"Yes we can!" Those famous three words of the Obama campaign could serve as the theme for the culture of hope and excellence at the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Many of the students arrive in the 9th grade with reading and math skills at an early elementary school level. Others lack the basic life skills to look an adult in the eye, shake hands, dress neatly, and show up for school and work on time. The kids come from all across Minneapolis, many from gang-dominated neighborhoods. The school is part of the Cristo Rey Network, featured in a 60-minute documentary and in "Newsweek." The network has transformed the graduation rate in under-performing neighborhoods from 20 percent to over 90 percent. Drawing from Plato's concept of the "Agora" (Greek for marketplace), the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School offers highly personalized learning spaces in a truly communal setting. This article explains how the design of the facilities at the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School impact student achievement.