By Shawn P. Williams – Dallas South News Editor

H. Grady Spruce High School is on the comeback trail, and I’m making an early prediction that they’ll make it back better than ever.

I was drawn to Spruce High this passed Saturday to check out their “Eco-Friendly”Car Wash.  I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but it sounded pretty cool and I had never been to the Pleasant Grove campus before so I headed out that way bright and early.  The car wash would benefit the cheerleaders who are in need of new uniforms and the Auto Collision Program.

There was lots of activity on campus for a Saturday morning.  Not only was the car wash going on, but Saturday School was also in session, and the girls basketball team was preparing for an afternoon game with North Dallas High.  But my first stop was at the Auto Collision Shop where the car wash was being held.

There I met Coach Greg Cano, who is the Auto Collision teacher.  One of my first questions for Coach Cano was what made their car wash so eco-friendly.  “Any oil or grease that comes off the car is separated after it goes into the drain,” said coach Cano.  The oil/grease is stored and a truck comes out once a year to dispose of the waste properly.  Also, the sprayer that is used to wash the cars makes sure that they only use a gallon and a half of water for each wash.

The set up is one of the few in the city that is so environmentally advanced.  Coach Cano credits Service King and Chuck Fairbanks Auto for their support of the Auto Collision program.  “With what we’ve been through, you need good partners.”

What Spruce has been through is reconstitution.  The State of Texas and DISD stopped just short of shutting Spruce down a couple of years ago due to abysmal test scores and horrid attendance.  According to Spruce High School’s 2008-2009 scorecard, only 32% of Spruce students met minimum standards on the Mathematics portion of the TAKS Test three years ago.  Only 4% had math scores that met college ready standards.  The trend continued and Spruce was basically dismantled with most of its students going to other schools within DISD.

Spruce High 2008-2009 Scorecard

Enter Dr. Lucy Davila Hakemack who is now in her second year as principal at H. Grady Spruce.  When Dr. Hakemack arrived last year the entire staff was let go.  She eventually brought back 25% of the previous teachers, but 75% percent of the staff is brand new and charged with instilling a new culture at Spruce.

While on a tour of the campus with English II Teacher/Cheerleading Sponsor/Yearbook Sponsor Lori Welch, we happened into Dr. Hakemack’s office.  “How are these children doing?” Hakemack asked of the Saturday school students.  Though the question was rhetorical, it almost seemed as if Dr. Hakemack wanted a report from each of the 15 or so teachers who volunteer their time to help the students who are struggling in various areas of study.  Ms. Welch said that there could be as many as 150 students who attend Saturday school on a given weekend.

Because of the school’s reconstitution, Spruce is currently made up of only freshman and sophomores.  Each year a grade is added and the next graduating class is scheduled for 2012.

After visiting the campus of Spruce, interacting with students, and feeling the enthusiasm that dripped from every member of the staff -including the grounds supervisor- it’s not hard to root for the troubled school that’s still ranked as unacceptable (though Math scores rose to 66% minimum and 21% college ready in Hakemack’s 1st year).   I went looking for a car wash, but what I found was what I often find in Southern Dallas: a diamond in the rough that needs a little extra care to bring out the shine which lies beneath the surface.  You can count on more at DSN from Spruce in the future.

Also read Sharon Grigsby’s Be Someone at H. Grady Spruce for the Dallas Morning News.

IF YOU ARE ENJOYING THE CONTENT OF DALLAS SOUTH NEWS’ BIG MONDAY, PLEASE SIGN UP TO MAKE A $10, $25, OR $50 RECURRING MONTHLY DONATION AT OUR SECURE DONATION SITE (DONATE NOW).