The right attitude

Mike Sciacca, Independent

Eight years ago, Roy Batelli started up The Business Academy at Ocean

View High, a program that was designed to prepare students for college,

the workplace and beyond.

The academy, which is a supplement to a student’s regular academic

schedule, is home to 109 students and has flourished since that first day

in 1994.

Approximately one out of every 14 students at Ocean View, which has an

enrollment of 1,484, takes part in the academy, Batelli said.

“It’s a great experience for any student who wants to get involved.

All we want are students who are interested in themselves, their

community and expanding their learning beyond high school. We really

foster a family-type atmosphere here,” he said.

The Business Academy teaches students computer and workplace skills.

They learn about the real world through mentors, intern experiences,

community service and field trips.

The academy takes part in various activities, from distributing a

newsletter to fund-raising, to participating in an upcoming multiple

sclerosis walk. In addition, Batelli and fellow academy coordinator Roger

Keating secure guest speakers during the course of a school year. The

2001-02 school year will feature 20 guest speakers. Recently, celebrated

saxophonist Eric Marienthal and Continental Airlines commercial pilot and

former Vietnam fighter pilot Bob Hulse came to the school to speak to

academy students.

In December, the academy put on a fund-raising event called, Holiday

Giving. They adopted several local families and a convalescent hospital

and donated money, food and nearly 100 wrapped gifts.

“The Business Academy offers many opportunities that will open doors

to my future by preparing me as an individual to become a better person

in life,” said junior Tatiana Bello, who produces the academy newsletter

and is a member of the executive board.

Batelli and Keating begin recruiting students near the end of their

freshman year, They can enter the academy as sophomores. They don’t

recruit based on grade-point average, Batelli said, and GPAs run the

gamut between 2.2 and 4.5, with more than 50% of academy students holding

a 3.0 or better.

The three-year program features one, computer-based course per year.

But there is one main theme that permeates the academy throughout:

planning for success. Students are encouraged to develop goals, focus on

how to reach those goals, develop social and community skills, leadership

qualities and learn how to get the most out of their education.

“This was the one program that really made me open up to my future,”

senior Thaihoa Nguyen said of the academy. “It has made me realize how

important it is for me to start making decisions and setting a lifelong

plan.”

Ocean View’s Business Academy became an official California

Partnership Academy in 1994, said Batelli. There are approximately 300

different academy programs in the state with up to 50 being business

related, he said.

Many of the academy’s graduates go on to earn college degrees. This

year, for the first time in the program’s eight year history, $2,500 has

been made available in scholarship money to academy students through the

Kiwanis Club. In addition, the academy’s students of the month are

recognized at a luncheon hosted by the Rotary Club of Huntington Beach.

February’s students of the month are seniors Jessica Seagull and

Christopher Vinje.

“Not only does participation in the academy help these students

prepare for their future but it also helps them to grow internally, as

well,” said Keating.

* MIKE SCIACCA is the education and sports reporter. He can be reached

at (714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.