Though she is years away from driving, Jacki Corbitt has a dream car. A Kia Sportage. Smart Girls is just one of the innovative teaching methods used at the alternative school, where bean bags replace desks and walls are covered with photos of students, not historical figures. Life skills like changing car tires and oil, ordering telephone service and keeping a bank account are taught in Smart Girls. Along with Smart Girls, PACE serves as a social service agency for the community and the students' families.
Leftover food is taken home to students' families.
Jacki, who has learning disabilities, knows how difficult it is to concentrate on school when there are family problems. I'm supposed to aggravate her. She has a similar problem to most of the girls at PACE - a family life that is anything but traditional. Her mother, Dawn, works long hours in the citrus industry. Since Jacki started PACE, she and Regina get along better, her grades have improved and she is learning to find herself in a world that once was terrifying.