an excellent plant which is beautifully maintained; dedicated, caring teachers; students who enjoy learning; and a principal who upholds discipline, diligence, and respect.

It matters not that the number of students has dwindled to 195, 23 teachers are facing an uncertain future, and the school is closing.

Principal Mr. Michael Diekmann is concerned about maintaining standards and a first-class facility, just as he has always done.

There is, for example, no "end of term'' mentality, either among the teachers or students. School life is taken as seriously as it always was, and to the last day it will be business as usual.

A full curriculum is being offered, instruction remains thorough, homework is completed, and good grades earned.

Faculty members speak of the school with love and pride, and think nothing of going beyond the call of duty to show it.

School counsellor Mr. Fred Costin, for example, voluntarily keeps the pretty flower beds dotting the neatly manicured lawns around the school entrance in pristine shape.

Indeed, the grounds are a source of pride, so when a visiting local school team was spotted rough-housing in the area, the principal lost no time in admonishing them about the damage they were doing.

"So what?'' the boys responded. "It's only plants.'' Inside, Mr. Diekmann runs a neat and orderly ship.

A post-school day tour revealed a high level of cleanliness. Not one piece of litter was seen anywhere. Carpeting and furniture, even in the classrooms, was as new, despite being several years old.

There is absolutely no graffiti, the paintwork is sound, and not one of the years-old desks has a mark on it.

"They'd better not mark the desks,'' the principal said. "If they do, the teacher sends them to me to be dealt with.'' Mr. Diekmann also believes in a high-profile approach to his job. At certain times of the day, he takes up a strategic position in the corridor to keep a sharp eye on student behaviour, and also circulates regularly around the school each day.

He is neither a tyrant nor a neatness fanatic. Rather, he believes that people -- and particularly students -- respond well to a positive environment. He also believes that whatever tools are required for students and faculty to gain the maximum from the school experience should be provided.

Thus, Chaffee is filled with a battery of modern teaching aids. There is, for example, a television and video in most classrooms, and at least one computer.

There is a large computer lab with approximately 24 machines, and a business lab with 20 more computers.

The carpeted library, which caters to students of all ages, is fully computerised, and has different capability computers for junior and senior students to use. There is also an "island'' which allows a teacher to instruct up to five students at a time through the use of inter-linked computers.

"Blackboards'' are really modern white boards which permit the use of special marker pens. Chalk is obsolete.

The science lab includes special safety equipment to immediately flush eyes or shower the body in the event of an accident.

The vocational centre is very impressive. Here, students are taught industrial technology. An enclosed booth for those learning to spray paint is especially designed to carry fumes away. Goggles and aprons hang neatly on pegs to protect students operating electrical carpentry equipment.

In the large storage cupboard, hand saws and drills, clamps and

31 Co-operation the key at happy and successful school From Page 29 more are hung as immaculately as $500 suits.

Students are taught to leave the area as clean and tidy as they found it. The staff room has fitted carpeting, plush arm chairs, a dining table with upholstered chairs, microwave oven, full-sized stove, refrigerator and kitchen sink.

A similar area near the library includes office equipment such as photocopiers, and project materials.

A storage room holds rows of text books, some new, some used -- it's hard to tell the difference because they are so well maintained.

An area of the cafeteria, which boasts a large industrial kitchen, is partitioned off for senior students and features carpeting, a dining table and upholstered chairs.

Should the students leave it untidy, Mr. Diekmann simply closes it off until they clean it up.

Through peer pressure there are few infringements.

A separate unit accommodates the littlest students as they become indoctrinated into school life.

The gymnasium is huge with banked seating for spectators. The playground spacious.

Large, bronzed aluminium windows let in plenty of light throughout the school, while air conditioning keeps the entire school at a comfortable temperature throughout the year.

Toilets are as immaculate as the rest of the building.

And how does all this happen? "We have a cleaning crew who come in every night,'' the principal explained.

"One janitor could never keep a building of this size in proper condition.'' An exterminator treats the building monthly for bugs and insects.

Small wonder, then, that the principal and staff of St. George's Secondary School were agog during a recent tour -- their school will move to Chaffee in time for the September term.

To Mr. Diekmann, however, his school is not extraordinary, but simply a reflection of what happens when everyone co-operates to provide a positive environment in which to study.

That fights and violence are unknown at Chaffee -- even when student numbers were high -- is testimony to this philosophy.

Rudeness, insolence, bad language and disrespect are all handled in the same way: the offending student is sent to the principal's office, and the punishment is standard.

Mr. Diekmann telephones the child's parents, explains the misdemeanour, announces that he is suspending the student for one to three days, and then asks them to come and collect their child immediately.

His punishment is non-negotiable. Further discipline then becomes the parents' responsibility. Repeat offenders are rare.

Unlike many schools, peer pressure at Chaffee is exclusively positive.

Students with negative influences and attitudes soon discover they don't fit in and so they ultimately change.

The principal cites the example of a student who arrived from a tough, inner city school in the US and brought with her many of the behaviours necessary to survive in that environment.

A year later, through Chaffee's positive influences, she has become an excellent student who plans to go to college, and for whom scholarships are being arranged.

While students don't wear uniforms, Mr. Diekmann does have a dress code.

Clothing which promotes alcohol or drugs is banned, and hats or caps may not be worn in class.

In May, when the flag is lowered in a special ceremony attended by students, faculty, alumni and dignitaries, it will officially mark the end of a proud era in US military dependents' education abroad.

When the Bermuda Government walks in, it will inherit not only a first-class facility, but almost all of the fixtures and fittings in the school, including approximately 50 computers. This is because prohibitive local packing and forwarding costs have made it impractical to ship all but the most valuable items back to the United States.

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS ... Staff, students and alumni of Roger B. Chaffee School gather to share memories of the good times they have known. They are (left to right) Mr. Fred Costin, Mrs. Gail Miller Henderson, Mr. Richard Diekmann (principal), students Michelle Moss and Tim Reid, Mr. Lee Hasselbring and Mrs. Karel Smith, Mr. Dalzell (Dal) Tucker and Mrs. Moyra Benbow.