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Students tell board wrestling, weight room, knowledge team and AVID boost confidence and engagement
Summary
RA Long student representative and AVID seniors described athletic, academic and social benefits of after‑school programs and AVID; board members praised the student speakers and discussed program expansion and credit options.
Brooklyn Stevens, the RA Long High School student representative, and two AVID seniors spoke to the Longview School District board on Dec. 9 about the wrestling program, the school’s knowledge (quiz) team, the weight room and the AVID college‑and‑career readiness program.
Brooklyn Stevens said the wrestling program “involves not just Lumberjacks, but it also involves Monarchs for the girls' team,” praised team leadership and coaches’ attention to safety, and described a supportive sideline culture at a Dec. 3 match. She highlighted that many first‑year wrestlers have already earned pins and that captains lead warmups and mentor newcomers.
Stevens also described the knowledge team’s fast‑paced quiz format and recent strong finishes on Nov. 13 and Dec. 4, and outlined the weight room’s community benefits — students mentoring one another on form, following a structured weekly schedule and using after‑school time to stay active and prepare for sports.
Principal Rich Reese introduced two AVID seniors who shared personal stories about AVID’s effect on their confidence and plans. One student described growing up in a home affected by addiction and said AVID taught study, presentation and collaboration skills that led to a cross‑country scholarship: “With AVID, I was able to grow my confidence and my character,” she said. Another student who immigrated from India described AVID as “a lifeline” that taught self‑advocacy, collaboration and critical thinking and allowed her to join sports, volunteer and work.
Board members thanked the students and AVID staff; several members suggested exploring options to grant PE or mastery credit for sustained participation in weight‑room programs and to feature AVID more fully in a future board presentation. The principal told the board the AVID program includes about 19 seniors and roughly 104 students across grade levels in the district’s AVID rollout.
Board members characterized the presentations as evidence of the district's extracurricular and college‑readiness programming supporting student engagement and belonging.
