CLASSY PROGRAM STUDENTS EASED INTO 2ND YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL.

Byline: Susan Abram  Staff Writer

SUN VALLEY - They got mood pens and pizza, but for the 700 ninth-graders at Francis Polytechnic High School, it was the well-deserved pat on the back that meant the most.

The ceremony Thursday night was their reward for studying hard, boosting their grades and - most important - staying in school.

``Most of these kids don't get celebrated,'' said Cheryl Cohen-Thompson, coordinator of the campus's Freshman Centre, a year-old program designed to ease the way between the freshman and sophomore years and lower the dropout rate.

``We want them to get a taste of success. We want them to get a good foundation in their academics. We want them to take this success all the way through their high school career.''

Nearly 90 percent of the freshmen who participated in last year's program are now sophomores - an achievement, say administrators, considering that just 71 percent of ninth-graders advanced to the 10th grade in 2003.

``It's been phenomenal because it fills the needs of students by connecting them to this program and to its teachers, and they go into mainstream 10th grade successfully, '' said Poly High Principal Janis Fries-Martinez.

With the Los Angeles Unified School District's dropout rate averaging anywhere from 25 percent to 50 percent, the Freshman Centre proves that smaller learning environments can have an impact.

More than half of teacher Karie Simpson's algebra class, part of the Freshman Centre, were invited to Thursday's award celebration, where parents beamed as their children received a total of 2,100 certificates of achievement in various subjects.

``We have certificates for all of them, including students that have perfect attendance or those students who really tried hard and put their best foot forward,'' Cohen-Thompson said. ``We're celebrating personal success.''

Ninth-grader Johssimar Molina said his parents were proud of him when he received a letter from the school, saying they were all invited to the award party.

``They said they wanted to go,'' he said. ``I was doing really bad when I started this program. Now I'm getting maybe an A or a B.''

Classmates Bianca Lopez and German Salazar, both 14, say they are now fearless test-takers when it comes to math.

And Yadira Santos, 14, said the invitation to Thursday's award party meant a lot.

``I felt really proud because it's the first time I got an invitation like this,'' she said.

District administrators hope to replicate Poly High's Freshman Centre at dozens of other campuses by introducing small learning environments.

Fries-Martinez explained that the Freshman Centre utilizes a ``four-times-four'' schedule, with students taking four classes each quarter, much like a university system.

``It's extremely important that when students leave middle school, they are very well taken care of in a personalized environment, and Poly High has demonstrated exceptional work,'' said Bob Collins, the district's chief instructional officer for secondary education. ``We're in the process of replicating the program on at least two dozen campuses.''

Cohen-Thompson said the key to keeping students in school is connecting with them early in their high school career.

``Ninth grade is a rough year for many,'' she said. ``What we want is everybody focused on their academics. We want everyone who graduates to be thinking of what they want to be after a rich, satisfying educational experience.''

Susan Abram, [phone]

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Francis Polytechnic High School freshmen Jaima Gonzalez, left, and Martha Molina take a math test in teacher Karie Simpson's class.

(2) Freshman Eric Menendez looks on, right, as math teacher Karie Simpson answers a question during a recent math test.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer