On a distant patch of the Mojave Desert, amidst dusty tumbleweeds and rangy Joshua Bushes, sits an anomaly: a highschool the place educators imagine empathy, life abilities, and the fidelity of a caring grownup are the variations that may give at-risk college students command of their fates. On any given day, principal Vonda Viland calls youngsters on the first light to see in the event that they’ll make it to highschool. And in the event that they want a journey? Properly, she’ll choose them up. Vonda is aware of every pupil’s challenges and coaches them tirelessly, by no means fostering false hopes. Her philosophy combines loving compassion with realism, and given her college’s rising commencement charge, it appears to be working.