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A slow parade of students ambled up the concrete stairs winding up the expanse of a grassy knoll. The students chatter rose to a low murmur. Midway through their ascent a voice bellows: "We are continuing with period three."

Walter Acham, Jamaica High School's principal, is standing on the steps overlooking his brood of more than 1,000 at the end of a fire drill.

Once inside, Acham gives a few stragglers who've yet to make it to class encouragement.

"Let's go, let's go; back to class," he said. "No walking around."

Acham has held the reigns for almost two years and in that time Jamaica has undergone a transformation. The school was on the persistently dangerous schools and impact schools lists.

The rumors regarding the violence and its ineffectiveness swirled. According to Acham, the school was being watched and dissecting Jamaica was an option.

"Nobody wanted to see Jamaica fail," Acham said. "Nobody wanted to see Jamaica cut up."

He didn't come to Jamaica unprepared. Acham was the safety administrator for Region Three, which includes the high school.

"I knew the concerns here very, very well" he said "There were no surprises in the needs of the school."

Acham was installed in the 2007-2008 school term and the changes took shape. With him, he brought Fran Russo, an assistant principal of security.

He said the plan was to have clear consistent expectation of students, to enforce the discipline code and student regulation; staff was proactive in promoting better citizenship in schools. Also, Acham implemented a policy of "my door is always open."

According to Russo, detention and in-house suspension were added to give students a consequence for negative behavior.

"Because of the consistency of the rules students abide by the rules," Russo said.

Judy Reuben, coordinator of pupil personnel services, said programs and community based organizations were invited into the building to help foster change and increase student success.

She said the school provides a credit recovery program-students recover credit for classes they are failing or have failed in the past, for classes they've failed, there are extended day programs.

"We revamped everything," Reuben said. Since implementing the programs graduation rates have increased and anticipates 100 more graduates this year.

"We do everything we can to keep kids in and graduate with their cohort," Reuben said.

Complaints of violent crimes at the school decreased from 27in 2007 to just 5 in 2008. Also, superintendent suspensions of students dwindled 39 percent in a two-year span, to 40 last year from 66 in 2006.

Russo, a 26-year veteran of the New York public schools as a teacher and assistant principal, said it took her one year to get it together

"There was a struggle with students and staff, but as the days went by we were being effective," Russo said. "The tone [of the building] is quiet. Kids are going to class."

To echo Russo, Acham said the staff didn't immediately "trust the new mission."

"Basically the school changed when we got out new principal," said senior Tracy Ganga. "Our principal made a huge difference in our lives."

Consistently the tone is the same from administration to students touting the improvements.

Evonna Azim, 17, said the new administration gave education a purpose.

"The change in administration gave me a reason to be here," Azim said. "Everybody has a reason to go to class."

Dookumarie Persuad, 17, said something as simple as going through the metal detectors changed. Persuad, a senior, said instead of a line that wrapped around the school as kids waited to be scanned the process was simplified, with a system where a card is swiped and attendance is taking through the same process.

"The halls are clean," Persaud said. "Nobody roams the halls. Our principal is very up on that." I don't think there is any school like Jamaica."

Although no one refutes Jamaica High School had issues, they contend the school didn't
deserve its hard lined reputation.

"We never deserved the reputation that we had," Gerri Calandro, the school's librarian said. "Jamaica was never a dangerous school."

"The public image of the school has changed," Acham said. "You don't feel that edge like the building is under siege."