PRESS RELEASE Of interest to editors and journalists covering: Education, Schools, NonProfit News, Latino Interest, CA Business News Downtown College Preparatory Charter High School Graduates its First Class of Students 92% of inaugural class accepted to four-year colleges SAN JOSE, Calif, - May 19, 2004 /Send2Press Newswire/ -- Downtown College Preparatory, San Jose's first charter high school, will graduate its first class of students on Saturday, June 19. The pioneering school has successfully achieved its goal as 92% of its 59 seniors have been accepted to at least one four-year University. Since DCP was established in 1999, the unique downtown high school has focused on preparing underachieving students to be ready for success in college. DCP recruits low-achieving urban minority students who have the potential and desire to be the first in their family to go to college. DCP, which is in the San Jose Unified School District, now has an enrollment of 350 students in grades 9-12. Nearly 70% qualify for free or reduced lunch and 90% are Latino. "We are a small academic school with high standards, a rigorous curriculum, and a passionate commitment to college success for all our students," said Jennifer Andaluz, DCP Executive Director. "Urban minority students often are trapped in a pattern of low expectations and failure, but we have found that we can break that pattern with dedicated teachers, families, and community support that empower our students to achieve their best and reach high goals." Academic performance data, including test scores and graduation rates, illustrate that Latino students have the lowest overall educational attainment in California. In 2002, 35% of high school graduates in San Jose Unified School District were of Latino descent. Of those, only 11% enrolled in a California State University or University of California campus. DCP's first graduation celebration will be held on Saturday, June 19, 2004, from 3:00-8:00 p.m. at 355 West San Fernando Street in San Jose, California. San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales will speak at DCP's graduation ceremony. Community members are invited to the graduation ceremony. Advance tickets are not required. Across the Bridge Foundation, DBA Downtown College Preparatory, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. More information: http://www.downtowncollegeprep.org Media Contact: Linda Mach Director of Information and Communications of Downtown College Preparatory lmach@downtowncollegeprep.org +1-408-271-1730 ext. 250 # # # [ source of news = Downtown College Preparatory ] ref: http://www.send2press.com/2archive/2004/pr04-051902-dcprep.txt http://www.send2press.com/2archivePDF/pr04-051902-dcprep.pdf ----------------------------------------------------------------- *IMPORTANT NOTE TO MEDIA: to reach the organization releasing this news, please contact: lmach@downtowncollegeprep.org (media only) If used for publication, please send specimen copy. ----------------------------------------------------------------- S2PRN-NS-NP/4c/ CA / San Jose, California / Copr. (c) 2004 Send2Press. This release was issued on behalf of the above organization, who is solely responsible for accuracy of content, by Send2Press(TM), a unit of Neotrope(R). http://www.Send2Press.com [www.CaliforniaNewswire.com]