This is a delightful story about overcoming adversity with faith, hope and friends.

Neighborhood schools are becoming dinosaurs in today’s academic environment. Westbrook High is no exception to the financial pressures of public school funding. In this story, Manny Cortez makes great sacrifices to get his daughters into the school his family could not afford to send him, in spite of the fact that his father was the basketball coach there. The students and teachers are starting the new school year fresh only to be told by the superintendent that Westbrook will be closed due to lack of funds. A joint effort to save the school creates relationships between students and teachers who were former strangers and in some cases enemies as they join together to tackle seemingly impossible odds.

English teacher Elijah Bennett, a former Westbrook student, challenges his high school classmate, now principal Dr. Christine Walker, to catch the vision of saving their alma mater. However, he oversteps his bounds by stating that “School is about touching students’ lives, nurturing them and guiding them spiritually.” Christine swings back with, “This is a school, not a church. Your job is education not saving souls.” She then confesses, “I’m not sure how finding God will help me run this school.” The students and teachers, armed with faith and hope find creative ways of overcoming the challenges that seemed to doom their school.

We are pleased to award “Saving Westbrook High” the Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for all ages.