tonight on "nightline" -- dangerous school. we're back at stopwood mansion where just macing it through the day can be a struggle for teachers and students. a high school months away from shutting its doors forever. and the school principal determined -- >> can you hear me? >> -- to keep them open. >> somebody besides me actually do care. fear. nbc's diane sawyer with the store that changed so much. from all over the country your overwhelming support and one surprising celebrity who took the message to heart. ♪ started from the bottom now we here ♪ ♪ started from the bottom now the whole team here ♪

>> "started from the bottom" singer drake with a gift that shocked them all. >> this is about you. this is about your principal. this is about your future. >> now they get some much-needed help but the battle isn't over yet. just another year at strawberry mansion. >> this special edition of "nightline," tears to triumph,

this is a special edition of "nightline," tears to triumph, two years at strawberry mansion. >> good evening. and thank you for joining us at the end of this long holiday weekend. as we celebrate the life of martin luther king jr. tonight, we're taking another look at a school that was considered one of america's most dangerous. switchblades and fistfights a daily concern. philadelphia's strawberry mansion high school was on the brink of closure, with the clock

ticking down. and as teachers and students struggled to save, it abc news was there with extraordinary access over two school years. now thanks to our viewers we're back with the astonishing outcome. abc's diane sawyer takes you inside for our latest edition of "hidden america." >> reporter: morning begins at strawberry mansion high school with a prayer. >> we must save the children. in your name, amen. >> amen. >> reporter: security guards take their posts to watch for razor blades and tin foil, knives and backpacks. >> take your coat off. >> reporter: vassaline on faces used to prevent scratches in a fight. it is a school of 464 kids. a lot of them want to learn. a lot of them on a hairtrigger. >> this is a dangerous school. a lot of fights pop off for nothing. you've got to be safe.

>> reporter: for five years running mansion, as the students call, it was considered one of the most dangerous schools in america. and our cameras were allowed inside. linda wayman was the fourth principal for mansion in the same number of years. >> it's going to get scarier. >> reporter: before coming to mansion raymond was an assistant superintendent in the district. >> i could not find a principal who was suitable to handle the school. so therefore, i said to myself, because i love these students dearly and i knew the community i will just volunteer to be the principal. >> reporter: wayman is on a mission to turn the school around and make it safer. in the middle of a citywide budget crisis she's had just a few short months to save it from being closed. she's always on edge. >> miss jackson, can you hear me? >> jimmy: especially at lunchtime with the entire school in one room. >> i know that they outnumber me. i don't know if i have enough

manpower to bring them back. >> reporter: suddenly a fight between two girls because one had spit on the another day before. wayman rushes to break it up. >> take a deep breath. >> jimmy: by the way, during the mayhem one of the students steps in to protect me. >> we don't want nobody hurting diane. >> reporter: this reinforced the need for strict order. so principal wayman was doing something never done before. enforcing a dress code. and it's not about grooming but safety. no boots because boots can be used to stomp heads. and no hoodies. >> we don't wear hoodies because we don't identify them when they walk through cameras. >> reporter: she had made sure that security cameras were fixtures all over the school. >> 94 cameras. and we need more. we always have to outthink them because they're trying to outthink us. >> reporter: principal wayman had to worry not just about the students' safety but her own.

a student had threatened her life. >> said to me that i have a bullet with your name on it. >> reporter: mansion sits in a neighborhood where 40% of the people live in poverty. the highest number of homicides, rapes, and assaults in the city. these are the kids in the honors program at mansion. for many it's tough at home. >> why would i have a coat when i know ain't nothing going to change about this school or the neighborhood? >> reporter: for every student who caused trouble there were so many who just wanted to learn, like a small quiet girl named malasia. she was in the ninth grade. malasia wanted to make her dad proud.

she lives around the corner from mansion and tried hard to stay on track, but it wasn't easy. one day after school she gets punched in the face by another girl. >> you're busted up pretty good. >> reporter: malasia worries that even though she says she had nothing to do with it principal wayman, who has strict rules, will suspend her for fighting. >> i don't want to get suspended because that's going to get my grade go down. >> reporter: later i check in with malasia. >> it's better. a little sore still. >> are you scared? >> of fighting. >> sometimes of coming to school. >> yeah. because i'm little. >> reporter: little like lazak. >> how do you protect yourself at school? >> well, i use my words. for example, like if somebody says i want to fight you i say i don't want to get suspended. i don't try to be big. i don't try to be anything. i just be myself. >> reporter: razak was also in the ninth grade. he tries to show up at school every day, even though he shoulders a lot of

responsibility at home. >> i'm the only man in the house. >> what are your favorite subjects? >> chemistry and i like learning about the atoms. the periodic table and stuff. >> reporter: his pride, the junior military uniform he carefully lays out on the chair. >> how tall are you? >> i'm 5'9". >> wow. >> how tall are you? >> five foot. >> you'll be here. you'll so be here. >> i hope so. >> soon. >> reporter: back at school it's parent-teacher conference day. >> mr. quigley, i'm just curious, how many parents have you had come in the last two days? >> this is the first parent that i saw so far. >> wow. really? >> yeah. >> reporter: out of his 70 students malas. a's dad is the only parent who shows up. he knows she's distracted by the chaos at school, but her grades are slipping. he works in construction and just wants her to have more in life. >> i've got to make money with my hands. why don't you make it with your brain? you understand? ♪ today's a new day >> reporter: and there were so

many students in this school who simply wanted something better. ♪ take a look at the mansion version of "glee." they had no music teacher. a student just did what he could. ♪ by the end of the school year wayman has saved the school from closure, and 55 out of 92 seniors were accepted into college, double the number from years past. but for some that wasn't enough. they couldn't afford the deposit fees, guaranteeing their place at schools they love. like senior christine holland, who was not able to go to philadelphia university. >> if i had the $550 to go to philadelphia university, i would go. >> you know i love you. >> reporter: for a moment the unbreakable principal gives in to tears. as the school year ends --

>> if nobody told you they love you today, you remember i do. >> reporter: -- principal wayman braces for another year. fewer teachers, less money, less security. but when we come back -- >> i missed you. >> i missed you, too. two of my favorite people in the world. >> reporter: -- the school and possibility -- >> they're all in there? [ cheers ] >> reporter: -- changed because of you. >> we wanted to come down and offer you the opportunity to study with us for the next four years. >> look at that. dragons lurked, giants stood tall, and the good queen showed the boy it could all be real. avo: whatever you can imagine, all in one place. expedia, find yours. [ female announcer ] if you're struggling with bipolar depression, there are treatment options. ask your doctor if once a day latuda,

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just last year at strawberry mansion the threat of violence overshadowed the promise of education. now a new school year and new hope thanks to diane sawyer and

her team's reporting. plus your generosity. with some extra help from a surprising celebrity. >> reporter: a new school year at strawberry mansion. >> i'm like really excited. >> reporter: a fresh start. it's the first day, and this year students are imposing a little order of their own. >> medium or small? >> reporter: asking for school uniforms. uniforms in part paid for by you, abc viewers. >> i missed you. >> i missed you too. one of my favorite people in the world. >> reporter: a familiar voice. principal linda wayman, back for her second year at strawberry mansion. >> i am the bell. i'm the bell. it is now time to transition. beep! >> reporter: and she has done something extraordinary. for the first time in six years --

>> let's go! move! >> reporter: -- the school is no longer considered one of the country's most dangerous. through sheer force of will principal wayman has cut the serious incidents nearly in half. and your tidal wave of generosity has helped breathe new life into the school. >> just when i really did think that there was no hope in america, and then you aired this special. i never felt such joy in my life. when them phones started ringing and for somebody to notice that we're at least trying to make it right. oh, my god. somebody besides me actually do care. >> reporter: viewers helped provide 13 scholarships for seniors heading off to college. remember christine holland, who couldn't afford the deposit fee at the school of her dreams? >> we wanted to come down and offer you the opportunity to

study with us and give you a scholarship to be able to do so. [ applause ] >> reporter: the university is giving her full and free tuition. >> oh, look at that. >> reporter: at strawberry mansion you covered a lot of basic necessities that are a given at most american schools. like books for classes, calculators, notebooks. but as we followed the first few months of the school, we're reminded that in some ways it's still close to the edge. [ screaming ] at times there are still brutal fights like this one which made its way to youtube. and by the way, take a look at the girl being hit. she is the same young woman who stepped in when i was there to try to protect me. >> we don't want anybody hurting diane. >> reporter: this year the school is trying to move forward despite citywide budget cuts. remember those endless hallways? a lot fewer guards and police. they feel deserted. >> what happened to your halls?

>> they got laid off. i had 17 last year. this year i got five. therefore, all i can do is walk. you know when they get revved up they'll realize that there's nobody. and that's what i'm worried about. >> reporter: and there are fewer teachers, even though class sizes doubled. but outside the classroom if there is one thing that symbolizes what has happened at this school, it is this. for 62 years the school could only dream of its own football team. but tonight meet the strawberry mansion knights. >> let's go. >> we lobbied. we got our petitions signed. >> this reminds people that we're here. we're legitimate. we're still a school. we're still running. and we still have a lot to offer. >> reporter: tonight, although the underdogs with their quarterback suspended, sophomore jaquan owens steps in to save the day. >> first time i ever played

quarterback. i feel good. >> this cheer is called work it. ♪ work it, hey >> reporter: and someone is cheering them on. though from the sideline. >> you know how we do. >> reporter: remember malasia? she's not on the cheerleading team because she got ton a fight after school. >> there are rules to this game in philadelphia. you don't survive with your fists in this neighborhood. so the only way you're going to survive it is to get out there have and think. >> reporter: but she is back on track now in the tenth grade and doing well in her studies. and what about razak? >> how tall are you? >> five foot. >> reporter: he's a bit taller now, 5'2", and a bit more confident thanks to his new hobby. >> most of these people in there have experience. and i had to learn really quick. >> but that's not going to deter you? >> not really. i like it.

>> reporter: in a surprise, razak moved in with his father, living outside of philadelphia but still missing strawberry mansion. >> i wish i could go to strawberry mansion again, but -- >> reporter: and even though he is no longer her student, principal wayman, eyes and ears everywhere, continues to be his mentor. >> how does it make you feel that miss wayman's still involved? >> it means a lot to me. even though she has a lot of students in her school, she still took her time out to worry about a student that's not at her school. >> are you doing your work? >> yes. >> on paper? >> yes. >> reporter: she's worried that he's at another crossroads. >> i don't like school. >> you don't like it? no? but what are you going to do if you don't go to school? >> can't do nothing. >> can't do nothing. so there's two places to go. to prison, where you don't have to think. and the cemetery. neither one of those places are for you. >> reporter: a message about reality.

and it resonates outside her world, unspiring some supporters to join her cause. [ cheers and applause ] a few months ago drake, the grammy award-winning hip-hop artist, showed up to surprise the students. ♪ i better find your loving ♪ i better find your heart >> i caught the piece that diane did. by the end of it i was so heavily affected i started like questioning like major aspects of my life. >> i'm going to be here for you. i promise. i got you. >> i'm building a recording studio inside this school. [ cheers and applause ] this is about you. this is about your principal. this is about your future. i love you. i care about you. i want to see you succeed. >> reporter: and another symbol of promise for the students at strawberry mansion. today is the last game of the

season. and the mansion knights, so far undefeated. >> i'm proud. i'm happy. >> let's go mansion, let's go. >> that's my son, number 9. >> reporter: the knights end the season just as they began. >> celebrating. >> 9-0? what are we? >> we're undefeated. >> undefeated. first season ever. >> this community, in this school, we get no victories. we don't win anything. >> i might not be able to get them into harvard. i may not, you know, be able to get -- but i can give them some hope. and don't underestimate the power of hope. because when children have hope, they can succeed. >> reporter: and when we come back, principal wayman learns

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♪ more than a feeling [ female announcer ] yoplait light boston cream pie. at 90 calories it is so good when you want more than a feeling. i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. [ male announcer ] you say tomato. ♪

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the making. seniors at strawberry mansion accepted into college. for principal wayman no success could be sweeter than the success of her students. so with violence down and graduation rates up, her name has traveled further than maybe even she could have dreamed. >> reporter: principal wayman's message of hope resonates even outside the hard streets of north philadelphia. >> this nation must invest in the education of all its children. >> reporter: speaking to an audience of more than 6,000, she was a keynote alongside hillary clinton. >> i want to give her another round of applause for doing one of the great jobs of anyone, a principal. [ applause ] >> reporter: her speech was electrifying. >> restoring hope and giving students the sense that anything is possible became my primary

responsibility. dai daily i remind the students that hope did indeed reside in strawberry mansion high school. and most of all, every day i told them, if nobody told you they loved you today, remember i do. >> what a story. the studio in the process of being painted. and alumni launching a mentoring program. to find out how you can help go to abcnews.com/nightline. ♪ [ man ] yo buzz! drop that beat! remix! ♪ hey! must be the honey! ♪ ♪ ♪ you got that medley crunch ♪ go! go! buzz! ♪ go! go! go! buzz! ♪ hey! must be the honey! ♪ ♪ clusters, flakes ♪ that medley crunch, crunch! ♪ clusters, flakes ♪ that medley crunch, crunch! go! ♪ ♪ ♪ hey! must be the honey! ♪

♪ hey! you got that medley crunch ♪ ♪ hey! must be the honey! ♪ ♪ hey! you got that medley crunch ♪ [man] no one told her,right? [son]hi! [mom screams]