Sandalwood High School

Sandalwood has been recognized as an  AVID National Demonstration School and an AVID Schoolwide Site of Distinction.

A.V.I.D. (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a national program that Sandalwood has taken to new heights, becoming a national model school for other A.V.I.D. programs. Students prepare for college success through peer tutoring, support and resources. 

As the A.V.I.D program at Sandalwood has grown over the years,  our AVID program has been awarded the Schoolwide Site of Distinction award, as well as National Demonstration School for AVID. This is all due to our ongoing partnerships with parents, administrators, feeder programs, community leaders, the University of North Florida staff and students, local businesses and of course our students! 

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a four-year elective class for students who desire to learn the skills and strategies needed to succeed in high school, college, career training programs, and the "great beyond" of modern adult life. Our goal is to recruit self-motivated students, give them the support needed to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, while developing a supportive classroom community. The class is composed of AVID curriculum taught by the AVID teacher, tutorial groups led by both adult and high-school tutors, on and off-campus college site tours, class visits by community members and leaders, and a focus on WICOR: Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading. 

Writing: 

• Focus on writing skills, grammar, spelling, and punctuation, clarity of written text, writing high-level reflections, reports, and essays

Inquiry: 

• Includes Costa's Levels of Questioning, the Socratic Method, and other methods of learning to think critically, question, and foster lifelong curiosity

Collaboration: 

• Working together with others to brainstorm, develop study strategies and life skills, foster meaningful classroom community, and learn the social skills needed to excel in college campus and in the workforce

Organization: 

• Learn to organize study materials, maintain effective study schedules and healthy habits, and track academic deadlines

Reading: 

• Developing reading comprehension skills, analyze written texts, and access supports to help students excel in any coursework

AVID is a class community of stakeholders: AVID students, their guardians and families, AVID teachers and tutors, Seabreeze AVID-trained faculty and staff, local business sponsors, and community members. Students will receive the benefits of a close classroom community, a supportive environment, academic strategies and study skills, self-motivation and confidence, and a four-year bond with their cohort.

Does this list describe you?

• You enjoy collaborating with others.

• You enjoy learning and being at school.

• You try your best in every class.

• You hope to challenge yourself.

• You are open to learning new skills and study methods.

• You want to achieve even more than you are now.

• You may not have support at home for academic and college planning.

• You intend to apply to college, and you intend to apply for scholarships and financial aid.

• You would enjoy being a part of a strong class community while in high school.

If multiple of these apply to you, you'd be a great fit for AVID!

This class is not for you if: you prefer to work alone, you do not plan to go to a four-year university or career training program, you are not passionate about learning, or you repeatedly neglect schoolwork and grades. This is not a course for remediation of past failed coursework - it is not intended as a last-resort, but as a stepping stone to the future.

Students will be selected based on this application as well as an interview in the Spring of 2025.