Vista Heights Middle School and Cloverdale Elementary School are making history this year with their recent AVID recognitions.
Vista Heights Middle School has been named an AVID National Demonstration School, a prestigious honor earned by only the best in the country. The home of the wildcats is one of 45 schools recognized and named an AVID Site of Excellence out of over 7,000 AVID schools globally.
“This designation is a testament of our ongoing commitment to our students, staff, and community,” said Stephanie Williams-Mayrant, principal of Vista Heights Middle School. “We are honored to offer rigorous programs that challenge our students to reach their full potential and unlock new opportunities. Now, our school will be recognized for having not one, but two nationally recognized robust programs - AVID and International Baccalaureate. We are truly proud to lead the way!”
Cloverdale Elementary School is not far behind them. It is also making history by its recent designation as an AVID Showcase School, proving its exemplary implementation of the AVID program.
Principal Genaro Garcia of Cloverdale Elementary School added, “We are humbled by this special recognition. The designation as the first elementary school in the district to be named as an AVID Showcase School is a sincere honor. It reflects our goal of having high expectations for all learners. We are happy to be setting the stage for early success.”
To earn these designations, both schools demonstrated how AVID is used to support students in their college and career readiness journey by showing their implementation of AVID’s WICOR strategies: Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading. These strategies are embedded into the classrooms, lesson plans and student characteristics every day.
“We’re not just teaching students to pass tests—we’re preparing them to pass life’s biggest tests,” said Dr. Alejandro Ruvalcaba, Superintendent. “This recognition speaks volumes about the dedication of our teachers, the engagement of our students, and the relentless focus on academic rigor.”
The AVID designations are only given to schools that undergo rigorous review processes and demonstrate strong levels of commitment, consistency and strategy.
The Moreno Valley Unified School District is proud to offer AVID strategies and programs across the entire district, now with a special badge of honor for students attending Vista Heights Middle School and Cloverdale Elementary School.
MVUSD began the AVID program in 2004 with Moreno Valley High School being the first AVID National Demonstration School. Currently, all 10 middle and high schools offer the AVID program at the secondary level, and 13 elementary schools offer the AVID program at the elementary level. In the 2024-2025 school year, the district expanded AVID’s impact by implementing the strategies across all schools.
“Students deserve the best that we have to offer,” said Equity and Categorical Programs Director Latoysha Brown. “If we see that students are benefiting from a program or service, rest assured we want to see if it’s possible to expand those award-winning strategies to all students in our district.”