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Sacramento Vocational Schools Focused On Breaking Cycle Of Crime, Poverty

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Police are still looking for answers after a teenager was hit several times in a drive-by shooting on Thursday.

The 18-year-old high-school student was crossing a street near campus when he was shot. He went back to his campus where he got help.

School officials say the South Sacramento neighborhood is dangerous, but they wouldn't want it any other way. The vocational high school focuses on at-risk youth.

Principal Morri Elliott was surprised to hear one of his students was shot.

"You're always surprised by that," he said. "But the reality is we're living in a neighborhood, we're serving kids in a neighborhood where there's challenges."

Thursday's shooting underscores the challenges the South Sacramento teens face every day.

"My goal as an educator is to help kids that need the most help," he said.

The four Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academies are strategically placed in crime-ridden neighborhoods.

"Many of these kids have never been out of the neighborhood," he said.

The courses are nontraditional, focusing on hands-on vocational skills to guide them to college or paid apprenticeship programs. Those skills range from photography to construction to vehicle maintenance.

Elliott believes the real-life training helps the teens avoid the vicious cycle of poverty, crime and incarceration.

"One of the biggest challenges for these students coming into SAVA is they haven't been engaged in learning," he said.

And there is even more resolve after Thursday's shooting.

"We're going to do what we can do on campus to keep kids safe and give them a place to learn and succeed in life," he said.

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