New high school in town

NEWPORT BEACH — Pancakes sizzled and balloons swayed over railings Monday morning as the Newport-Mesa Unified School District opened its first new campus in five years.

Early College High School, which is run jointly by Newport-Mesa and Coastline Community College, marked the first addition to the district since Newport Coast Elementary School opened in 2001. The site, located on the Back Bay/Monte Vista alternative high school campus, held classes for the first day in Back Bay buildings and announced plans to move into portables next month.

On Monday, more than 100 students and their families gathered in the courtyard for breakfast as administrators made speeches to dedicate the new school, which is the 19th early college high school campus in the state.

“This is going to be a long-term commitment,” said Mike Murphy, Newport-Mesa’s director of student services and one of the founders of Early College.

Also present at the opening were Coastline President Ding-Jo Currie, Newport-Mesa school board members and other administrators from the district and college. At a registration table by the courtyard, Early College faculty members handed out free T-shirts to students who signed in. Among the slogans: “Respect,” “College bound” and “Hard work pays off.”

A year ago, Newport-Mesa and the Coast Community College District won a five-year, $400,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help launch the Early College site. Students on the campus may graduate in five years with a high school diploma and an associate in arts degree, allowing them to advance to a four-year university with a head start.

This year’s class at Early College consists entirely of freshmen, with another grade level to be added each of the next three years. Principal Kathy Slawson and others selected the students through an interview process, with 86 applicants ultimately making the cut.

Many students applied to Early College to get a leg up on higher education. For some, though, finance played a part in their decision.

“For some of these parents, it’s a help that it’s free,” Slawson said.

A typical day’s schedule at Early College features high school classes in the morning, then tutoring and college courses after noon. The school currently has no athletic teams, although students are expected to take physical education their last two years.

Raquel Arias and Ramon Calderon, both of whom graduated from TeWinkle Middle School this year, said they looked forward to pushing themselves academically.

“It might be challenging, but it’s better to challenge yourself,” said Raquel, 13.

“You learn your strengths and your weaknesses,” added Ramon, 14.