Achievement Snapshot #1
Maria is a member of the Class of 2003. She is the oldest of four children of Salvadoran parents who speak little, if any, English. Although she started out in our English as a Second Language program as a 9th grader, she progressed through it rapidly and, for the past year and a half, has been in regular English classes. She is responsible for helping out with the housekeeping and childcare duties at home. Her mother is not employed outside the home. Money is very tight; Maria qualifies for free/reduced lunch and uses fee waivers to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test. The family does not have vision insurance so her prescription glasses came through the school district's partnership with a local optometrist.

Maria often gives up her lunch period to talk with her counselor about steps she must take to better prepare herself for the road ahead. She has taken advantage of opportunities such as the Princeton Review SAT prep class offered at Claremont High. She is an excellent student, maintaining a 3.3 grade point average and has challenged herself with honors and Advanced Placement classes. There is little doubt that she will be accepted to several colleges and be able to attend with an adequate financial aid package.

Achievement Snapshot #2
Kathy started the freshman year with low grades, behavior problems and difficulties among peers. The family worked closely with the counselor and teachers to help Kathy improve her academic and social problems. At the first sign of behavior or attendance problems, the counselor would call the parents and work closely with them to change the behavior through school and home punishments. Furthermore, the counselor and parents kept a close watch on Kathy¹s academic performance and constantly rewarded her with praise for doing well. Kathy¹s difficulties among peers were solved with peer mediation and the counselor and parents working with Kathy to teach her social etiquette. Through persistent efforts and student motivation, Kathy has been maintaining a 3.5 GPA for the last two years, has made many friends, and currently enjoys attending Claremont High School.

Kathy is an inspiration for all students facing the challenge of rigorous courses and challenges with peer relations. She is also an inspiration for school staff and parents because she has demonstrated what a student can do with the proper support.