White House Press Release - Secretary of Labor Solis to Deliver Commencement Address at Environmental Charter High School

Lawndale, CA school a finalist in the President's "Race to the Top" Commencement Challenge

WASHINGTON – The White House and the U.S. Department of Labor today announced that Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis will deliver the commencement address at Environmental Charter High School in Lawndale, CA as part of the President's High School Commencement Challenge. The commencement is scheduled for Thursday, June 24, 2010.

"The Environmental Charter High School empowers students to succeed in both academics and life by becoming stewards of their own community. As such, this remarkable school is shaping a better future for all of us—one young person at a time," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "I look forward to congratulating the students and faculty and to celebrating their hard work as their 2010 commencement speaker."

On top of challenging classroom programs, students at Environmental Charter High School are required to apply concepts and skills gained in class to problem-solve local civic and environmental issues. The school's was one of over 1,000 applications for the Race to the Top Commencement Challenge narrowed down by the White House to six high school finalists. In recognition of the extraordinary achievements and outstanding efforts by each of the six finalists, the Obama Administration pledged to provide a Cabinet secretary or senior administration official to deliver the commencement address at each of the five schools not selected as the national winner.

The "Race to the Top" Commencement Challenge, launched in late February, invited the nation's public high schools to submit applications showing their dedication to providing students with an excellent education that will prepare them to graduate ready for college and career choices. Applications were judged based on the schools' performance, four essay questions and supplemental data. The six finalists were selected for their dedication to academic excellence and for showing how they are helping prepare students to graduate college and career ready, and prepared to meet the President's goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.

Additional details on the commencement will be released by the Department of Labor as they become available.