She was there in Manual's heyday, when kids used to walk over to Cheesy George's for double ray-rays with cheese - that's a hamburger to you and me - and occasionally bring back a sack to appease her. White, now 71, came to Denver from Mississippi when she got married. Kids called her a "tough bulldog" but she was clearly, if secretly, putty in their hands:

I first came to this school in 1980. I came over here for a little while to work, and they kept me on. I liked it, and the kids was great.

We was a family. Everyone got along in this building. Nobody sat on one side or the other. The kids here didn't do that.

The kids all knew me and I knew them.

They still come in once in a while and holler at me. I could threaten them and threaten to call the parents. . . . We was a family.

The rules was, if you come into Manual, you stop by the main office. You can't come on in here and walk around. Or I'll escort you to the main office.

. . . When did we go to three schools in one? That's when the school started going completely down.

Mr. Bennet, he came in and did something for this school and this community. People didn't think he would. I knew he would. Manual would still be nothing if he didn't.

I feel like Dr. Stein is really going to start it all right. I am so happy that Mr. Bennet did the right thing and he kept his word.

It was hard. They were fighting him at every turn. But he did it. I knew he would.

I'm happy to see them all here, very happy.

Because I know someone cares now. To me, this will be the top school in the district.