By day, Grant High School in northeast Portland pulsates with the energy of 1,500 teen-agers following the rhythms they've come to associate with school.
Lockers slam, bells ring, basketballs bounce, textbooks open and close at predictable times.
By night, a few dozen youth make their way downstairs to a corner of the Grant basement. There's a whole different rhythm when Portland Night High School comes to order. Most of these students have already put in a day's work before they slip into their wooden desk chairs. Night school comes at the end of their day, but many of these students say it provides them with a new beginning in life. For 25 years, Portland Night High School has offered students a way to complete their secondary education even if they've already started a job or a family.