Labor secretary to address Lawndale seniors

Labor secretary to address Lawndale seniors

From staff reports
Posted: 06/20/2010 09:18:39 PM PDT

Labor secretary to address graduates

South Bay. U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis will deliver the commencement address Thursday for seniors graduating from Environmental Charter High School in Lawndale. The charter high school will be holding its graduation ceremonies at El Camino College's Marsee Auditorium.

Environmental Charter was a top finalist in the "Race to the Top" Commencement Challenge, launched in late February 2010 by the White House. Schools were asked to demonstrate how students are challenged to excel in academics, take personal responsibility for their education and graduate from high school ready for college and future careers. More than 1,000 high schools submitted applications.

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama delivered the graduation address at the winning campus, Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan.

About 76 seniors are expected to graduate from Environmental Charter. About 450 students attend the school and nearly 87 percent of enrollment is made up of minority students.

Solis, the daughter of immigrant parents, is an L.A. native and a former member of the House of Representatives. She was selected by Obama in December 2008 to lead the Department of Labor. She was the commencement speaker at California State University, Dominguez Hills last year.