A true alternative: "we're small enough to care" is the motto of this school, where educators provide individualized programs to meet each student's personal and academic needs.

The decision that was made a few years ago at San Andreas High School to provide an "alternative" to the traditional educational program was a wonderful and wise choice. After spending 17 years in the traditional school setting, I was afforded the challenging opportunity to lead and manage an alternative high school in the San Bernardino City Unified School District. It was here that I witnessed the daily influx of students who possessed potential far beyond their own recognition. Many admitted that they did not have the desire or the support they needed to be successful at traditional high school campuses.

For that reason, I found it necessary to re-evaluate my vision for these young people. I had to become innovative and encourage my staff to reach far beyond the classroom just to get these students to come to school. These students had to believe that what our school had to offer would be worth their effort and commitment.

At San Andreas, we developed the motto, "We Believe in Students. We're Small Enough to Care." Most of our students are convinced that the staff truly lives by this motto, and they achieve in spite of the many obstacles that could and sometimes do hamper their progress. We know our students by name; we know their backgrounds -- their strengths and weaknesses -- and we use a variety of resources to individualize programs for each student's personal and academic needs.

It is our practice here at San Andreas not to enroll or transfer a student without an orientation interview. New students, along with their parents or guardians, meet with the principal or designee for at least 20 minutes. In this meeting, all parties are informed of the requirements of San Andreas, including campus rules, credit requirements and citizenship.

This entrance requirement does consume a great deal of time and effort, but the results are worth it. It affords both the student and the adult accompanying him or her time to share their concerns. It also allows the principal the opportunity to know from the start just how much support will be offered from home, and how sincere the student is in wanting to accomplish his or her goals.

Respect: A missing element

After years of conducting these personal interviews, I have concluded that on the whole, the biggest concern for students and their parents or guardians is the lack of respect they feel they receive from school personnel -- both classified and certificated. The knowledge of this void has led to the greatest demand for change on the part of the staff at San Andreas. That change is called "attitude."

If the staff develops and maintains the "attitude" that they want to come to work, if they work to be competent in their subject matter and organized in their instructional delivery and if they practice being kind, compassionate and supportive of the students' individual needs, then our motto of "believing and caring" becomes a reality, and students are inclined to work diligently toward reaching their goals. And we, as educators, have made a difference by providing solutions that might otherwise never have been tried and tested.

Seeing results

Young people are such a precious commodity. Their overall well-being and academic and social development is of the utmost importance to the staff at San Andreas High School. We make a special effort to let our students know that we are "for them" and not "against them," and we take great pride in seeing them grow and blossom into proud, young adults.

Our students are required to earn the same number of credits as students at a traditional high school. In some cases, our curriculum is even more demanding because our expectations are high when there are enormous academic gaps and deficiencies.

It is so gratifying when we get the opportunity to see the results of our dedication to the students -- when we experience their successes right along with them. We know we have done our job when our students, both non-graduates and graduates, return and thank us for caring and helping them in reaching the next plateau of their lives.

We applaud the traditional high schools for the outstanding job they are doing, yet we acknowledge the fact that all students will not succeed in that academic arena. We are so pleased that we can offer a true alternative, so those students will not just drop out, believing they have no other option.

It is crucial that we, as educators in both educational environments, recognize that our ultimate goal must be to save our youth from falling into the traps of stereotypes, low expectations and mis-education. They must know that they can become major contributors to humankind by continuing their education in college, the military or the workforce. They must know that hard work, determination and perseverance do pay off if they always strive to do and be the best they can be.

We must nurture these virtues in ourselves first, and then be role models for our youth who truly depend upon us to give all we are capable of giving. If, as administrators and educators, we follow this plan explicitly, our students and we will be made better, and the world will be a better place for all of us to live and prosper.

Margaret Hill has been principal at San Andreas High School in the San Bernardino City Unified School District for 15 years.