The schools of Ward 3 are famous for their improvisation and parent involvement. The parents' relative affluence and organizational skills mean they are able to raise more money than schools in poorer wards. They often purchase things one would expect the system to provide -- such as water coolers, insulation, copying machines and telephones.

At one school, parents have done so much plumbing and wiring work that they were afraid to be identified, saying they suspected their work was not up to code but better than nothing.

Despite the frustrations, most parents of Ward 3 elementary school students are happy, but few gatherings are complete without discussing a routine question: What are you going to do once your children finish elementary school? The path to private school already has been taken by about 10,000 Ward 3 students.

Leafy streets and neighborhood businesses invite foot traffic on Connecticut Avenue near Chevy Chase Circle. (Larry Morris / The Washington Post)

"It's the saddest thing," Hill said. "I believe in public education. I believe in the idea of people from all walks of life getting the equal footing of an equal education.

"But there is only so long you can beat your head against a wall because it feels so good to stop."

In a city where homicides are endemic, Ward 3 is nearly immune.

"There is usually one, maybe two murders a year, and always some kind of extenuating circumstances involved," said Kathy Smith, of American University Park, who devotes hours each week to monitoring crime and the police force.

People in Ward 3 worry more about car radio thefts than drive-by shootings. The ward suffers some break-ins, purse snatchings, car theft, vagrancy. And although things are good by comparison with many other wards, crime remains troubling. Those like Smith, who have made crime watching their civic duty, feel some cause for optimism.

"I was very hopeful when the control board came in. I remain optimistic even though it's not been as easy as everyone first thought," said Smith, who is part of a citizens' advisory council that meets monthly with the 2nd District commander, meets regularly with the chief and publishes a newsletter called Street Smart.

Her optimism, however, is clearly a delicate thing.

"Over the years, things fell into the abyss slowly, and we didn't understand how bad it was. Now, maybe we still don't realize how bad, but we know it's bad, and people are talking about it. That's hopeful."

And even when you work with one agency of government and see progress being made, you often run into roadblocks in another branch.

For example, at one of her meetings with police Cmdr. Jacqueline Barnes, Smith learned that a huge amount of police time is eaten up by responding to false burglar alarms. Many of the false alarms come repeatedly from the same businesses with cheap or malfunctioning systems.

Kathy Smith, of American University Park, tracks neighborhood crime statistics and publishes a newsletter on the topic. (Dudley M. Brooks / The Washington Post)

"In the 2nd District, almost a third of all calls are false alarms, but two officers have to be dispatched in case it's the real thing," Smith said. A report shows that of 73,550 calls last year, 20,000 were false burglar alarms. Some businesses logged a false alarm nearly every day.

It was a real eye-opener, Smith said, and she began pushing for rule changes that would allow the police to fine businesses or homeowners whose alarms repeatedly summoned them falsely.

"The rules were finally published, and police were ready to go. But the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs said they didn't have people to log in the fines, receive the money or adjudicate the tickets if someone protested," Smith said.

So the false alarms keep ringing.

Mayor Marion Barry once described Ward 3 at the 3-T Ward, the T's being trees, traffic and taxes. By that definition, Marjorie Rachlin would be the tree lady.

She's tree coordinator for Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3F, chairwoman of a beautification project called the Friends of Connecticut Avenue, and a primary force goading city officials to prune and plant.

Whatever she does citywide, she noted, she "always has to take into account the resentment, the fear that you're going to get more than what someone considers your fair share."

She says she understands: "The resentment is due to the income differential; we are wealthy over here." That's the key, she said, to understanding why some people in Ward 3 seem complacent.

"If you don't have kids in the public school, you're not that affected. Life just goes on unless you have some kind of emergency."

Yet she is disappointed with the control board and gets frustrated. The city's tree department, for example, has been stripped of personnel and doesn't have the equipment to take down large trees.

"Some people working in the city are just swell and try to help you when you call. But you never know when or where you're going to find one. When you do, you put their names in your address book."

Penny Pagano, president of the Palisades Citizens Association, said she believes the city will rise or fall as a whole. She knows that all over the city, average people are working hard to make it rise, and she is reaching out.

The divisions that still exist are exemplified by the fact that there are two umbrella groups for neighborhood activists. The Federation of Citizens Associations, she said, has mainly white groups as members. The Federation of Civic Associations is mainly black.

A shopping area along upper Connecticut Avenue bustles with residents from nearby houses and apartments. (Larry Morris / The Washington Post)

But recently, the Palisades Citizens Association and the Hillcrest Civic Association began bridging the gap, as they joined forces.

They attend each others meetings and are planning joint events for the summer. The Hillcrest group is teaching the Palisades group how to do a house tour; Palisades residents are teaching the Hillcrest residents how to incorporate and raise funds.

Pagano is aware that people outside Ward 3 "think we have it good." She pointed out that her association has taken on a lot of city responsibilities.

"We plant trees, we mow, we rebuilt the playground. When the fire department dishwasher broke down, they came to us."

But the partnership has shown two communities at opposite ends of the city that they have much in common.

"We have very similar issues," Pagano said. "Their crime issues are more tense, but we all want the same things, and we all want this beautiful city to succeed."

Next: Ward 5