Brook Hill offers real college prep curriculum
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Bobby Woodruff Bullard Properties

"As a school of excellence, Brook Hill should be responsive to the full nature of human rationality. "

That's how Brook Hill Upper School Principal Connie Russell explained the school's mission to me.

"Brook Hill should be a center of inquiry, a place where professional knowledge is created."

In relation to the academic area, she said, "I think our mission statement sums it all up.' The Brook Hill School provides excellence in college preparatory education and challenges the potential of each student. It encourages students to honor God through Christ like character.'"

Number one, Brook Hill is a college prep school.

"We intentionally admit students who express an interest in going on to college, Russell said. "Therefore, the entire curriculum is geared toward that goal. Brook Hill does not have a vocational program or technical program like many schools have, they are more of a liberal arts program, working toward a well-rounded student."

Brook Hill looks to challenge the whole child, the potential of the whole child, whether it be in academics, athletics, or the fine arts. "We have programs here that meet all of these needs." Through all of this the school works to help raise Godly students who will continue to honor God when then leave school."

Some of the objectives that are posted as part of the board policy, is that the school is preparing young people to succeed in college and life pursuits.

It is important to:

! strengthen their faith so that they can make choices that honor God.

! develop within them a heart that honors others.

! provide opportunities for them to become effective and dynamic leaders.

One of the unique programs on campus is the History/English department This is an integrated program that focuses on an intense study of great writings: people and events that have formed civilization through time.

The program begins with the ancient and moves to the medieval to the middle ages and into the modern western civilization.

The school has many honor classes, advanced classes, dual-credit classes and advancement placement classes in English, calculus, literature, and history.

The dual-credit class for college credit is a popular program.

This makes the school clearly a collegebound program. Most of the students are involved in at least one of the advanced programs by the time they get to their junior or senior year.

The ACT and SAT scores are consistently above the state average.

There have been five graduating classes. This year there is one student who is a semifinalist in the national merit program.

There have been 98 graduates who have been accepted to 99 different colleges throughout the United States.

The school is very proud of those young men and women and what they have accomplished.

Their foreign language program is very intense as it exceeds the TEA recommended program in both Spanish and French.

" We have a full complement of courses and activities for the college bound student," Russell said

While Russell believes that there are many in the Brook Hill community who share her vision, she said, in reality, "We must all share the vision in order to see success and to be a school of excellence.

"Not only principals and teachers, but parents and students too must accept their share of responsibility for assuring quality education."

For anyone interested in learning more about Brook Hill School, they should go to www.brookhill.org and you will find a great deal of information about the school.

For anyone who is interested in Brook Hill, there are so many areas to talk about, it's difficult to sum up. You can visit the Web site at brookhill.org.

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Bobby Woodruff is a former school administror, and retired as BISD's high school assistant principal. He now sells real estate for Bullard Properties. You may reach him via email to Jackw690943@aol.com