9th Team Building: License Plates

For this activity, students were asked to get into groups of two or three people. Each student was given a blank license plate and the assignment to make a license plate for a classmate. (Students were not allowed to make a license plate for themselves.) Once they completed the license plate design on the front, they were asked to write on the back side of the paper why they made their partner the license plate that they did.

This activity gave students a chance to be creative for someone else. The license plates turned out very well, showing the great diversity of AVID students within the class.

9th Test-Taking Tips

The 9th grade AVID students in Mrs. Neubert's class looked at different test-taking tips. The class was broken into groups, and each group was given a different type of test-taking tips (e.g. short answer tips, multiple choice tips, preparing for the test tips, etc.). Each group had to make a poster and present their tips to the class.

Students took Cornell Notes on the tips.

Knott's Berry Farm

Students enjoying the rides.

Students taking a rest from all of the fun.

Students eating together!

Knott's Berry Farm had a private party for AVID students in the Orange County area on Friday, November 14, 2008 from 7:00 pm to 1:00 am. About 80 students from Savanna High School participated in the party. All rides were up and running for the students to enjoy. In addition, there were places designated for dancing parties and huge gatherings.

Mrs. Hill and Mrs. Neubert captured pictures of SHS students at restaurants, on rides, and walking around. Even though the park was very crowded, students had a positive experience at the park.

An added benefit of this private party was the amount of money earned for AVID scholarships. Because so many students from Savanna and other schools participated, over one thousand dollars was earned for scholarships.

Soka University Visits Savanna

This morning, a representative from Soka University, Ramon, came to Savanna High School to share information about this new college with AVID students.

Soka University is a new college, created in 2001. It is a private university located in Aliso Viejo that has an emphasis in Liberal Arts. The tuition is comparable to other private universities, but this tuition also includes a 4 - 6 month study abroad as well as a laptop computer for each student. There are more than 30 countries represented at Soka. Class sizes are small, the average being 13 students per class. The ratio of students to faculty is 9 to 1.

Students are encouraged to go online to www.soka.edu to find out more information about this university. In addition, on Saturday, November 22nd, Soka University will be opening up for students to check out. There will be club presentations, information given out, and a free sample of the food. Students should take advantage of this opportunity to see Soka University on their own.