One of the most troubling narratives I run across here in the city of Camden is the constant degradation of Camden High and Woodrow Wilson. Those two schools are, to my knowledge, Camden’s oldest high schools, and the city’s only traditional neighborhood high schools (there are three magnet schools, and a number of charter/renaissance schools either open or in the process of opening). Both schools have felt the multi-decade movement towards “choice” — and as magnets and charters have attracted many higher performing students, Camden High and Woodrow Wilson have seen their reputation suffer. So often in conversation, these two schools play the boogeyman — opening other schools is justified by saying that kids need to “avoid” Camden High or Woodrow Wilson, and the schools are talked about as a place of last resort (though, to be fair, there is also a LOT of pride in these two schools — “school of last resort” isn’t the only narrative). 

I’ve talked to teachers, students and administrators who are heart-broken by this. These schools can be difficult places to learn or make your living, for example I interviewed an Environmental Justice advocate from the city who finally told me the story of why no one is allowed to drink tap water in Camden schools — it’s not pretty — and that’s just a minor example of some of the infrastructure difficulties Camden’s aging schools face. And the student populations face serious challenges ranging from poverty, to difficult family situations, to living amidst a world where gang violence is present at younger and younger ages. Those who work in these places are often demonized for being poor teachers, blamed for low scores and graduation rates, despite working in some of the most difficult situations our country has to offer. 

It’s worse for students, who, alongside the challenges Camden has to offer, face stigma for going to the “wrong” school. Their attendance is often seen as another marker of failure, a challenge that students with many challenges before them shouldn’t have to put up with. And trust me, students from Wilson and Camden High can be fiercely defensive of their school — as I saw when a local charter student visited my class and said that her classmates want to learn, unlike the students at Camden High. That did not fly with my public school guests.

It does everyone involved with these schools a disservice to reduce them to a talking point in a discussion about the ways communities are trapped by zipcode, or a prop in the argument about the need for new schools. It does a disservice to reduce them to a stereotype and ignore the daily effort that goes into making these schools places of learning and consistency for young people who need both.

While I’ve been to Camden High, last night was my first visit to Woodrow Wilson. I finally made it there for, yes, a basketball game. Woodrow Wilson was playing LEAP, whose star Donovan Guess is being recruited by my Penn Quakers (where I played basketball while in college). So I thought I’d take advantage of the cross-town matchup and see the two teams play. 

First of all, it was a great game. Guess lived up to the hype, with 36 points, after a very rough first quarter. Wilson’s Tymere Tokley looked liable to jump clear through the roof on a couple of unbelievably athletic plays on his way to 37. And LEAP came away with a hard won victory despite being smaller and less athletic at virtually every position than Wilson. 

But more than the basketball, I came away impressed with how great of a place that gym was. Administrators, teachers, graduates and community members were walking in and out. Students were cheering. There were a couple of oohs from the Wilson stands when Tokley dunked on what felt like half the LEAP team, and more than a few aaaahs from LEAP students went Guess put a cross-over, behind the back sequence that left one Wilson player on his knees by the hashmark. Students were good-naturedly heckling each other. A Wilson cheerleader kept being told that she should come “back to the LEAP side” — a reference, I think, to the fact that students at schools around Camden often go to Wilson and Camden High for activities or sports that aren’t offered at magnet or charters. 

More than anything, it was just a good place to be. That is something that too often gets lost in the (often well-intentioned) drive to improve education here. Yes, schools have their struggles. And yes, we need to be thinking about how to improve them. But amidst the struggles, they can be amazing places where young people can gather, relax, and be in a healthy environment. Last night, Woodrow Wilson was a place for students to cut loose and athletes to test their boundaries. Schools are often positive places for young people. That is and can be true alongside these big picture realities that we so-often debate.