GRANADA HILLS CHARTER HAILS ITS HEROES.

Byline: SUSAN ABRAM Staff Writer

GRANADA HILLS -- As the student champs walked down the open-air hallways of Granada Hills Charter on Wednesday, medals dangling from their necks clinked with each stride -- music to Brian Bauer's ears.

``You guys sound like a bunch of wind chimes,'' Bauer, the high school's executive director, told the Academic Decathlon team. ``I have to keep reminding myself that you're wearing medals.''

As the team savored the Los Angeles Unified School District championship it won a day earlier in the mind-boggling Academic Decathlon, Bauer called the victory a metaphor for how far Granada Hills Charter had come. Nearly four years ago, Bauer, then principal of Granada Hills High, and supporters wanted to convert the 4,000-student campus into the San Fernando Valley's first charter high school.

Naysayers questioned how such a large campus could survive independently without the financial support of the district. District board members wondered whether the campus could remain financially sound and ethnically diverse as a charter.

Charter campuses are not bound by as many rules as traditional campuses, and there were some disputes between school and district officials over funding special-education programs.

Ultimately, LAUSD officials granted the school one year as a charter campus to prove itself. The school has proved itself -- and then some, said Bauer. Granada Hills is the largest charter high school in the nation.

``We've been able to do a lot without asking anyone's permission,'' said Bauer. The school added more instructors to lower the typical class size from 41 to 36. Programs such as music and art, shrinking at other campuses, were expanded. Granada Hills is among few high schools that offer an Advanced Placement class in art history.

The school's Academic Decathlon victory was praised by LAUSD board member Jon Lauritzen. But he also pointed out that the second- and third-place finishers, El Camino Real and North Hollywood, are traditional high schools. Both El Camino and Taft have won state and national awards in the past.

``Granada Hills has just always been a high-quality school,'' Lauritzen said. ``Their leadership is continuing to pull them up.''

Ironically, Lauritzen lost a battle last year to place a moratorium on additional charters until more research is done to prove that charters are as good as or better than traditional campuses.

For Bauer, Granada's successful Academic Decathlon team is a direct result of the school's conversion to charter status -- and, of course, to coaching by Nicholas Weber. He has coached the team throughout the charter years.

``We started placing in the top five when we became a charter school,'' Bauer said. ``Before that, we were placing at near 50th place.''

Weber said each of the nine team members will one day be regarded as legends. Among them, they won 48 medals and scored 49,775 of a possible 60,000 points.

``This is probably one of our greatest accomplishments,'' Weber said.

Members of the team, who will go on to represent the district in a statewide meet to be held in Los Angeles next month, said they have set a high bar for the school.

``The best part about it is we proved to everybody that we could do it,'' said Betty Liu, a 17-year-old junior on the team.

``For so long, everyone from every school had doubts about how we could do, being from Granada. This just proves them wrong,'' Liu said.

``We really were the underdogs, which can be fun,'' said 17-year-old Eunice Lee.

``But it's nice to see your name on trophies,'' added Michelle Poon, 17.

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com

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Granada Hills Charter High's Academic Decathlon team

COACH: Nicholas Weber

MEMBERS: Leslie Cayton; Jazzlyn De Joya, Jordana Friedman, Yoshimi Kawashima, Eunice Lee, Betty Liu, Dustin McKenzie, Michelle Poon, Allison Quach

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Granada Hills Charter High School student Eunice Lee, right, cuts the cake Wednesday as she and her teammates celebrate their victory a day earlier in the Los Angeles Unified School District's Academic Decathlon competition.

(2) Members of the Granada Hills Charter High School team enjoy their medals and memories Wednesday from their districtwide victory the previous day in the Academic Decathlon. Among them, they won 48 medals.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

Box:

Granada Hills Charter High's Academic Decathlon team (see text)