J. Adam Fenster/The Gazette National Merit Scholar finalist Daniel Mittelberger at his graduation on Friday from the Oakmont School in Gaithersburg.

Like many graduating seniors, Daniel Mittelberger is excited about his future prospects -- challenging classes, meeting new friends and getting involved in more activities.

But unlike many seniors, Mittelberger's road to graduation was riddled with obstacles like emotional and neurological disabilities that made it difficult for him to make friends and concentrate in school.

"For a while I wasn't sure if I was going to make it [to graduation]," Mittelberger said, adding that he had some serious bouts with depression at the beginning of his freshman year.

At 8, Mittelberger was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome, a neurological disorder that caused him to have involuntary tics of the face and shoulders. The medication he took to help control the tics caused him to gain nearly 60 pounds. Then he was diagnosed with depression, Pervasive Development Disorder, which kept him from understanding basic social interaction, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, anxiety and a learning disability.

The Rockville resident and his parents tried five different schools before finding the Oakmont School in Gaithersburg ­ a school designed to help bright kids learn to manage their emotional disabilities.

"We have had a lot of successful students and a lot of very proud moments. The reason Danny is so special for us is the amount of progress he's made is really phenomenal," said Denise Flora, Oakmont School principal. "Danny came to us as one of those kids where you can see the potential, but you can't figure out if he's ever going to get there. He's just blossomed and bloomed."

Friday morning, Mittelberger, 18, was recognized before his graduating class of seven for being a National Merit Scholar finalist and for winning the Robert C. Byrd Scholar academic scholarship -- given this year to only 113 Maryland students, all in the top 1 percent of their graduating class. Mittelberger, who scored a 1490 on his SATs, with a perfect score in math, will be attending George Washington University in the fall.

And for the boy who would do almost anything to avoid going to school, Oakmont made all the difference.

"I just hated school in general, but Oakmont changed all of that because it was a school I didn't hate," Mittelberger said. "The support of the staff both academically and personally [was wonderful.] They support you in making friendships, they let you do your own thing, but if you need help, they're there."

Oakmont, a school of roughly 40 students in grades 6-12, opened six years ago to help bright students with emotional or learning disabilities learn to cope with their problems.

The 11-month school follows Montgomery County curriculum and accepts students from outside of the county. Most students do not pay tuition because they are referred by their local school district, Flora said.

The school uses small classes, group therapy and individual counseling to provide a structured, calm learning environment, Flora said.

Some students are able to "mainstream" back into the public school system before graduation, while others, like Mittelberger, choose to stay in the program and graduate from Oakmont, Flora said. In the past six years, the school has graduated about 40 kids, and another 20 students have been able to return to and graduate from public schools, Flora said.

"It's a much calmer environment for kids who are too anxious to go to school -- as a rule, it feels safe," Flora said.

And a safe place is what Mittelberger needed. After being unmercifully teased in elementary school because of his tics from Tourette's, Mittelberger spent two years at the Oneness-Family School in Chevy Chase, a small private school that focused on teaching students yoga and meditation to help them manage their emotions. But his problems flared up again when he decided to transfer back to Tilden Middle School.

"I really didn't know what I was doing," Mittelberger said about the challenge of transferring from a small school to a middle school with more than 1000 students. By the time he entered Richard Montgomery High School, Mittelberger had few friends and had gotten into a cycle of skipping classes and oversleeping to avoid difficult social aspects of school.

"I ran for president of my class, and I tried wrestling, but I quit after about two days," Mittelberger said. "I started having a lot of trouble with people teasing me, and trouble sleeping, which was aggravated by not wanting to wake up."

Halfway through his freshman year, Mittelberger transferred to Oakmont, his sixth school in nine years.

"He got to Oakmont and Oakmont was really there for him," Mittelberger's mother Harriet said. "It was again a safe haven where he could really learn."

At first, he had difficulty following the rules. He got in people's personal space. He didn't come to class. He didn't get along with his peers in the group therapy sessions.

But the strict rules and group therapy at Oakmont helped Mittelberger finally began to feel comfortable socially, and he excelled in his classes. He served as vice president of the student government his sophomore and junior year. And in his junior year, he returned part time to Richard Montgomery High School to take an honors physics course. As a senior, he took classes at Montgomery College and tutored other Oakmont students.

Although college will be a new challenge for Mittelberger, he is excited to meet new people and stretch his abilities.

And Mittelberger's mother said Oakmont has prepared her son for the challenges he'll face on campus.