Editor's note: First of a three-part look at the Vallejo school district high school academy initiative. Monday: An online multimedia presentation at www.timesheraldonline.com. Tuesday: A look at how some academy students are thriving.

It's like a family.

Or at least, that's how Vallejo students often describe their experiences in the Vallejo City Unified School District's five academies.

"If I was by myself, I wouldn't have made it," said 18-year-old senior Dashona Longmire, part of Jesse Bethel High School's first senior Multimedia Academy class.

Longmire has created audio-visual poetry, learned videography and mastered digital editing skills, among other things. Now, she has her eyes set on the Art Institute in San Francisco.

Longmire isn't alone with her fond experiences. Stories like hers can easily be found in all five district academies, from students watching chemical solutions change color in the Biotechnology Academy to those designing complex robotics in the Apache Engineering Academy at Vallejo High School.

Now, a new district initiative hopes to have all district high school students enrolled in "wall-to-wall" academies by