Teens get a chance to shine at prestigious private schools

What impressed Joel Argueta first about Harvard-Westlake School was his locker -- a wide, ample affair that holds his backpack and all of his books. There’s also a student lounge with comfortable couches, where he does homework and meets with new friends. ‘Overall,’ he said, ‘it is spectacular.’ Heven Ambaye admits to being a bit overwhelmed with homework at Brentwood School. She is often up until 11 p.m. reading and studying for the next day’s quizzes after taking two bus rides to get home. Still, she wants to join the soccer team, maybe lacrosse too, and already has joined a school book club. Francisco Sanchez was unsure of himself when he entered Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences last month, afraid he wouldn’t be able to adjust. But the school’s Santa Monica complex of old and new buildings -- it is bisected by an alley -- is like a little community, and already it feels like a second home. Even for the best of students, the transition from middle school to high school can be trying. But Joel, Heven and Francisco are embarked on a bigger challenge. Children of low-income, immigrant families, they entered three of Los Angeles’ most prestigious private campuses this fall on full scholarships. Many of their classmates went to top-rated public schools or private middle schools with vastly more resources than the one they attended, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Middle School, a struggling Los Angeles Unified School District campus in Mid-City.