I question the authenticity of the last blogger claiming to be a teacher at THE A. Maceo Smith. There are several untruths here. If this perpetrator is a teacher,s/he needs to do a lot more homework. I wonder what his/her lesson plans look like. I did do a little research and found NO administrator "sat" in that building for seven years. Not one administrator had a seven year tenure (that includes principal,ap and dean). Dr. Donnie Breedlove had the longest tenure of any principal in that building and the school was not low-performing. The school did not have the same fate as SOC and other reconstituted campuses because the school met AYP and was rated acceptable by TEA for 05-06. Things at this school may not be as bad as some claim but if this place was as bad as this teacher claims it was before the current administration got there, why stay in a place where your colleagues don't teach and come just to collect a paycheck? Did the teacher endure this negative environment for seven years? Maybe this teacher is new and is speaking from the perspective of the grapevine, which we all know is the greatest and most factual source of information. This teacher claims that in one year the campus has made gains in math and science. That's great, because all high schools seem to struggle in those areas. My only concern is what data is this teacher comparing seeing as though the math and science TAKS tests are scheduled to be taken in May. Maybe the teacher has ESP. THE A.Maceo Smith has more problems than we see posted if the very teachers who are employed in the building don't know the historical student performance and TAKS testing dates. Lets hope the teacher's assessment of the school is valid. If things are better, time will tell and we will see major growth in TAKS scores, student performance, scholarships, college admissions and graduates. As far as volunteering goes, that is a great idea too. I just hope the staff and administration makes outsiders feel welcome.