Student Outlook -- Kellie Brownell

If you’ve been reading the newspaper lately, the Newport Harbor High

School student body may come off as being mostly Confederate flag-waving

cheerleaders. However, there are more than 2,000 other students at the

school and an entire faculty that make it the nationally recognized Blue

Ribbon school that it is.

Over the past few months, students and teachers from Harbor may have

had their slips and spills, but that shouldn’t drag down the reputation

of the entire school. In reality, Newport Harbor High has a lot more to

offer than people have been acknowledging.

Between academic honors and student of the quarter awards, Newport

Harbor High pays attention to students who are making a difference on

campus. Each year on the Honor Roll T-shirt, the font continually gets

smaller as more and more students are performing better in their classes.

Newport Harbor is also extremely versatile in the number and variety of

courses students can take during periods 0 to 7. There are even teachers

willing to teach courses after school for interested students. But

Newport’s academic prowess doesn’t end there; seniors continue to receive

acceptances from the nation’s top-notch colleges. Just through Early

Action alone, four students have already been admitted to Stanford,

Harvard and MIT.

Academically, Newport Harbor is dedicated to assisting its

overachievers and lending a helping hand to those who seek it. Just about

every day after school, students and teachers offer tutoring in just

about all areas of study to anyone who needs it. Some study sessions last

as late as 8 p.m., when math teachers and students can still be found

punching out numbers on their calculators.

Newport Harbor’s seven different academies further develop students’

interests in a particular area of study by providing unique courses to

the students involved, with a focus on teamwork. Newport Harbor also

attempts to foster career interests through a school-wide mentor program

linking students to professionals in the community. Other commendable

acceleration programs, such as Avid, are also committed to assisting

students steer the right path for getting into a four-year college.

There are many clubs and activities at Newport Harbor that seek to

better the community, environment and campus life. The entire month of

November was dedicated to celebrating cultural differences and uniting

the diverse student body. Every week, clubs such as the American Cancer

Society, Key Club, Environmental Resource Foundation, Teen Awareness

Organization, International Ambassadors and Students Against Drunk

Driving get together to find ways to help the altruistic causes they

fight for.

Newport Harbor is an amazing school whose positive efforts usually end

up taking a backstage to the mistakes and mix-ups of a select few. In

reality, the majority of students look at Newport Harbor as more than

just one big cheer tryout. It is a school filled with opportunity and

support that should be characterized by its commendable aspects, which

far outweigh the importance of a small group of people who have simply

mixed up their priorities.

* KELLIE BROWNELL is a Newport Harbor junior whose columns will appear

occasionally in the Community Forum section.