A year ago, Taft High School students Johnny Watson and Vivianna Price were coming off a miserable freshman year in which they failed most of their classes. Both were dangerously close to dropping out.

        Johnny often argued with teachers and was suspended from the West End school several times. Vivianna ran away frequently while struggling with severe mood swings and thoughts of suicide.

        Entering the 2000-01 school year, they found themselves at a crossroads: If they failed again, they might never catch up.

        But with help from others, both found success in the academic year that just ended. Both earned double credits in a key class, English. They also passed most other courses.

        The Enquirer told their stories in April in the two-part series “A Poverty of Hope.” The series focused on students in teacher Sandy Houck's second-bell English class, in which second-year freshmen could catch up if they completed two years' worth of requirements.

        The stories described how difficult it is for many urban students to succeed when faced with obstacles such as poverty, broken homes, teen pregnancy and parental abuse or neglect.

        And in fact, most of the students in Ms. Houck's second-bell class failed again this year. The semester ended with 16 enrolled; only six, including Johnny and Vivianna, earned double credits and will start next fall in 11th-grade English.

        The series also profiled three others in Ms. Houck's class. Josh Jacobs left Taft before the school year ended; his mother declined to comment. Yolanda Battles returned to school after having a baby; she also declined to comment. Louis Hutchinson, sent to a state juvenile jail in December after a robbery conviction, is due to be released at the end of June, said his sister, Felicia Hutchinson.

        A couple of others in the class might earn credit for freshman English by going to summer school, Ms. Houck said.

Summer job
               When Johnny heard he would be in 11th-grade English next year, the quiet 16-year-old from Price Hill stayed true to character.

        “I was happy,” he said, “but I didn't show emotion.” A real celebration, he said, “might happen on graduation day. I look forward to graduating (in two years).”

        Said Ms. Houck: “Johnny's got a lot of potential; he's a wonderful writer.”

        But that potential was all but hidden his first year at Taft, when he displayed a sour attitude toward teachers and school. A probation officer helped him get back on track; then Johnny's own inner resilience pushed him toward success.

        When people at Roselawn-based DNK Architects read about John ny and his interest in that field, they contacted the school. On Tuesday he began a summer job with the firm, which is part of the team of architects working with Cincinnati Public Schools on facility construction and renovation.

New outlook
               Vivianna, who is 16 and lives in Price Hill, said passing her classes was important to her “so I won't be behind.”

        “She didn't think like that last year,” said her mother, Halena.

        “Last year I didn't care,” Vivianna said. “But this year, it's different.”

        Her first year at Taft, she struggled with severe mood swings and suicidal thoughts. School officials helped her mother navigate the mental-health system. Vivianna was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and received treatment.

        Vivianna still has some catching up to do. She'll attend summer school for math, before beginning a yet-to-be-determined summer job.

        “She told me she wants to graduate,” her mother said. “Last year, she didn't care whether she graduated or not.”

High dropout rate
               Taft, like many struggling urban schools, graduates relatively few of its students. This spring, in a school with more than 700 students, only 23 boys and 36 girls earned diplomas.

        Cincinnati Public Schools estimates that half its students who enter ninth grade will not graduate. The first and second years of high school are especially critical, because that's when many youths drop out.

        At Taft, 192 of 528 ninth- and 10th-graders left school during the academic year. Although much of that stems from students transferring to other schools, about 100 dropped out.

        In the Cincinnati district as a whole, 4,356 ninth-graders were enrolled in high schools on the first day of school last August, and 890 left during the school year, district records show. About half of those transferred to other schools, but more than 400 dropped out for reasons that include truancy, expulsion, jail time and getting a job.

        In addition, 817 10th- through 12th-graders left CPS high schools during the school year. Again, many transferred to other schools. But more than 400 dropped out.

        High dropout rates, low proficiency scores and high absenteeism have led to plans to redesign the five Cincinnati neighborhood high schools, starting with Taft and Aiken, located in College Hill, in the fall.

        The schools will be organized into two components: a preparatory academy, in which ninth- and 10th-graders will concentrate on the basics needed to pass proficiency tests; and a senior institute for juniors and seniors.

        At Taft, the senior institute will focus on information technology.

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