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By: Olivia Johnson

On Thursday, the Troup County School Board voted to approve the renaming of West Point Elementary School’s gym after Zelma Brock, a longtime educator and assistant principal. 

“There’s been a lot of community input, and I appreciate all of the stakeholders, teachers, parents, staff, that have worked together to make this happen. This couldn’t happen to a better educator, one that we will remember and will continue to remember, especially in the West Point community,” Board chairman Brandon Brooks said. 

During the board work session on Monday, WPES Principal Keneitha Cook spoke in favor of the gym renaming. 

“Brock was a former assistant principal at WPES and a longtime educator for 42 years,” Cook said. “She impacted the lives of students and staff alike. Her contributions to the community, school and district deserve to be recognized and honored.” 

At the guidance of Superintendent Dr. Brian Shumate, WPES surveyed PTO board members, parents and staff. 

The end results of the survey showed support for the gym renaming. According to the survey, 76% of WPES staff members supported renaming the gym after Brock, while 24% were against. 

A majority, 81.3%, of WPES parents were in favor of the renaming. 

Brock retired from education in 2017 with a total of 44 years working for the TCSS. 

After retiring, Brock continued working and became employed with The Active Life Center in West Point, where she served as Active Life Specialist and Site Manager until October 2021.