Josh Andreychuk didn't study or do much homework in middle school. A self-described "smart but lazy" student, the football player said his grades at Highland Middle School in Bellevue ranged from A's to C's.

But with his freshman year at Interlake High School starting in two weeks, his grades now matter, he said. He thinks his slacker days are over.

"I just want to make sure I do well," he said. "I want to be able to go to college and get a good job."

To do this, Andreychuk has been starting his days this past week at 6:30 a.m. — six hours earlier than he usually does in the summer — to go to the weeklong Starting Strong program at his new school.

In its third year, the program gives incoming freshmen who struggled academically at Interlake's feeder middle schools a chance to get a head start for high school. An Interlake counselor and four teachers in science, English, math and social studies, guide the program's eight students through their first week of homework and through their class-wide required summer reading assignment, "The Hobbit." Teachers also coach students on how to ask questions and take notes.

"The point is to teach them how to be high-school students before they become high-school students," said Scott Marcum, a counselor at Interlake.

Within the four-hour morning program, students read, attend hourlong class sessions and get tours of the campus to become more comfortable with their new surroundings, Marcum said.

"They're good kids," Marcum said. "We want to make sure they have every advantage they can to have a strong start."

He said that in the past two years, the program has helped some students reach academic success, but for others it hasn't changed much.

The program, paid for by the Bellevue Schools Foundation, is also open to students who just recently registered for school and feel like they need to catch up, he said.

Tuesday, students scratched out answers to an assignment while teachers hovered over them ready to help.

Sophia Solomatova, who said she earned mostly C's last year at Highland, says the program has boosted her self-confidence.

"It taught me to speak out and not be afraid to be wrong," she said.

She hopes that this year, she can earn mostly A's and B's.

But Friday won't signal an end to early mornings for these students.

During the school year, the students will meet once a week at 6:30 in the morning for a 45-minute study session called Saint's Study to check in with a counselor and do homework, Marcum said.

The more adults show students they care, the higher their chances for success, he said.

Anne Kim: 206-464-2591 or akim@seattletimes.com