'SAFETY NET' SCHOOL RESULT OF PERSISTENCE

WALNUT HILLS - Kathleen Bower said people thought she was nuts when she
told them she wanted to buy two dilapidated Cincinnati Public Schools
warehouses and renovate them into a charter school for students struggling
with substance abuse.

But Bower, a public school administrator who struggled with substance abuse
when she was in college, raised $25,000, bought the buildings, renovated
the smaller one and opened Dohn Community High School in 2001.

The school housed 50 students, many who were kicked out of other schools
for truancy, fighting or drug use.

After the school spent three years in four small classrooms, Bower, now the
principal, began working the phones again, writing grant requests and
soliciting money to refurbish the larger building so she could expand the
school and serve more troubled students than the 85 who are there now.

The school held its second grand opening Monday to showcase the recent
$1.75 million renovation of the larger warehouse.

"She got the idea, and she took a chance," said Kenneth J. Furrier, a
former colleague from the Forest Hills school district who now serves on
the school's board of trustees. "Bull-headed is a good description for her."

The bigger building, once a storage area for old school furniture from the
city district, now houses a bright science lab.

The lab has refurbished tables, four large classrooms with stations for
computers and two rooms for student counseling. The beginnings of a library
are taking shape on the unfinished second floor.

Bower credits her staff, the community, donors and even Cincinnati Public
Schools for helping to launch the school and secure money for the
renovation. But people who know her say the school grew out of her intense
need to serve troubled students.

It wasn't easy.

Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools don't receive matching
state money to build or renovate schools. Bower raised the money by
securing federal grants, loans and private donations. She still needs
$300,000 for the first-floor renovation and $350,000 to finish the second
floor, she said.

She enlists any person who will volunteer.

The paint is hardly dry on the first floor, but Bower already has found
people to work on the second floor.

Two Sycamore High School seniors working to become Eagle Scouts, including
her nephew Rob Knodle, agreed to refurbish the library after Knodle heard
Bower discussing the unfinished space during an Easter dinner conversation.

"Whatever the situation, she promotes the school," Furrier said.

Bower said she saw a need for a school that offers a solid education for
students facing substance abuse, along with programs to help them recover.

"I knew from my experience as a school administrator that when students
showed problems with drugs and alcohol, we didn't have a way of helping
them," she said. "Oftentimes, they couldn't access treatment."

At Dohn, students can attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and receive
chemical dependency counseling. The school is the only one in Ohio that
conducts random drug testing on its students, Bower said. And if students
are using drugs, Bower said she tells them to stop.

"And we help them," she said.

With the recent renovation, she hopes to expand but keep the school small.
Bower expects to house 125 students next year.

Students appreciate the close-knit atmosphere.

Sophomore Patrice Brown, 16, said Bower knows all her students and helps
them when they need it. The principal recently gave Patrice practice
booklets to help her pass the science portion of the Ohio proficiency test.

And when Patrice was having problems with her father, Bower counseled her.

"She cares a whole lot about how we feel in and out of school," Patrice said.

Bower said she sees herself in the school's students and couldn't continue
kicking out youngsters who faced the same problems she once did.

"I felt that there had to be some safety net," she said. "I think it makes
sense to provide these services in a school setting. All kids should be in
school."
------------------
About Dohn

Dohn Community High School is a charter school in Walnut Hills.

Year opened: 2001.

Number of students when opened: 50.

Number of students today: 85.

Number of students projected next year: 125.

Cost to purchase two buildings in Walnut Hills in 2001: $25,000.

Cost to renovate smaller building: $87,000.

Cost to renovate first floor of larger building: $1.75 million.

Money still to be raised for first-floor renovation: $300,000.

Anticipated cost for second-floor renovation: $350,000.

Source: Dohn Community High School