DOWNTOWN : Class Leaves Behind a 120-Name Salute

Classmates at Ninth Street School may soon forget the faces of this year’s graduating class of fifth- and sixth-grade students as they move on to various middle schools.

But they’re unlikely to forget the 120 names written on the Skid Row campus’ 3-by-10-foot wall representing the future high school classes of 2000 and 2001.

“It’s going to be nice to come back in seven years,” said Paloma Perez, 11, a fifth-grader, who will enter middle school in the fall when Ninth Street School will no longer have sixth-grade students. “It gives us something to be proud of.”

As part of an effort to instill campus pride, school officials coordinated the wall-signing event with a flag dedication ceremony on Tuesday, Flag Day. Community and business groups, police officers and city officials joined Ninth Street administrators, staff and students in the celebration.

The donated flagpole stands on one end of the campus main office, in front of the white wall of names. The pole carries a new campus banner of the school mascot--an orange puma mountain lion--and motto, “The Future Begins Here!”

School officials hope the new additions to the 10-year-old campus will foster a more positive view of the future for the 515 enrolled students--nearly half of whom come from homeless Skid Row families.

Four years ago, Ninth Street School mirrored the surrounding Skid Row blight of graffiti and trash. But that image has since been erased with the assistance of local community and business groups, which provided funds for graffiti paint-out drives, murals on classroom walls and tree plantings around campus.

“The change has been very, very positive,” said Charles McCune, who has taught at Ninth Street School for four years. “The children have taken more pride in the school. They feel like they’re really a part of it more so than before.”

“It (also) makes the teachers more proud to work in this environment,” McCune said.

Though sixth-grader Eric Medina was pleased with the campus pride and beautification efforts, he felt more concerned about his own future in society.

“I’m kind of nervous,” said the 11-year-old. “They’re predicting a lot of problems--earthquakes, viruses. If I graduate from high school, it’s going to be nice.”