Sixth-grader Markisha Gill has been called to the principal's office at Hamilton Middle School. Even as she fidgets apprehensively outside Stephen Gibson's door, she doesn't have a bad word to say about the man who will soon chasten her or about the teacher who sent her there.
In fact, Markisha's only problem so far with the Northeast Baltimore school is ... eighth-grade boys.
"They play too much," said Markisha, 12.
Problems at Hamilton haven't always been so benign.
For years, the middle school battled issues far worse than clumsy adolescent dating rituals. Long-timers can rattle off a long list of grievances: The building was dirty and unsightly, test scores were alarmingly low, leadership was a vague concept and discipline problems were out of control.
"This school was off the hook," said eighth-grader Katiana Anderson, who admits she ran wild as a Hamilton sixth-grader and skated through the seventh grade with minimal effort.
But this year is different.
Parents, teachers, students and others all agree that conditions at Hamilton have greatly improved. And they mostly agree on the reason - Gibson, the new principal.
"We're further ahead now than where we've ever been," said technology support teacher Perry DeMarsico. "And we have Mr. Gibson to thank for that."
Gibson, who was a principal in a successful Howard County middle school before coming to Hamilton, is one of three administrators who were hired by the state Department of Education to turn around troubled city schools.
The three Distinguished Principal Fellows were selected by state schools superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick last summer for their "sterling qualifications, proven track record and willingness to apply their skills in the most challenging setting."
The others, Eileen Copple at Johnston Square Elementary and Edward Cozzolino at Brehms Lane Elementary, are doing well at their missions, Grasmick said. But Gibson is the clear standout.
"He has transformed Hamilton," Grasmick said. "I took [Mayor Martin O'Malley] there at the opening of school. He could not believe it."
Katiana said this is nothing like her first two years in middle school.
"It's improved for the better," she said. "Now it's quieter; the hallways are quieter. We get more extra-curricular activities. The work is harder."
Gibson's plan when taking over the school was methodical:
