AVID Extensions

Elementary 

At Hamilton Avenue School – the first GPS elementary school to implement AVID – Greenwich Alliance provides additional funding for AVID professional development.  

• AVID provides teachers with professional learning through institutes and workshops.
• Training focuses on best-in-class instructional strategies, shared language, and consistent expectations across grade levels.
• Professional development reinforces AVID’s commitment to equity, opportunity, and rigorous learning for all students.
• In Summer 2025 and 2026, a Hamilton Avenue School team attended the AVID Summer Institute and shared key learnings with colleagues.
• AVID trainers continued working with the full HAS staff throughout the year to prepare for the 2026–2027 student launch.

Middle School 

Visits to Vaughn College, arts enrichment programming, financial literacy workshops and family events are the ways we enhance the AVID experience at the middle schools.  

• College campus visits beginning in middle school help students develop a college-going mindset and see higher education as an attainable goal.
• Vaughn College has been a welcoming and engaging partner, providing an exciting introduction to the college experience.
• Because AVID is an elective course, students have fewer opportunities to explore other elective offerings during the school day.
• To broaden students’ experiences, a variety of arts professionals visit AVID classes throughout the year, providing enrichment and exposing students to creative career pathways.

AVID Excel, professional development and implementation is being funded by the Alliance at WMS during the 2026-2027 school year. This strand of AVID is for students who graduated from the ESOL program, yet still need to develop academic language to excel in higher level courses in high school. Read more HERE.

Greenwich High School

At GHS, the Alliance supports the students and teachers in many ways:

• College essay writing
•  Family college visits 
• Class celebrations
• Community service offerings
• Networking Workshops
• Financial literacy with special Educate & Prosper College Savings Accounts at Members Credit Union 

We truly appreciate the college consultants’ volunteer time with AVID juniors and seniors to shape essays that tell their important stories. This opportunity opens access for students and ensures they are submitting the highest level of application to their choice of colleges.