PAGE A10, KEIZERTIMES, DECEMBER 4, 2015 AVID, continued from Page A1 In the past six years, AVID at CCMS has grown from one dedicated class to six, and more than 180 students in all. “That’s a little more than 20 percent of our student body,” Schoepper said. “But it gives us confi dence in pushing out the AVID methods to the rest of the school’s students.” 2013-14 CITIZENSHIP: ONLY 2% of AVID Students received a grade of N or U (Needs Improvement, or Unsatisfactory) COMPARED TO 4% of non-AVID Students In OAKS testing for the 2013-14 school year, those 180 students outpaced their peers in every category. The average GPA of an average student was 3.26 compared to 2.55 for the whole of the student body. AVID students also fared exponentially better when it came to grades in citizenship and work habits. AVID programming was originally designed to help student who were landing in the gray areas between academic high-fl yers and those at the bottom end of the specturm; those students who would often graduate high school, but had no conceivable plan for what would happen next. 2013-14 WORK HABITS: ONLY 2.5% of AVID Students received a grade of N or U (Needs Improvement, or Unsatisfactory) COMPARED TO 13% of non-AVID Students However, Claggett’s AVID programs have proven so successful there is now a waiting list to get into the program at every grade level, and any student can apply. AVID changes have also made the school a desirable place to be for students. At the end of the fi rst semester, CCMS had a 96.1 percent attendance rate, the highest of any middle school in the Salem-Keizer School District. “When you cut through those numbers, it comes down to strong teacher-student and strong peer relationships where students feel safe,” said Schoepper. “And at the heart of that is our AVID work.” Wanted: Service projects for CCMS AVID students Kelly Greer is looking for ways for her students to give back to the community. Greer, Claggett Creek Mid- dle School's AVID coordinator, currently has students serv- ing as reading buddies for fi rst and second graders at Weddle Elementary School. Another contingent will help serve free lunches during winter break, but she's looking to fi ll gaps for the coming months. “I'm looking for things where students also get an ele- ment of self-worth out of doing the project itself,” said Greer. Digging ditches is out of the question, but anything the students can do to give back to local communities is something she will consider. “A few years ago, we had students making cards for sol- diers, but those efforts have gone away,” she said. “If it's a project someone can bring to our school or is within walking distance, I will usually give it a shot.” She said she is particularly interested in helping students fi ll the summer months. For more information, or to suggest a project, contact Greer at greer_kelly@salkeiz.k12. or.us.