LYNWOOD — Ana Mora, a proud parent of a student at Marco Antonio Firebaugh High School who has been accepted to several four-year universities, announced to school board members Tuesday night, that 70 percent of the school’s first graduating class have been accepted to four-year universities.
Plus, she said, “We are thrilled to inform you … [that] a full 10 percent of the graduating class will be matriculating to the UC system. … We hope that you are as excited and proud as we are of these young men and women.”
In addition, Mora said, “we are happy to announce that 99.5 percent of the class of 2009 passed the [California High School Exit Exam].”
Mora, who it turns out was reading a letter signed by the school’s Acting Principal Cheri Tuinstra, also relayed to board members that three students in the class of 2009 have been accepted to Ivy League schools — Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.
Firebaugh students were accepted to a variety of distinguished schools, Mora said, including Amherst College, Loyola Marymount University, Vassar College, Pace University, Rice University, UC Berkeley and Williams College, among others.
In a statistical report handed to board members, 58 students from the nearly 220 graduates, have been accepted to Cal State Dominguez Hills. Thirty-eight applied and have been accepted to Cal State Fresno, while 75 students have been accepted to Cal State Los Angeles.
Twelve students have been accepted to Cal Poly Pomona, 17 to Cal State Northridge, two students to Chapman University, one to Humboldt State, 15 to UC Riverside, and one to Loyola Marymount.
Firebaugh’s report also shows that of the 217 total number of students in the class of 2009, 26 percent are in the GATE Program. Seventy percent are Re-designated Fluent English Proficient students, five percent are English Language Learners and three percent are in the Special Needs Program.
Of the graduating class, 94 percent are Hispanic and six percent are African-American.
Eighty-three percent of the students who took the high school exit exam in the 10th grade — their first attempt — passed the test, the report states. Two years later, 99.5 percent of them passed.
Mora added to her report that statistics show that of the 217 graduating seniors, 185 of them fall under the socio-economically disadvantaged status.
“As you can see on the attached report, many students will not be able to attend their desired schools because of financial reasons,” Mora read. “Any scholarship or grant suggestions you may have for these students are most welcome.”
The graduation of the nearly 220 students will be an historic one, said school board President Jose Solache, a Lynwood High graduate.
“We are extremely proud of each and every one of these students because we know how hard it is to get this far,” he said. “I want to commend the students, the parents and everyone who was involved in getting the students this far, because it didn’t take one person, from the principal to every single student to every single parent, so I’m just very happy. I wish I could see those numbers at every school, because we strive for all of our students to go to college.”
School district officials have claimed that Firebaugh — named after the late state Assemblyman Marco Antonio Firebaugh — has been an International Baccalaureate World School since its inception. It has actually been an IB World School only since February 2008, and authorized to offer the IB Middle Years Program since last February. And because the IB Program was not in place until a few years ago, this year’s first graduating class will not be graduating under IB status. Next year’s graduating class will be the first to do so.
Firebaugh’s commencement ceremony is slated for June 19 at 5 p.m. on the field. The graduation is free, but students have received six tickets for family members.
While the school is currently under a cloud of controversy over its principal being placed on administrative leave by the school board, plans for the school’s first graduation are still in progress and picking up momentum.
Lynn Robles, the school’s community liaison, said that it is not very common for a school to be able to say that 70 percent of its graduating class has been accepted to four-year universities.
“I don’t think any school in Orange County can say that 70 percent of their students have been accepted to four-year universities,” she said. “That’s very exciting.” Robles’ two children have a few more years at Firebaugh until graduation, but either way, she said, it’s exciting to be a part of a “first.”
Home to the Falcons, its first graduating class specifically requested that their graduation take place on campus, Robles said.
“They know they’re the first and want to take pride in their school,” she said. “I think it’s about ownership.”
Lynwood High School, the school district’s original high school, will be hosting its class of 2009 as usual at Cerritos College to honor 600 graduates. Statistics of students being accepted to four-year universities, were not readily available by presstime, but Gina Paul, an assistant principal at LHS, assures the community that the numbers are impressive.
“We are very proud of all of our students,” Solache said. “They worked real hard for their diplomas. At Firebaugh, I wouldn’t be surprised if Marco Antonio Firebaugh has something to do with this upstairs. … It’s good for our community, it’s good for our students to reach this milestone in their lives.”
Mora also gave a special thanks to the school’s principal, Jonas Silverio, for all his hard work, along with Cheri Tuinstra, assistant principal — currently acting principal — for her guidance as well.
“A very, very special thank you to all of you, too,” Mora told the school board. She said that she personally will make sure that her child never forgets his four-year experience at Firebaugh High School, but will forget about the petty things focused on by some people at school board meetings every Tuesday.
Lynwood High School’s Commencement Ceremony this year takes place on June 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Cerritos College, 11110 Alondra Blvd., Norwalk.