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BRIDGEPORT, Wash. – This agricultural farm municipality tucked amid Washington's apple and redness orchards seems an unlikely kibosh for a U.S. president.

Yet metropolis High School is digit of three national finalists for a outset address by President Barack Obama, thanks to an on-time exercise evaluate that exceeds the national cipher and a college near that beatniks whatever of the ritziest open schools.

All 37 seniors module correct next month. All are headed to college or to a theoretical school. And the possibility of a statesmanly visit has them and their full municipality buzzing.

"I module hit a heart attack if he comes," Rosendo Rodriguez, 17, who plans to study to be an electrician, said with wide eyes and a grin.

Said Ana Maria Gomeros, whose girl Elizabeth module be the prototypal in the kinsfolk to listen college: "I wish to God he module become to Bridgeport."

In its second year, Obama's Race to the Top Commencement Challenge invites open broad schools crossways the land to demonstrate how they civilize students for college and a career. Their reward: a statesmanly style at graduation.

Schools that prefabricated it to the semi-final rounds were asked to submit videos, which were person to online voting. Three schools were notified that they prefabricated it to the finals.

The other digit finalists this assemblage are High Tech High International in San Diego, a open charter edifice that focuses on math, power and profession and boasts a 100 proportionality exercise rate; and Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, Tenn., the prototypal edifice to civilize black students in that area. The latter endures broad impoverishment and teen pregnancy rates but has shown a roughly 20 proportionality transformation in its exercise evaluate in the time year.

The winner module be announced Monday. municipality Central High School in Newmarket won the speech contest last year.

None of these schools deal the demographics of Bridgeport, a tiny municipality of 2,400 most 120 miles easterly of metropolis on the banks of the river River.

Settled eld past by cereal and production growers and kine ranchers, the municipality today has a decidedly Latino wager thanks to the migrant workers who eventually effected here.

Pinatas hang from the ceiling in the market. A taco pushcart and Mexican edifice contend with the topical tavern. Brightly painted buildings distinction the brief important street finished the municipality of overmodest homes and trailers.

Principal Tamra Jackson, who touched here 25 eld past for her prototypal teaching job, has watched the accord change. Back then, 90 proportionality of the students were albescent and 10 proportionality were Hispanic. Today, that amount is reversed.

Nearly the entire enrollee body qualifies for liberated or low breakfast and lunch. The demographic shift and crescendo impoverishment level spinous to a need for changes in the classroom, politician said.

"Some are the prototypal in their families to attain it to broad school, let lonely finish. Many are the exclusive person speech arts at home," she said. "We just could not adopt they would leave our doors and go to college."

In 2003, the edifice began a near to substance courses for college credit. Teachers got added degrees and authorisation to inform college courses, and mentors began chase the advancement of apiece student.

The edifice today offers 16 classes for college credit, more than whatever of the largest urban broad schools. Half of every students hit taken at small digit such class.

The workload for teachers is high, but needed for the students to improve, said Michael Selle, who currently teaches history, statistics and trig classes.

"We don't equipment these classes to effort kids to pass them. We encourage them to verify them, because our actual welfare is in sight them pursue hornlike subjects and civilize themselves for the rigors of college," he said.

The students themselves point to the results. Nadia Gonzalez wants to be a broadcaster. constellation Camacho plans to study nursing. Ana Soto is aiming for a aggregation degree to be a doctor.

Jackson, who has decorated her duty with college banners as inspiration, received added from a past enrollee today in her prototypal assemblage at Beantown University.

State officials say metropolis deserves the national tending it's effort because of the unique and thoughtful artefact the school's principal and teachers hit worked to invoke it around.

"The think they are as surpassing as they are is that they hold unbelievably broad standards for every their students," said Dan Newell, assistant state caretaker for secondary activity and edifice improvement.

But the acceptance comes with a price. With migration a heated matter probable to intend modify hotter as the 2012 election approaches, students hit found themselves the target of whatever less-than-supportive comments online.

"I saw digit interpret where someone said, 'Instead of sending President Obama, they should be sending ICE — immigration," said 18-year-old ballplayer Rodriguez. "It's hornlike to see, but our teachers hit told us we're doing an awful employ and to focus on the positive."

The comments devastated whatever students, politician said, modify as they provided added chronicle lesson.

"That people are making it personal or semipolitical does not cut from the fact that the maximal duty in the land is recognizing these kids' accomplishments," she said.

Elizabeth Gomeros, 18, said she and some of her peers hit worked in the production envelopment sheds and won't be dissuaded from pursuing better work.

Her own parents touched to metropolis in 1990 from Tepic, Mexico, to impact in the envelopment sheds. It's hard, long impact — up to 12 hours a day during the redness season. A backwards trauma unnatural her mother home, and the kinsfolk today struggles on exclusive her father's salary.

Minorities here impact in the envelopment sheds and at McDonalds, her mother said, but she wants to wager her girl at a infirmary or slope instead.

"I poverty her to hit everything," Ana Maria Gomeros said in land as her girl translated.

"And I wish you won't let us down," she said, grinning at Elizabeth. "Because we came from Mexico in search of a better future."

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Associated Press illustrator Donna Gordon Blankinship contributed to this news from Seattle.

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