New site gives school another reason for pride

AS he walked through what used to be the Montgomery Ward store at the former Crossroads Mall in south Oklahoma City, Chris Brewster talked about his passion.

“There are 105,000 kids in Oklahoma City who need an excellent education,” Brewster said. “Whether that’s a traditional public school, a private school, a public charter school … these kids deserve a great education.”

As superintendent of Santa Fe South Schools, Brewster strives to provide that for 3,400 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade who attend several mostly inauspicious charter school sites on the south side. This former department store, however, is a gleaming jewel for Santa Fe South high schoolers.

Classes began in August following a breakneck remodeling of the space, located on the northeast side of what is now Plaza Mayor at the Crossroads. Closing on the property occurred a few days before Christmas; work began in the third week of January.

The result is an airy, modern school that stresses collaboration and transparency. Windows into classrooms are left uncluttered by pictures or signs. The classrooms are in groups of four and aligned by subject matter, with the four teachers’ desks together in the center. Large windows allow teachers — and students — to see into the other three classrooms.

“We call it ‘sharing it through the glass,’” Brewster said during an open house last week. “If one teacher is really killing it in their class, the other teachers can see that” and perhaps copy those best practices.

At Santa Fe South High School, whose enrollment is slightly under 1,000, strong grades, solid attendance and good behavior earn upper classmen the right to go “off campus” — into the mall — at lunchtime.

The new school is a tremendous upgrade from Shield Heights Elementary, 301 SE 38, which dates to 1911 and is where the high school had been housed for many years. Moving to the new location helped enrollment at the high school grow by about 250.

“These students appreciate what’s been given to them,” Brewster said. “They’ve done a beautiful job of respecting the space.”

About 95 percent of the school’s students qualify for free and reduced lunches, and a comparable percentage are Hispanic. Roughly three-fourths of the students are bilingual. Many will be the first in their family to attend college; the school tries to increase seniors’ prospects through a career exploration program that exposes students to various occupations, and by providing help filling out college applications and financial aid forms.

One interesting feature of the school is a wall located near the entrance to the school and covered with clipboards. Each senior writes out his or her post-high school plans and hangs them on the wall for all to see. College acceptance letters will be added to the clipboards as they arrive.

The point is not just for the older students to set goals and try to attain them, and then celebrate them, but also to set an example for the younger students: This is what is expected at Santa Fe South High School.

Brewster has always been proud of his students. Now he, and they, have a building to boast about, too. Congratulations.