ExxonMobil donates to GCCISD AVID program

Joe Blommaert, BTCP Plant Manager, Connie Tilton, Public Affairs Advisor, Charles Banks, BOP Reliability Engineer, and Nadia Ellison, BTCP Process Administrative Supervisor from ExxonMobil presented the AVID 4 class at Ross S. Sterling High School on Friday, March 26, with a $20,000 donation to Goose Creek CISD for the AVID program.

The Advancement Via Individual Determination program began in Goose Creek 7 years ago. AVID students are bound by a written contract and meet rigid requirements created to academically enhance students who are individually determined to attend college.

The students are required to participate in a minimum of one school organization per school year as well as participate in multiple community service projects year round. Ross S. Sterling High School currently has 121 AVID students.

“The class of 2010 is well on their way to beating last year’s graduating AVID class by surpassing 2009’s grant and scholarship awards of $300,000,” says Sterling AVID coordinator and teacher Robin Richards.

Most of the students in the program will be the first in their family to graduate from college. “It is unbelievable that a company would donate so much money in order to see us succeed on a journey of becoming a college graduate. However, it is certainly true. Thank you ExxonMobil,” said AVID student Myesha Rice.