AVID Director at Nicolet Wants Program to Grow

Most schools have special programs for advanced students as well as students who need extra help, but many schools struggle to help the students who find themselves in the middle.

Melissa Trepte, a science teacher at Nicolet High School also serves as the district’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program director. At the Nicolet High School Board meeting Monday, Trepte presented AVID to the board with hopes of introducing the program to more students.

“AVID is a program for students that have high potential that are kind of in the middle as far as the classes that they’re taking,” Trepte said.

The average student is defined in the AVID student profile as a student with “average to high test scores, a 2.0-3.5 grade point average, the potential to go to college with support, and desire and determination."

“We want to get all the students throughout the building reading better and being more literate so that they can be a better college student or worker,” Trepte said.

Morton Grodsky of the Nicolet School Board agreed.

"If we want each student to be the best they can be, why not try to get as many as we can into these classes?” Grodsky asked.

Jeff Dellutri, director of business services for Nicolet, express concern about losing students from advanced placement classes. Trepte does not want people to misunderstand the program and what its goals are.

“I think it’s a misunderstanding about what the program focuses on and the fact that it really is for all students to help everyone at Nicolet to become college ready and not just for a select group of students,” Trepte said.

Trepte told board members if they wanted to see how AVID is doing at other schools she would get them into contact with Principal Brett Bowers of Homestead High School in Mequon.

Marilyn Franklin, president of the Nicolet School Board, was very impressed with Trepte’s presentation and asked what can happen next to get it further implemented at Nicolet.

“It’s been a bumpy road, it has to go back to Lisa (Elliott director of curriculum), but I am very impressed,” Franklin said.

Trepte said the program has a current capacity of 75 students but wants to get more students involved and continue to add to the program.

“For full implementation, we’re hoping that we’ll be able to get to that in the next two years. As far as AVID elective classes, we can add to that, as far as our numbers, at any time we have openings available,” Trepte said.