For Incoming Freshmen, New School is an Open Book ; Administrator Tells Some Worried Pupils That Success in Academics is Mandatory

By Paul Westmoore

More than 200 of the city’s 586 eighth-graders received the lowdown Tuesday on the ins and outs of Niagara Falls High School and what is expected of them not only next year but today.

Speaking at an hourlong orientation session in the school’s Performing Arts Center, Chief Educational Administrator Mark Laurrie told the students to make sure to get this year’s work done and pass their core subjects at the district’s three middle schools or they will not make it through the high school’s front doors next fall.

“We used to be on the state’s ‘schools in need of improvement list,’ but not any more. We are not going back on it because I won’t have it. I insist you do your work or we’ll find an alternate way for you to get your education. That may sound harsh. I don’t mean it that way. We have a good school and we want you to be successful.”

He said Niagara Falls High School is a great school and that means everyone needs to work and maintain the school’s high standards.

“I have a son who will be here with you next year. I’m not putting my son in some place that isn’t the best. And I believe Niagara Falls High School is the best . . . I’m hoping to hand him his diploma in 2011 with the rest of you . . . So get your work done this year because we can’t wait until you get here.

“You will be safe and you will get any help you need to be successful,” Laurrie assured the eighth-graders.

He said the school is set up so every student can do well and graduate with a diploma.

If a student has problems, he said parents are to call the student’s teacher or the school for help. Parent-teacher conferences can be scheduled every other day if need be, though Laurrie said he hoped that would never be necessary. He said students and parents should never refrain from asking questions and that the school’s staff is always more than willing to help out whenever possible.

For students who need academic help, Laurrie said free tutoring is available for two different periods after school and transportation home is available to those students free of charge.

To improve literacy, Laurrie said each student reads a million words a year.

Laurrie also introduced his staff and advised students to get involved in some of the many activities the school provides, including 32 clubs, a wide variety of sports, music and drama groups, cheerleading — even chess and a television station.

The orientation seemed to soften the anxiety some students felt about high school.

LaSalle Middle School’s John Foitus, 14, said, “It made me feel more comfortable because I know the people are nice and what the deal is.”

Dustin George, 14, also of LaSalle Middle, said, “I didn’t know all the ninth-graders were going to be on one floor next year. I think that’s good because I’ll see a lot more people I know. I was a little nervous, but after listening to everything tonight, I felt better about it.”

Tyler James Mettler, 14, of LaSalle Middle, said he was nervous, but is encouraged that any student who needs academic help can get it Monday through Thursday. “That sounds good,” he said.

Niagara Middle School’s Janelle Mere, 14, said, “I’m a little nervous about it. They have 2,300 kids here. That’s a lot of kids, but I’ll have a lot of friends coming here.”

Briana Distefano, 13, of Gaskill Middle School, said she liked the high school. “It’s a much prettier school than [Gaskill].” She said she also liked that the freshman will all be on one floor so “I’m not going to have to run up and down the stairs all the time.”

e-mail: pwestmoore@buffnews.com

(c) 2007 Buffalo News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.