Wayne Early Middle College a finalist for Obama graduation speech
The first graduating class of Wayne Early Middle College High School is in the running to have a special guest as their commencement speaker next month: President Barack Obama.
The innovative North Carolina high school has been chosen as one of six finalists nationwide vying for the honor of hosting President Obama as their graduation speaker, the White House and U.S. Department of Education announced late Friday. Wayne Early College and the other five schools were among hundreds that entered the competition this year for the presidential speech.
The bids in the Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge were judged based on school performance, essay questions and supplemental data, according to the White House. The six finalists were selected for their creativity in engaging and supporting students, academic results and progress in preparing students to graduate ready for college and careers.
"I want to congratulate the six finalists for all they've done to prepare their students for college and careers, and I want to thank all the schools that applied," President Obama said in a statement Friday. "I look forward to meeting the students and teachers of the winning school at their commencement."
Wayne Early Middle College, located on the campus of Wayne Community College, is one of 71 early colleges in North Carolina. Statewide, early colleges last year had a graduation rate of 90 percent.
"Wayne Early College deserves this recognition for its leadership in advancing students who are often the first in their families to graduate with college credit and a high school diploma," said Tony Habit, president of the North Carolina New Schools Project, which helps develop and support early colleges and other innovative secondary schools. "The school sustains the commitment of its community college partner and of the local board of education in a new, student-centered approach to secondary education."
The other five finalists:
- Bridgeport High School - Bridgeport, Washington
- Booker T. Washington High School - Memphis, Tennessee
- Science Park High School - Newark, New Jersey
- Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, School for Creative and Performing Arts - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- High Tech High International - San Diego, California
Students at each of the six finalist schools will prepare a short video during the next few weeks with help from the Get Schooled Foundation, a group that focuses on raising awareness about the importance of graduating from high school prepared for college and careers. The six videos, along with portions of each school's written application, will be featured on the White House website in the coming weeks, and the public will have a chance to vote for the three schools they think best meet President Obama's goal of boosting the nation's proportion of college graduates to the highest in world.
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