News & Events Image

news & events

LATEST NEWS


IN THE NEWS

In The News - Archive

Back To Archives Back To Main News
April 11, 2010

ECHS on CBS2/KCAL9 Los Angeles: Lawndale Students 'Race To The Top' To Meet Obama

Read full story at CBS

Lawndale Students 'Race To The Top' To Meet Obama

Reporting
Dave Malkoff
LAWNDALE, Calif. (CBS) ― A Lawndale high school is one of six finalists in President Obama's "Race To The Top Commencement Challenge." An environmental charter school is hoping to emerge the winner, and that would mean a visit from the President.

You remember prom right? "Prom is the biggest night of the year for all seniors. And this year, we're having a green prom, " said high school student Jordan Howard.

For Jordan Howard, a green prom starts here, where she's renting and not buying a dress. "They say the greenest thing is something that's already here, and these are already here," she said.

While Jordan's mom was dealing with the madness of prom, Jordan was getting a phone call from Pennsylvania Avenue. Jordan Howard's school is one of the top six finalists for the President's "Race To The Top" initiative.

The White House invited students to compete in A Race to the Top Commencement Challenge...the winner would get the president to make their graduating address.

Thousands of schools took part and one local school, Environmental Charter High School, is a finalist.

Jordan said, "I found it on Facebook because I follow the White House. I saw the video, and Obama said that he'll give a commencement speech at the winning school."

"Our school fits that, " Howard said. "This is what our school is. We had to apply because we're different. We're an environmentally focused school."

Howard is proud of what her school has done for the environment. She says the students have made it cool to be green.

Howard and her classmates produced a video to convey the uniqueness of the school, noting that 97-percent of the students have been accepted to a four-year university.

So remember all that stuff about prom being the biggest night of the year? Jordan said, "If President Obama comes, prom will just be… a dance."      See video below

Media