Years of poor performance put Roosevelt High School in Yonkers at risk for a state takeover, but the school has turned itself around.

Jamika Holmes, a senior at the school, says she has experienced firsthand how students shifted their attitudes. "You walk down the halls, there's no yelling, cursing, screaming," says Jamika. "It's a community."

Staff members helped create longer lesson periods, meaning students now spend more time in classrooms and less time in hallways. After-school programs also fill voids. 

"The teachers were open-minded," says Principal Ed DeChent. "I think we changed the culture. We're ecstatic. It's a shining moment for the school."

Roosevelt's graduation rate now stands at 79 percent, which is above the state's average. The state took the graduation rate and test scores into account when it moved the school from a list of persistently struggling schools to a list of schools that are in good standing.

Classroom doors that line the school's hallways are now decorated with information about colleges that students researched to start their academic journeys.

Junior Emily Concepcion credits her teachers with giving her extra guidance and a renewed faith in herself. "They want to see us go far in life," says Emily.