Date: June 15, 2002	Contact: Darren Pudgil
	tel: (619) 531-5544

FIRST SAN PASQUAL ACADEMY GRADS RECEIVE DIPLOMAS
Three students plan to continue higher education at San Diego area colleges

The first graduating class of the San Pasqual Academy
was honored in a special ceremony today on the Academy
grounds.

The three students are the first to graduate from the unique home, which gives foster youths a place to live and attend school.

The three graduates plan to attend Palomar College in the fall, with
one student hoping to transfer to the University of San Diego on a scholarship. These students will live in transitional housing at the Academy as they begin their college careers.

“This is exactly the success we envisioned when gave our support to this project,” said Ron Roberts, chairman, San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “One of the greatest milestones in life is graduation from high school, and one reason the Academy was established was to give these kids that opportunity.”

The Academy opened in September 2001 and had 70 students enrolled as of June 18.Students enroll voluntarily. They live in 18 housing units, each of which has house parents to supervise them. The Academy has a high-tech center, a lunchroom called the Cyber Café, and the recently opened Dragon’s Lounge, a student-run juice and coffee bar.