For 25 years, something powerful has been growing at Will C. Wood High School.
What began as a single class, one section of students, and a small group of educators willing to believe in something bigger has become something truly special: a movement that continues to shape futures across an entire community.
That movement is AVID.
Back in 2001, with the support and encouragement of then-principal Henri Newland, a group of teachers took a chance. They attended the AVID Summer Institute in Sacramento and came back inspired, carrying a vision rooted in possibility: to create opportunities for students, especially those who would be the first in their families to attend college, to begin seeing themselves in a future they may not have imagined before.
For the next 14 years, Will C. Wood carried that vision forward as the only AVID high school in Vacaville Unified School District. It was a small beginning, but it mattered.
Because it didn’t stay small.
In 2014, through the foundation built at Will C. Wood and the dedication of educators and district leadership, AVID expanded to Vacaville High School, opening the door for even more students to access the same opportunities.
From there, the vision continued to grow to Sierra Vista K-8, Vaca Pena Middle, Cooper Elementary, and more.
Today, Vacaville Unified is proud to be an AVID district, with strategies and support reaching students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. What started at Will C. Wood has grown into a districtwide commitment, one grounded in the belief that every student deserves the tools, the support, and the encouragement to succeed.
And back where it all began, the growth continues.
What started as one AVID section has steadily expanded. By fall 2026, Will C. Wood will offer eight sections of AVID, each one filled with students learning how to think critically, support one another, and believe in what’s possible for their future.
Now, that work is being recognized.
On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Will C. Wood High School will open its doors to educators from across the region as it is named an AVID Showcase School, a distinction that reflects years of dedication, heart, and the collective effort of both staff and students.
Visitors won’t just observe classrooms, they’ll feel it. They’ll see the AVID Wildcat Way in action: a culture where students are supported, challenged, and truly known.
At its heart, AVID has always been about opening doors, especially for first-generation college-bound students. Students like Evelyn Martinez.
This fall, Evelyn will attend the University of California, Los Angeles, stepping into a future that reflects both her hard work and the purpose of AVID itself.
“I’ve learned to rely on my resilience and keep moving forward, no matter what challenges come my way,” Evelyn shares.
Through AVID, she found more than academic support; she found a sense of belonging. “AVID has never been just a program,” she says. “It gave me a foundation. It gave me a family.”
And within that family, she found someone who believed in her from the very beginning. “From the first day in AVID, my teacher grabbed my hand and never let go,” Evelyn says. “She watched me grow from a reserved teenager to a confident young woman—guiding me, pushing me, and showing me what my future could be.”
Like many first-generation students, her journey required courage, persistence, and learning to ask for help. “She taught me to use my voice and to advocate for myself,” Evelyn says. “Every action I take is a building block for my future.”
Her story is deeply personal, but it’s also part of something bigger.
It’s part of 25 years of classrooms where students are seen and supported. 25 years of building a culture where college becomes an expectation, not just a hope. 25 years of a program that started in one classroom and grew into something that now reaches an entire district.
The growth tells one story. But the students tell another.
A story of resilience. Of belonging. Of possibility.
Students like Evelyn, who are not only reaching their goals but expanding what’s possible for those who will follow. Because 25 years later, the mission remains the same: to ensure that every student, especially those who are the first, has the support, the skills, and the belief to dream big and achieve even bigger.
That’s the Wildcat Way. And, if you’ve ever stepped into an AVID classroom at Will C. Wood, you know, it’s more than a program. It’s a family.
And it all started here.