Dennis Littky was commended as a Giraffe Hero in 1987. In the two decades since then, he’s accomplished so much it’s staggering to contemplate. Littky combines theory (he has two PhDs after all) with hands-on action and his results are solid and lasting. We’re proud to have spotted him so early in his career.

Here’s the story we did on him way back when.

Dennis Littky was once the much-praised principal of a model school on Long Island, but he burned out so badly he decided to just learn to live in the woods. He left Long Island for an unplumbed mountain cabin in Winchester, New Hampshire.

The town of Winchester had a high unemployment rate; many, many residents were on welfare. Its high school, Thayer, reflected the town’s troubles with a sky-high dropout rate. Thayer High was as down as the town—everything was broken, dirty or covered with graffiti. Students drank and smoked pot in the halls. It was a mess, but that wasn’t Littky’s problem; he was minding his own business, living the simple life out in the woods.

But it didn’t take long for Littky to get restless. He started a newspaper. He became a state legislator. Then he got on the school board. When Thayer’s principal resigned, Littky was ready to return to running a school.

Despite many townspeople’s strong distrust of innovation, Littky was sure only radical change could save Thayer. In his first year as principal, he did away with study halls, formed a Principal’s advisory team of seniors and met personally with every student to design his/her curriculum, often bending the rules to create individual study plans that got kids revved to learn. Littky got his students apprenticeships with local businesses. He hired a carpenter to teach building skills to kids who were itching to do something “big and important with their hands.” He was on his feet and everywhere at once, talking with kids one-on-one as a firm, guiding friend. His enthusiasm and commitment were contagious.

Morale and grades improved dramatically. And everybody in town was grateful, right? Wrong. Littky was fired by the conservative school board, who disapproved of his unorthodox ways. But instead of giving in, Littky rallied his supporters. That school board was voted out and replaced by pro-Littky members.

At Littky’s Thayer, the percentage of seniors going on to college shot up 600%. Littky’s reforms are now so successful that Thayer teachers travel the US, giving workshops on how to turn a school around.