Most people would think it a nightmare of hard work and uphill battles. But for Kate Bower, Dohn Community High School is a dream come true.

        Ms. Bower is principal of Dohn in Walnut Hills. The year-round charter school is for teen-agers with such an extensive history of drug and alcohol abuse that they've been dropped from the educational system. These are kids expelled for assaulting teachers. Truancy. Getting caught with drugs or alcohol.

Kate Bower (center) finds time to spend with students Morgan Bennett (left) and Brandon Vester at Dohn High School. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        “I understand the school system's zero tolerance policy,” she says.

        “You have to have a safe and drug-free environment for students. But you also have to have a place for these kids to go so their education doesn't come to a screeching halt.”

        Ms. Bower, a 51-year-old divorced mother of one, has been leading up to this for years. The Aiken High School and University of Cincinnati grad began her career in a residential program for juvenile delinquents. From there, she went into teaching, then school administration in the Forest Hills and Lakota districts.

        “Then, when I was six years away from retirement, I decided to do what I've always loved — work with at-risk kids.”

        Planning and fund-raising for Dohn began in 1999. In June, organizers gave Cincinnati Public Schools $25,000 for a dilapidated building at 608 E. McMillan, and Ms. Bower's dream was reality.

        “We had three months to get ourselves ready and the place was a mess. CPS had been using it as a warehouse, so it was full of broken down junk. We filled 18 Dumpsters clearing it out.”

        They opened the doors in September. Not a moment too soon: “Before we even had a word of advertising, we had 68 applications for 50 slots. That was just word of mouth.”

        Getting in to Dohn isn't automatic. Students, referred by parents or social agencies, meet with Ms. Bower and Dohn's counselors for an interview. Policies are explained and questions asked about why they want to go there.

        “We don't take (court) mandated students. The kids are with us because they want to be,” Ms. Bower says.

        Once accepted, students sign a contract under which they agree to wear a uniform — white knit shirt with the Dohn logo, khaki pants, black or brown shoes — submit to random drug testing, and participate in all aspects of the school's life. “So they have a sense of ownership,” Ms. Bower says.

        Once in, they find a school unlike anything they've known. Sure, there's reading, writing and arithmetic. Tests, too. But there's also group counseling every other day. And AA meetings at lunch. And mandatory after-school counseling for kids whose drug screen came up positive.

        “We don't expel them for a positive screen or for being under the influence,” Ms. Bower says. “The nature of chemical dependency is relapse. If we expel them, we're denying service, and then what good are we doing?

        “There are only two ways to get kicked out: Weapons or being in possession. It's the line we draw.”

        It says something about the school's success that three students were expelled the first week for possession. None since.

        Students also have opinions about the school's success. Junior Stephanie Blye dropped out of Withrow for two years, then enrolled at Dohn: “The school has given me a structure so I can pursue and achieve my goals — to go to college and stay drug-free. It has opened a lot of doors and has given me a real sense of belonging.”

        Part of the success, Ms. Bower says, is the open, accepting environment. “These are students who have been severely impacted by substance abuse. Their parents may be crack addicts or have multiple addictions that put the kids severely at risk. Here, we can talk about that openly and with understanding.

        “Those are things they can't — or don't want to — talk about in a larger, more traditional school.”

        Another factor in the success, Ms. Bower is convinced, is the staff's training in therapeutic intervention strategy. “We respond to problems in a positive, therapeutic manner, so eventually the kids see us as allies and advocates rather than authority.”

        You see that therapeutic approach all over the walls as you stroll the battleship-gray halls brightened by students' art. Good, very good, art.

        Or in the group counseling room, where the opening line of the Serenity Prayer is painted in a cheery bright purple.

        Dohn's art program is one of Ms. Bower's prides and joys. “All students are required to take art because it's so therapeutic. We already have a partnering program with Essex (art studios) and we're developing one with Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati.

        “So many of these kids are really talented. Developing the talent does wonders for their self esteem.”

        So does sharing. One of the schools written-in-stone requirements is community service. “We believe one way to enhance self-esteem is to develop a sense of generosity — to feel like you have something to give or share with the community. Our kids have volunteered at the FreeStore, in child care centers, in elementary schools as teacher's assistants.”

        Some have helped with school renovation. Right now, Dohn is housed in a small building behind the larger building facing McMillan. Renovation, with student help, will begin soon on the main building, as will a round of grant-writing and a capital campaign to round up the dollars.

        “I think we have a good shot at getting the money and getting it done. Our students and staff are extremely dedicated to our mission,” Ms. Bower says.

        How dedicated? Try this: In December, one of the school's teachers saw that a lot of kids were coming to school without breakfast. They decided they wouldprovide breakfast and pay for it out of their own pockets.

        It's now served at 8 a.m. daily. Free.

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