Victor Valley Union High School District makes big moves to kick off school year

Victor Valley Union High School District officials said they are kicking off the school year with big changes, including a new middle school, smaller class sizes, a new district-wide security system and a lofty college readiness goal for the district’s 11,500 students.

Superintendent Carl Coles outlined the district’s new direction and emphasized the district’s ultimate goal during the district’s annual Kickoff event.

“Our purpose is to prepare all of our students to live a life of unlimited potential,” Coles told district staff at the High Desert Church’s Powell Auditorium. “Every day we give a little piece of ourselves to our students, so they can use the skills that you teach them in the classroom, on the field, or on a stage so that they can succeed and thrive. When the rubber meets the road, we must put our money and our resources where our mouth is.”

Larrea Middle School

On Aug. 7, the district christened Larrea Middle School, its 10th school, which opened its doors to seventh-graders.

Nearly the entire school staff showed up for the first day in Larrea gear, with Principal Joe Williams saying the first week has been “excellent.”

One of the goals of Larrea is to ease overcrowding at Hook Junior High School and Lakeview Leadership Academy, providing another option for middle school students, district officials said.

Coinciding with the opening of the school is a reduction in core class sizes to 25-to-1 in middle school and 32-1 in high school district wide. The new school and the smaller classes have allowed the district to hire approximately 100 new staff members, including 60 teachers, according to district officials.

Evolv screening system

Another change for the district is the implementation of “Evolv,” a weapons detection screening system used at venues such as SoFi Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Rams.

Through the security screeners, the Evolv system uses advanced technology, AI and analytics to help detect weapons and other potential threats, according to the company.

“Unfortunately we live in a world where the unimaginable can happen on school campuses,” said Coles, explaining the impetus for acquiring the Evolv devices, which are placed at school entrances.

“It’s been working great,” Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Principal Clarissa McNally said. “We’re still training the kids on what to take out of their bags before coming in (such as eyeglass cases or metal water bottles) but they’re adapting and getting used to it.”

Heritage & Legacy Programs

At the school kickoff event, Coles celebrated the success of Adelanto High School’s Heritage Program, which focuses on college readiness for African-American seniors.

With Heritage in place last school year, the number of college-ready African-American seniors at the high school was more than seven times higher than the previous year, according to district officials.

On the back of that resounding success, Heritage has been expanded to the district’s two other comprehensive high schools, Silverado and Victor Valley.

A similar program for Latino students called Legacy has also been added at all three schools.

Heritage and Legacy are part of a broader district initiative to expand college readiness for all students.

The district said Coles laid out a goal for the students’ completion of A-G coursework — a battery of classes that qualifies a student for acceptance to a University of California or Cal State education.

With the district’s A-G rate currently hovering around 40%, Coles set a goal of 75%, which would make the district the most college-ready district in all of San Bernardino County.

“We see A-G as a goal that will demand the best of our energies and skills,” Coles said. “It’s a challenge that we are willing to accept, that we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victor Valley Union High School District makes big moves