El Dorado High School and Col. John O. Ensor Middle School in the Socorro Independent School District have been recognized nationally for their exceptional efforts to prepare students for colleges or careers. El Dorado recently received its third revalidation as an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) National Demonstration School. Col. John O. Ensor earned the same distinction for the first time in May 2023.
El Dorado, the only region 19 high school with an AVID National Demonstration School designation, celebrated its three-peat performance on Jan. 16 in the school’s theater, a moment of pride shared by all Aztecs.
The school’s principal Venessa Betancourt said El Dorado’s success as a three-time demonstration school is its commitment to preparing college-bound and career-ready students starting their freshman year.
“I’m extremely proud of the commitment of all of our learning community to really continue to show that every Aztec deserves college access and has those opportunities to post-secondary readiness,” Betancourt said. “Not when they leave El Dorado, but the moment they set foot here at the Empire.”
The high school was deemed an AVID National Demonstration School in 2016 and revalidated as a demonstration school in February 2020. Schools must prove their program is exemplary every three years to be revalidated.
AVID is a nationally-acclaimed program that helps students develop the skills they need to be successful in college. The program places special emphasis on growing writing, critical thinking, teamwork, organization and reading skills. AVID National Demonstration Schools are exemplary models of the AVID College Readiness System.
Col. John O. Ensor Principal Stephen Fernandez said the school has over 100 students in its AVID program. The school worked hard to earn national demonstration status, and he credited Ensor’s AVID Coordinator, Myrna Ledesma, for leading the collective effort.
Fernandez said the school begins recruiting for the AVID program in elementary schools by motivating students to think about their futures after high school.
“We have college everywhere on campus, and we’re always talking about college,” Fernandez said. “We ask our students, ‘What are you thinking about doing? What’s your next step? What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And it doesn’t always have to be college; it could be the military or a trade. We’re just trying to make them successful throughout their lives.”
El Dorado senior Kayla Medford said she developed many skills in the high school’s AVID program, which will help her succeed in college, such as organizing a study group and communicating with her future professors.
“I definitely think it will help me in the future,” Medford said. “We learn communication skills, organization skills, and leadership skills. I learned how to manage my time because I’m in the early college program, and I’m also the president of the Student Council, so it helps me with time management skills.”