One of our goals in the Clear Creek Independent School District is to provide rigorous learning opportunities and curriculum that transcend state and national standards to improve the achievement of each student while meeting their individual needs and aspirations. You can see this goal at work when visiting the Webster Academy Visions in Education or commonly known as WAVE at Westbrook Intermediate off El Dorado and Highway 45. This program for the Gifted and Talented is nationally recognized and is considered one of our flagship offerings in Clear Creek ISD. Its success is worth duplicating in League City. At the time when WAVE opened in 1996, our student enrollment hovered above 29,000 and Clear Creek High School was the only high school in League City. Today, League City is home to three comprehensive high schools and the school district now serves more than 39,000 students.
Westbrook Intermediate has also experienced exponential growth, largely due to the popularity of the Gifted and Talented program as it serves students from across the district. WAVE grew from 320 students in 2000 to 748 students in 2011. Westbrook Intermediate today is above capacity while League City Intermediate is under capacity. We have proposed opening a second WAVE location at League City Intermediate to serve League City, Kemah and Seabrook.
At a time when school districts across Texas and the nation are reducing or eliminating special programs due to budget constraints, some may question why the Clear Creek Independent School District would invest $200,000 in the expansion of WAVE. I would argue we would not be fulfilling our mission as a district, of developing students who will lead the way to the future, if we kept WAVE at a location where it can no longer physically meet the unique needs of students. Not to mention, why would you not duplicate success? And why not duplicate that success in League City, where even more students can excel?
Greg Smith, Superintendent of Schools
Clear Creek Independent School District