A chronicle of the success of a small Catholic school on Long Island, N.Y. in overcoming poverty, race, and language for the 65 male students it has served in grades 5-8 for eight years. The authors posit that the secret of the school's success resides in creating goals, agency and pathways for success in its students, creating a climate of hope under personal situations that often seem hopeless. The authors delineate practical hope strategies that can be implemented in schools and suggest the De La Salle School offers lessons in hope strategy that can be adapted by any school. (Contains 1 figure.)