The kids started believing that they could."
Some Brainerd High School students live in environments of gang violence, death threats and homelessness that can prevent regular school attendance. But teachers refuse to cast them aside.
"No child left behind," said instructional coach Carol McCance. "Politicians don't know what that means. This is what it means: you don't leave a child behind if there is any way possible to get them through."
As a result of the school's efforts, graduation coach Dr. Mary Rausch said, Brainerd will see a 99 percent graduation rate among seniors regularly attending school this year.
Once the state configures the official graduation rate, including documentation over four years, she expects it to be about 80 percent, nearly 30 percent higher than the 2011-2012 school year. That's also higher than the overall school district's graduation rate of 72 percent.
"The kids started believing that they could," Rausch said. "They followed through on the things recommended for them to do and they accomplished their goals."
Since Brainerd's designation as one of the lowest-performing schools in the county, educators there have vowed to change its status. The school opened an evening school this year to reach students not performing well or not attending school during the day. Teachers and administrators went to students' homes and transported them to school when they couldn't get there. The school also partnered with nonprofits such as the Front Porch Alliance, which provides bus passes to students needing transportation, and the Maclellan Foundation, which gives stipends for teachers to staff summer school.
Brainerd High School hosted its first summer school graduation for high school seniors Tuesday night.
Of eight seniors attending the summer school, six received their high school diplomas.
Not every student makes it, McCance said.
For the integrity of the program, each student in summer school is required to complete all credits and a senior project before graduation. The only difference between summer school and school during the academic year is that summer students get more time and help.
Among the two seniors attending summer school who didn't graduate was one student who hadn't attended school all year. She couldn't make up all that time in summer school, but she did get herself close enough to graduate next year, officials said.
The six graduating students included a student who initially didn't believe that getting a high school diploma was important and another senior who had spent a part of his school year in jail.
More than 90 percent of the 624 students attending Brainerd live in poverty, statistics show.
Because of situations in their homes and attitudes toward school, summer school and evening school are their limited chances to get their diplomas, McCance said.
"What they go through is unbelievable," she said.
Brittany Dorsey was the first student to jump from her seat when asked for a volunteer to talk about graduating.
The single mother earned her high school diploma while working part time and caring for her two small children. She plans to attend Chattanooga State Community College this fall and study nursing. Her goal is to become a registered nurse.
"I want my children to see their mom doing it, making it by myself," Dorsey said in her cap and gown Tuesday.
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfree press.com or 757-6431.