WOODLAND HILLS : Pierce to Assist High School Students

The city of Los Angeles has awarded Pierce College $186,000 for a program to encourage students and recent dropouts to stay in high school and teach them skills they will need once they graduate.

The 40 teen-agers who participate in the one-year program, funded by the city’s Community Development Department, will attend regular high school classes in the mornings and spend three hours every afternoon at Pierce, starting in the fall.

At the college, students will receive job training, self-esteem and “high school survival” help from professors, counselors and leaders in the Pierce student body, according to a summary of the project by Pierce President Lowell Erickson. Students who are not allowed to attend regular high school will study general subjects at Pierce in the mornings.

Participants will be officially enrolled as Pierce students, and may attend athletic events, picnics and other school events in an attempt to integrate them into the college atmosphere.

“The point is to try to turn these students around and make them feel better about themselves,” said Pierce spokeswoman Ina Geller.

“When they are finished, the students will hopefully be ready to succeed after high school, and we would encourage them to apply at Pierce or another college,” Geller said.

High school students and recent dropouts will be chosen starting July 1, based on recommendations from principals and leaders of community organizations from the San Fernando Valley and other parts of the Los Angeles area.