Cardboard Confessions by the 8th Grade AVID Class at Cleveland MS

Teacher Jacob Haner helps students create a video to celebrate the success of Cleveland’s first AVID class.

April 17, 2012

Eighth graders in the Advancement via Individual Determination program at Cleveland Middle School created a video titled Cardboard Confessions to celebrate the success of the school’s program. AVID teacher Jacob Haner, who also teaches PE, helped the students create the video, which premiered at a student assembly, where it received an enthusiastic reception.

This is the first year Cleveland has offered AVID classes.

“I wanted to have the eighth graders start a tradition that all the seventh grade AVID students would really look forward to being able to do and that the rest of the school would be able to see on a yearly basis,” said Haner, who said he got the idea for the video from a national AVID website.

AVID is an elective class for students who are capable of completing a college-prep path, but need extra support. This course helps students prepare for college and pushes them to take more rigorous classes in high school.

AVID is in 15 APS mid-schools and six APS high schools with plans to expand the program next year.

The majority of the eighth graders in the AVID class at Cleveland will be attending Del Norte or Sandia high schools with a couple attending the nex+Gen Academy next year.

“This was their first year in AVID and the majority of them have really done great with their academics and public speaking skills,” Haner said. “Three of the four student hosts for the Cleveland Talent Show are in the eighth grade AVID class. I don’t think that would have been possible without the emphasis of public speaking in my AVID class.”

Haner said he has really enjoyed teaching AVID. “I had fellow teachers and parents tell me that watching our AVID Cardboard Confessions video brought tears to their eyes. I look forward to making many more AVID videos with new faces every year,” Hander said.