The odds were stacked against the new elementary school from the beginning. In its favor, the school was a beautiful building with an established principal. Beyond that, anyone would predict that the first year would be tough. The staff consisted of new teachers and transfers from across the district. The students were reassigned from two neighboring elementary schools and represented the lowerperforming populations of each. Some of the older students were involved in gangs. From the outset, they were determined to bring the same behaviors they displayed in their previous schools. Was it fate that this new school was named after William C. Velasquez, founder of a youth organization aimed at social action, a visionary, and a leader of Mexican-American youth? One year after opening