. >> but as the area gentrified and principal katherine peck was brought in to run st. stephen, it went from nearly closing to thriving. inside, there are enrichment programs galore, like this french class and violin recitals and classes. michael and karen carbone's two children, emily and michael, attend st. stephen school. >> we looked at a lot of schools and this school was right up there with the independent schools, especially in terms of the extras and things that it was offering. >> to attract more affluent parents, katherine peck offered what expensive independent schools offer, only at a much lower price. to do this she started an aggressive campaign to raise money and got the neighborhood involved. >> everything that we've done here has been based on the community and student interest, parent interest, and other stakeholders in the school, whether it be parishioners or donors to the school, and so we've gone out in the last three years and said, "what is it that you believe you would want in a school for your own child, and how can we make that happen here?" >