The sound of excitement rippled through the air as the band played and students eagerly watched unfamiliar faces approach the front steps of the school. Staff members smiled as cheerleaders crowded the steps and held bright green, red, and blue signs in the air.

The AVID students were ready.

Richardson was first chosen to be an AVID demonstration school, or “demo school” four years ago. Due to this distinction, Richardson underwent an extensive validation process, as well as a re-validation process last year, to ensure proper implementation, quality, and fidelity.

“February 28, I can remember the date,” said AVID Showcase coordinator Elizabeth Brown. “It has been hard work. It has to be a buy-in from everybody, and knowing that something that I so passionately wanted so many other people in the building also passionately wanted, I mean, it gives me goosebumps just talking about it, because it’s not just the recognition. It’s knowing that what you’re doing is benefiting so many students.”

As a demo school, AVID puts on an event every year. This year, the program was requested to be a showcase campus.

“[We] show our campus to people who want to come see it, and [they] usually are teachers and educators all across Texas and surrounding states,” Brown said. “We’ve had the University of Texas come before, [and] we’ve had people coming in from Missouri. We help them learn, give them ideas and things like that.”

Coach Brown and her team organized a tour of the campus, where both AVID and non-AVID classrooms were showcased, and gave a presentation. Exemplary AVID students were selected to talk about how the program works on a student panel.

“I felt kind of nervous at first, but I was talking about AVID,” senior panel speaker Dowdy Elazarig said. “It got really easy because it was just about my life lesson –how AVID really helped me as a student, [helped] me become more organized, and [will] help me create a better world for everyone.”

While some students spoke on the student panel, others accompanied the guests, including senior Olivia Brown.

“Coach Brown picked a couple people that she thought were good AVID students to be an example for the people coming to see [us],” Olivia Brown said. “We went to several different classes throughout the day, showing the curriculum we have at RHS.”

The AVID students aimed to show visitors how techniques are implemented at Richardson, including Cornell notes and grade checks. But for many students, AVID extends beyond the classroom.

“The AVID teachers are a very good support system,” Elazarig said. “You grow as a family – you’re close to everyone in that class.”

According to Elizabeth Brown, while the program helps make the student, the student ultimately makes the program.

“They come out and they’re proud of us, and they’re proud of our school, and they’re proud of their teachers,” she said. “I just love that the students are so proud of their accomplishments. They’re so proud of the fact that we are successful.

For many AVID students, the showcase provided an opportunity to show their pride.

“I was excited to be a part of it,” Olivia Brown said. “I was really proud of myself and all of my classmates that were doing it with me.”

According to Elizabeth Brown, pride will continue to progress, as the best is yet to come.

“We are impacting thousands of students on a daily basis and that’s what we’re here for,” she said. “That’s what we’re doing this grind for. To make sure that all kids have equal opportunity to get to college. Seeing students who never perhaps had the opportunity, or never had the thought of going to college going to college and earning scholarships, graduating and making something of their lives and truly changing the trajectory of their entire family history is hands down, goosebumps from head to toe, best part of it all.”