school for at-risk 6th, 7th, grade students. Asked to recall the story of a single student, he told about John Chacon, who had been expelled from school twice before sixth grade and was sent to Jupp’s school in lieu of a third expulsion. Over the course of three years, Jupp and his colleagues collaborated with the boy’s family, school officials, and community health organizations to support Chacon and prepare him for high school. It wasn’t easy. Chacon was academically behind because of his frequent suspensions, and in his eighth grade year, after two years of escalating mental health attention, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Nevertheless, Chacon completed the eighth grade, and improved in both reading and math on state tests. In 2004, Jupp had a chance meeting with his former student at a pet store, where the young man was now working the cash register.
