When distracted sophomores at Bronx Career and College Preparatory High School didn’t give a visiting speaker proper respect, principal Kizhaya Roberts gathered her students and bluntly expressed her disappointment. "I told them they only get one shot at making an impression,” Roberts recalled, “and that one shot, they blew it." Then she did something few principals do: She cried.

"She was crying right in front of us, and that hurt us all," said Kelvin, a 16-year-old sophomore. Rather than ridicule their principal, the 81 sophomores resolved to do better and uphold BCC Prep’s high ideals. When we toured the school in October, Kelvin was helping to organize an assembly program to show his principal how much she means to the class.

At BCC Prep, low expectations are left at the door. Students wear slacks or knee-length skirts (the dress code is "business casual"), eagerly discuss college plans and are held to the same standards likely to be expected of them after graduation. "We set a high standard for all of our students, and we expect them to reach it" said Roberts, who founded the school in 2009.

Surrounded by public housing complexes, BCC Prep shares a former middle school building with Bronx Latin, New Day Academy and the Dr. Richard Izquidero Health & Science Charter School. The schools have staggered entry times and use different areas of the building, and BCC Prep students seem proud of their insular identity. "We just don't cross paths," said Bibi Hussain, director of academic achievement, "and I think for the most part our kids like it that way."

Teachers visit the homes of all incoming freshmen. Pamela Adegun, the mother of a BCC Prep sophomore, said she knew all the teachers’ cell phone numbers. "When you go to some schools, the teachers are like robots," Adegun said. BCC Prep focuses on individual students, she said, and does't treat education as "mass production."

The classrooms we visited were welcoming, respectful places where teachers appeared competent and students eagerly raised hands when asked questions. "They feel safe to mess up," said Ellen Hales, the school's director of career development. "When you feel you're not going to be made fun of in the class, you're more likely to participate." But punishment does occur: In gym class, several boys who didn’t bring the proper clothes were forced to do pushups and squats while the rest of the class casually ran laps.

Internships play a big role. By senior year, students might spend two days a week at an off-campus work setting. Roberts said real-world experience answers the question "Why do I have to learn this?" and lets students see, for example, how math and science might be required in a career devoted largely to literature. Students also get to explore different career choices, Roberts said. "They get a chance to try it out, succeed, make mistakes but all under our guidance."

One drawback to this small school: there are no art or music classes.

Special education: The school has Collaborative Team Teaching (CTT) classes. "One of our goals was to be an inclusive community," said Roberts, a former special education teacher at Fannie Lou Hamer High School. 

Admissions: There are no admissions requirements. Priority is given to students who attend an information session. (Skip Card, October 2010)