Beyond Barriers: Creating a Modern Learning Oasis at Westbrook Academy
A charter school serving middle and high school students for the past six years, Westbrook Academy stands as a beacon of opportunity in South Los Angeles. With a student body comprised of nearly 99% Black and Latinx individuals hailing from historically under-resourced communities, the school confronts the realities of poverty and its accompanying insecurities head-on. Yet, within the school’s walls a powerful narrative unfolds: given the opportunity and access to vital resources, Westbrook Academy’s 400 students consistently demonstrate remarkable resilience and a profound capacity for excellence. Operated and managed by LA Promise Fund, Westbrook Academy’s mission is to develop students into
academic achievers, athletes, artists and activists.
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It’s through that mission that Westbrook Academy is genuinely focused on helping students successfully approach their life after high school with an eye on college and career options. The school’s comprehensive programming is intentionally designed to support students through the complexities of life while also preparing clear pathways for individuals who are aspiring to higher education. The third pillar focuses on the skills and resources necessary to embark on meaningful careers directly after graduation.
In a pivotal moment for Westbrook Academy, the school found a dedicated champion in NBA star Russell Westbrook four years ago. His search for impactful schools in his hometown area led him to the academy. Impressed by its mission and the demonstrable potential of its students, Westbrook joined the board of directors for the LA Promise Fund but also forged a personal connection with Westbrook Academy, becoming an advocate for its students and their futures.
Building Equity, Brick by Innovative Brick
By fostering a supportive and empowering environment, Westbrook Academy actively dismantles barriers and cultivates the inherent potential within each student. The school was initially co-located in several spaces, including some unused classroom space at a local middle school. “At one point our high school students were learning in a church; we didn’t have the traditional classroom set up,” says Jade Stevens, senior director of communications. “We didn’t have the equipment that a traditional high school might have.”
That changed when Westbrook Academy moved into its forever home in South Gate, where an Empowerment Center serves as a modern, welcoming “student hub.” Designed and outfitted by MiEN and Meteor Education, the Empowerment Center is where kids go to hang out, collaborate and/or participate in school club activities. “The hub is also set up with two wellness rooms, where students can go to debrief, disconnect from a long day or just the stresses of being a student,” says Stevens. “It’s there for the students’ use.”
Special features that Westbrook Academy wanted in its Empowerment Center include a huge, interactive flatscreen TV that students, teachers and guest speakers use to interact and work together. There’s also a large selection of donated books, the latest technology tools and artwork that was personally selected by an art curation team. “They were able to secure artists from the LA community,” says Stevens, “to create and share visuals that our students are really familiar with.”
For example, some of the artwork spotlights female empowerment (i.e., with photos of authors like Octavia Butler) and the importance of acknowledging indigenous people. “Everything in the hub is meant to spark curiosity,” says Stevens. “For every piece of art on the wall, there’s a summary where students can learn more about that art or author.”
Designing a Space for Connection & Growth
As it went through the steps of designing the Empowerment Center, the team at Westbrook Academy learned a lot about architecture, planning and construction. Through it all, Stevens says having the right partners in its corner helped the school achieve its goals within budget and on time.
“It was really great to have partners like MiEN and Meteor sharing their best practices and other insights with us,” she explains. “We knew what we wanted to do, and a lot of the ideas came from our families and students. We just needed them to show us how we could get those ideas as close to reality as possible.”
Both MiEN and Meteor listened to those ideas, factored them into account and provided practical advice on how to put those aspirations into motion. For example, the original goal was to open the Empowerment Center’s doors in time for the 2023-24 school year, but getting it done the right way would require a bit more time. “They were willing to listen to us in terms of what we wanted to create, but within realistic timelines,” says Stevens. “That was really cool.”
The same goes for the school’s budget, which largely relied on fundraising and understanding what was and wasn’t realistic. To other schools in similar situations, Stevens recommends staying flexible enough to hit the timelines and get all of the bases covered while keeping student needs in mind. “We can have all the bells and whistles, but at the end of the day, if the car runs, the car runs,” she says. “We know we can always add a new paint job later.”
Over the Moon About it
Reflecting on the process that Westbrook Academy went through to get its modern student hub designed, built and open for business, Stevens says the end result is an engaging, collaborative space that can be used for hanging out, structured learning or a little of both. “I think we hit the ball out of the park with that,” she says.
Student, teacher and family feedback to the Empowerment Center has been extremely positive. Everyone loves it and students are always excited to come and spend time in the modern, comfortable space that’s equipped with the technology and tools they need to be able to learn and engage.
“At our ribbon-cutting ceremony last year our parents’ jaws were on the floor. They just never thought that these types of resources would be available to their kids,” says Stevens. “A lot of them grew with us being in the church and a co-located space, and then we asked them to trust us to deliver on our promise, and now we’re able to show that as the reward for supporting us. We feel really proud that our parents were just over the moon about it.”