Lucy C. Laney High School freshmen were given two options Thursday: Graduate or graduate.

"Repeat after me, 'Either I'm going to make it, or I'm going to make it,' " Keith L. Brown, a nationally known speaker, told the ninth-graders during a special assembly.

Mr. Brown, billed as the "Motivator of the Millennium," delivered a high-energy, music-filled challenge to the freshmen, urging them to prove naysayers wrong.

Last year, only 30.9 percent of Laney's students earned a diploma on time.

To improve that rate, the school held a commitment ceremony Thursday for the school's 244 freshmen. Much like graduation, each of their names was called alphabetically and each walked forward to greet Principal Hawthorne Welcher.

The freshmen signed a banner to show their commitment to graduating as members of the Class of 2012 and received miniature diplomas as a reminder of their commitment.

"It's not impossible. It's 'I'm possible,' " Mr. Brown said.

He recalled being labeled a special ed student and at-risk. He was headed in the wrong direction, he said, the same direction some Laney students might find themselves going.

"But then I got my mind right," he said.

Freshmen Taiquinnius Litfield and De'Niro Wilson, both 16, said Mr. Brown left them with plenty to think about.

"He put a lot of information in your head," De'Niro said.

They said the talk made an impression, adding that many of their classmates just want to get in trouble.

When asked whether he is going to graduate in four years, Taiquinnius replied, "Oh, yeah," without hesitation.

Freshman year is critical for high school students, educators say. It's the year when the most students drop out.

Thursday's commitment ceremony is the first phase of a four-year program, sponsored by National Recognition Products, a company that sells graduation items. The company's Legacy Program will continue to work with the students until their graduation in 2012. The program, for instance, will show students during their junior year how to apply for college and financial aid.

"We plan to see you through to completion and graduation in 2012," the company's local representative, Audra Roper, told the students.

National Recognition Products brought Mr. Brown, who has appeared as a motivational speaker on several TV programs, including Showtime at the Apollo.

Reach Greg Gelpi at (706) 828-3851 or greg.gelpi@augustachronicle.com.