked with students from all demographics and backgrounds. He is an advocate for the students and families of Laveen. Before assuming the role of principal, he held the position of Assistant Principal of Student Support at Fairfax. Mr. Heredia has always been a part of the valuable academic support for numerous students no matter the title.
As the principal of Fairfax with over 2,000 students attending, he hopes that AVID can be a program designed for a select group of students to guide them to academic success. He says, "I think AVID is an awesome opportunity for students." While students have different learning styles, different goals and different destinations, AVID is a program where students can look for those possibilities. Mr. Heredia says, "There's not one program, there's not one subject, there's not one teacher that's going to work beautifully for everyone and I look at AVID as a piece to the puzzle that helps students be successful." He hopes that out of every program they offer at Fairfax, it can help a student "holistically, not just academically."
Photo via PXU
Prior to coming to Betty Fairfax, Mr. Heredia worked at Trevor Browne High School as the Behavior Intervention Specialist. He primarily worked with students who received exceptional students services support. Though, he did have interactions with general education students and he met several students who were enrolled in AVID classes. He recalls a student, her name is Julie.
You can listen to the story here:
Unfortunately AVID has been threatened many times at the district level as not many take this program seriously. AVID Site Coordinator Laura Strange-Smit continues to fight for the program. Mr. Heredia also has a plan, as a plan for student success, integrating AVID as a permanent program would be advantageous in guiding many more students towards college readiness. Mr. Heredia said, "Ms. Strange and I were just talking about ‘How do we get more students involved, how do we get more students exposed?" He thinks that although AVID might not be for every student, the program clearly has some "valuable instructional strategies that come out of classes that every teacher can utilize and every student can benefit from." He calls AVID "a part of the fabric of the quilt that makes up Fairfax." Mr. Heredia hopes that AVID continues to reach students and meet their needs so that they can be successful in every aspect of their lives.