Chris Sumner, a dean at Vertus High School, hugs Voncere McFadden, a 10th grade student, as students arrive at the school on Jan. 31, 2022. Vertus High School is an all-boys charter high school that focuses heavily on students graduating and having a plan after high school, as well as their four pillars of strong relationships, personalized year round academics, character education, and career preparation. According to data from the New York State Education Department (NYSED), Rochester ranks lowest of the five largest cities in New York for high school graduation rates. Vertus’s goal is to help their students defy those odds.