Any opportunity to better prepare our youth for the future is a welcome one, and we thank the faculty and staff at Oak Glen Middle School for their efforts to establish a new program to do just that.

Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, is set to begin during the next grading period at Oak Glen Middle.

It is an elective course, meaning it will be up to the student whether to enroll, but we believe it will be a benefit to those who take part.

According to Ryan Wells, assistant principal at the middle school, students will take part in daily tutoring sessions and learn organizational and testing skills which then can be applied in their other courses.

It is collaborative, with teachers and students working together and supporting each other throughout.

Hancock County will be only the second school system in West Virginia to adopt the program, but it is operational in 46 other states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania, and 16 countries.

Oak Glen Middle School’s program must meet certain guidelines in order to continue, but if it works out, and we have no doubt it will, AVID has potential to be used eventually in all of Hancock County’s schools.

This program provides opportunities for the county’s students, helping them to learn and grow, while better preparing for their future, whether it be in college, the military or getting right into the workforce after high school.

We look forward to the launch of AVID in Hancock County, congratulating Oak Glen Middle for taking this step and wish all involved — administration, teachers and students — well on this new endeavor.