West Brook often gets a bad rap from the community. We have an overcrowded, run-down campus. No matter where you go or which way you face, there’s bound to be at least one camera or assistant principal in view.

It’s not uncommon to have one or several classes held in portable buildings, travel from classroom to classroom in search of staples and chalk for teachers, attempt selling magazines for the science program or cards for the math department, and it’s certainly not uncommon to hear a teacher speak about the supplies they now have to pay for since the money provided for them has been cut.

West Brook has too many students; there’s no denying that. West Brook teachers have to fend for themselves when it comes to chalk, staples, and tape, and each year the number of scantrons seems to drop drastically. Funding might not seem so skimpy if our school only had as many kids as it was made for.

However, a school cannot remove several hundred students because of a crowded campus. Administrators and teachers are doing what they can with what they’ve got to work with. It shows in our test scores.

In 2006 West Brook had a higher percentage of students pass their TAKS tests than the percentage passing for the whole state of Texas, with the exception of the Mathematics test. West Brook has the highest percentage of students passing TAKS in all portions of the test than any other Jefferson County high school.

West Brook’s highest percentage of students passing any TAKS section in 2006 was 91 percent in Social Studies. Central had 70 percent of students pass; Ozen had 82 percent. West Brook’s lowest percentage of students passing was 62 percent in Mathematics. Central had 32 percent, and Ozen had 44 percent.

Seeing as Central and Ozen are viewed with the same disdain as West Brook, some people may not recognize how well West Brook performs when just compared with our county. However, in looking into test scores from surrounding ‘nice” areas, one might be surprised.

Lumberton High School never had more than eight percent more students pass their tests. West Brook even had a higher percentage of students pass the Social Studies portion of the test.

West Brook is better than most people’s opinion of it. We may have a run-down campus, but we do not make unacceptable ratings or have a worthless education system.

Our ratings are just as good as those of wealthier campuses; we just don’t have the same facilities.

As wonderful as our scores are compared with how they’re mistaken to be, they could always use improvement. Mathematics is still our worst section; science is second worst.

We need to work to raise our scores so we can contend with schools across the nation as well as in our state. With improvement will come the respect West Brook students are in desperate need of. It’s time we’re recognized for what we can do; not how pristine, or not, our campus is.