Kelly Mill Med Pro Middle receives national recognition for high performance

Kelly Mill Med Pro Middle School has been selected as a National Demonstration School by AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a nonprofit organization. AVID provides educators with proven, real-world strategies to accelerate the performance of underrepresented students and all students across the entire campus to succeed in college, career, and life.

Mark Sims, principal of Kelly Mill, says being chosen as an AVID National Demonstration School is a tremendous honor. “It has been a pleasure being part of the AVID Culture as an instructional leader. The experiences our staff and students have gained by believing in AVID’s mission cannot be measured. We are proud of sustaining a positive culture by effectively promoting leadership, instruction, and systems through the lens of AVID,” said Sims. “We continue to see a more engaged college and career ready student body.”

Director of College and Career Initiatives in Richland Two, Mary Paige Boyce, notes Kelly Mill was the first AVID National Demonstration in South Carolina. “Being a National Demonstration School implies that the AVID program is schoolwide and Kelly Mill continues to impress the selection committee by the ways they infuse the program throughout the school,” said Boyce.

Kelly Mill is the only school in Richland Two and one of three schools in South Carolina to achieve this distinction and joins approximately 200 other AVID National Demonstration Schools. Kelly Mill was selected through an application process, screening, and review, which included a site visit. AVID is being implemented districtwide in Richland Two and in over 7,000+ schools across the country.