AVID Students Celebrate Academic Achievements, Announce Postsecondary Plans at Annual Signing Day

The 13th annual AVID Signing Day on April 24, 2026 was a joyous and love-filled occasion where 48 seniors proudly proclaimed their postsecondary plans. The ceremony is patterned after the athletic signing day that many high schools host. But the AVID event is all about recognizing the students as they take the next step in their academic and career journeys.

During the ceremony, the AVID seniors proudly shared their postsecondary plans—whether that includes attending a four-year university, community college, trade school, apprenticeship, entering the workforce, or serving in the military. The ceremony celebrates the hard work, determination, and perseverance that brought these students to this important milestone.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the ceremony is the pure joy and love that flows freely between the students and AVID teachers. Nearly every student speaker talked about the importance of their relationships with the AVID teachers and their peers, how much they have grown, and their appreciation for the AVID support system.

The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program is an academic elective course that focuses on developing organization and study skills and includes academic tutoring, college visits, and support with the college application and financial aid process.

The ceremony featured speeches by AVID Valedictorian Jayla Scruggs, AVID Salutatorian Chelsea Gipson, class representatives Jayden Chase, Ianna Jones, Fred Leonard and Damon Loretz, Heights High Administrative Principal Dr. Brandon Towns, and Bob Swaggard, the AVID District Director.

The celebration also included the presentation of this year's AVID I.D. (Individual Determination) Scholarship Award to Nala Simmons, who will be attending Xavier University of Louisiana in the fall. The AVID I.D. Scholarship is a monetary award that was created three years ago by the AVID elective teachers to give a scholarship to an AVID senior that has been a model high school student of the program.

The women of Zeta Phi Betta Sorority, Inc. also awarded scholarships to members of the AVID Class of 2026. This year, Jayla Scruggs was awarded with the local chapter's General Scholarship and Chelsea Gipson was awarded with the Finer Womanhood Scholarship.

The Heights High AVID teachers are Claudene McCoy and Shawn Washington, who is also the high school AVID Coordinator. Each teacher stays with a class for four years.

AVID is a national program that is also in the CH-UH middle schools.

"AVID Signing Day highlights the importance of academic achievement and reminds the entire school community that success after high school comes in many forms," said Ms. McCoy who is the Class of 2026 AVID teacher. "And that each pathway represents dedication, courage, and a commitment to building a bright future."

A slideshow of the Heights High AVID Class of 2026 with their postsecondary plans can be found here.