Keyboards clattered, papers rustled, and sighs swept across the room. It was "deadline day" at Houston's YES Prep North Central. It was the day that the school's seniors would take one step closer to college. Essays, personal statements, and forms needed to be slipped into envelopes, ready to mail at day's end. Much depended upon success. At stake was the reputation of a school that was built around the mission of sending every student to college.
