Thurgood Marshall Academy

Spanish Teacher Michael Hendricks Featured in Video

 
Thurgood Marshall Academy has been getting a lot of attention lately, and we're proud to announce that another media outlet has taken notice of what we're doing. The Pulitzer Center, a nonprofit that funds unique and nontraditional journalism, recently hosted a video competition called Project Report. Journalists submitted videos about people making a difference in their communities for a $10,000 grant. One group visited our school to report on Michael Hendricks, who teaches Spanish and coaches the boys' basketball team.

The video features Senor Hendricks in the classroom and as a coach on the court as he describes his hectic schedule of basketball practice, teaching, and grad school. The video also includes interviews with seniors De'Sean Suarez and James Trice and Director and Founder Josh Kern.

Check it out here, and vote for the video!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k4obzdn75Y&feature=player_embedded

Thurgood Marshall Academy's AP program recognized by the College Board

 

The Middle States region of the College Board recently highlighted Thurgood Marshall Academy's Advanced Placement programs, highlighting increased student demand and plans for an expanded program. Read all about it here: http://cms.connection-collegeboard.com/middle-states/211-the-rapidly-expanding-ap-program-at-thurgood-marshall-academy-in-dc

Preparation for college remains the core mission of Thurgood Marshall Academy, and the additional math, science and social science AP classes will give students a broader range of choices and more opportunities to pursue their academic interests and goals. 

Thurgood Marshall Academy One of US News and World Report's Best High Schools

Thurgood Marshall Academy has even more to boast about this season--it was named one of the best public high schools in the country by US News and World Report's annual survey. The newsmagazine, in collaboration with an external data and research center, analyzed academic indicators and enrollment data to determine the top schools in each state. The team then ranked schools into gold, silver, bronze, and honorable mention categories.

Thurgood Marshall Academy scored a bronze for this year--read all about it on US News' website: http://www.usnews.com/directories/high-schools/index_html/state_id+DC/page_number+1/page_size+10/sort+alpha/name+/award+1+2+3+4/school_name+/county+/detail+less

Congratulations to the students, faculty, and staff!

Homecoming Recap

Thurgood Marshall Academy's inaugural Homecoming celebration on December 4th and 5th really showcased the excitement for our new gym and the talent of our students. Friday the 4th began with a morning pep rally featuring class competitions that pitted grades against one another in games like tug-of-war and shooting free throws while the onlookers frantically cheered them on.

The Thurgood Marshall Academy Cheerleaders and Pep Squad also performed, getting the crowd excited for the Gym Celebration and the first home basketball game later in the day!

 

In the afternoon, students, faculty, and staff celebrated the opening of our new gymnasium, in partnership with A. Kiger Savoy Elementary School.  The Thurgood Marshall Academy Choir, the A. Kiger Savoy Tigers, and the Thurgood Marshall Academy Cheerleaders performed.

Speakers included Dr. Kerri Briggs, State Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia, Councilmember Marion Barry, Former Mayor Anthony A. Williams, and Allen Lew, Executive Director of the DC Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization.

 

Alumnus Lawrence Chambers '05 also spoke.

The celebration was not the end of a day of firsts, however. The Thurgood Marshall Academy Warriors played Maya Angelou in the first-ever home game. Those who stayed know it was a nail-biter, but the Warriors came through with a 58-51 victory! Thank you to everyone who attended this historic game--the game was sold out, and it was great to see so many people involved with the school show their support.

 

Green Club visits the White House garden

In November, members of the Green Club toured the White House garden with assistant chef Sam Cass.  There's an abundance of things growing inside the nation's garden--vegetables from around the world, including many varieties of beans, carrots, lettuce, kale, and herbs. Although most of the garden had been harvested, the Green Club was able to ask Chef Cass about the White House's horticultural practices, its gardeners (Michelle helps out sometimes), their compost heap (much bigger than Thurgood Marshall Academy's),and the Obama's favorite dish (pinto beans and garlic).  Thurgood Marshall Academy students even got to taste some lima beans!

This is actually the second vegetable garden at the White House--Eleanor Roosevelt planted the first Victory Garden during World War II. Today's garden is much smaller, freshman Te'Asia Capies explained.

It was easy for senior Keith Jenkins to see the new push towards urban gardening, spearheaded by the White House. "It's better to grow food than going to a store. There aren't as many diseases [on the plants], and you get more out of the garden for less money."

Te'Asia agrees. "It'll help the economy. If prices of food go up, you wouldn't have to buy it."

Homecoming Court Nominations

Thurgood Marshall Academy's new gymnasium is something to celebrate for sure, so what better way to inaugurate our new space than our first Homecoming dance on December 5?

Of course, it's hard to have a Homecoming without a court. Fortunately, nominations have been released and ad campaigns waged--now, it's nearly time for students to cast their votes. Here are their choices--good luck to all!

King

• Christian Hammond
• Drew Johnson
• De'Sean Suarez
• James Trice
• Remy Williams

Queen

• Kymeesha Carrington
• Nyshea Holloday
• Janay Jones
• Rashada Coton
• Keria Jackson

Prince (11th grade)

• Waverly Washington
• Delonte Nash
• Mark Greene
• Moo Johnson
• Keith Jenkins

 
Princess (11th grade)

• Symone Smith
• Kayla Murrell
• Rarnesha Daniels
• Akasha Rodgers
• Tania Thomas

Duke (10th grade)

• Deonte Atchison
• Even Mabry
• Eric Watson
• Demetrius Begemann
• Shamir Fauntleroy

Duchess (10th grade)

• Ashley Butler
• Nia Boxley
• Raynyl Cox
• Unique Wood
• Natalia Austin

Lord (9th grade)

• Matthew Thomas
• Timothy Raynor
• Antonio Bynum
• Ryequan Middleton
• Jamil Tate

Lady (9th grade)

• Kierra Murray
• Kyia Thompson
• Brianna McShay
• Arneshia Gaither
• Natoria Louallen

The dance is the day after our open house celebration of the gym, which also features our first men's basketball home game! The next few weeks will be busy ones here at Thurgood Marshall Academy.

Fall Sports Roundup: Football and Volleyball

The fall sports season has come to a close, and teams at Thurgood Marshall Academy have some victories under their belts and goals for next year.

Although many of the players on the Flag Football team were new Warriors (including the coaches), the team fared extremely well in the league, with a 5-2-1 season record. As the saying goes, however, it's not about winning or losing, but keeping all of each student's responsibilities in balance.

"One of our challenges was making sure our young men were able to balance their schoolwork with football," said Assistant Coach Randy Preston. "Our success comes from them being successful in school."

The hard work paid off--the Warriors made it to the final round of the Charter School Athletic Association League Championships, losing in the last few minutes to Maya Angelou.

Coach Preston called it "Disappointing, but not the end of the world. It came down to one play, which is how it should be."

He's optimistic for next year and hopes to turn the League Runner-Up title into Champions.

Women's volleyball kicked off its inaugural season with lots of interest in the game and enthusiasm from the start. Out of thirty-five potentials, 13 players were chosen for the team. Their season record doesn't represent what the team gained in the last few months. "Although our record was not stellar, I know that the young ladies learned a wealth of social and athletic skills through participation," said Head Coach Marielys Garcia.

In terms of understanding the game, the team came a long way over the course of the season. As Coach Garcia recalls, "Our funniest moment was during our first game when the girls (and coaches alike) were not aware of how to substitute players for each other. The referee had to show us and made our girls repeat it five times before we got it correct. It was embarrassing yet funny and made us realize how much we had to learn." Their last game against Cesar Chavez Charter School showed off the team's best game of the season, showcasing their serves, digs and spikes.

 "All in all, they grew together as a team and we're looking forward to having a competitive season next fall," as Athletic Director Michele Thompson said.

Local Flavor Week Kicks Off at Thurgood Marshall Academy

Courtesy of Rhoda Shirk

  Thurgood Marshall Academy students helped kick-off Local Flavor Week on Tuesday, September 22. Sponsored by the DC Farm to School Network, the initiative promotes the use of local produce and healthy eating in schools. In addition to hosting the event, Thurgood Marshall Academy participated by using vegetables from the organic garden in the week's lunches.

Mr. Batchelor Goes to (another part of) Washington

Thurgood Marshall Academy junior Markus Batchelor is spending the fall semester at The School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL), located in Dupont Circle in Washington, DC. The semester-long, residential program features a program centered around international politics, leadership development and public policy. Markus applied for a spot at the very competitive program with enthusiastic recommendations from teachers at Thurgood Marshall Academy. He is living and studying with 63 other talented juniors from across the country.

In addition to his core-curriculum classes- Pre-Calculus, AP English, Spanish, and AP U.S. History- Markus takes Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, and Ethics and Leadership, a day-long class that connects students to leaders in public service and international policy. So far, Markus has attended a House Committee Hearing on Afghanistan and Pakistan,visited the Pentagon and the United Nations DC Information Center, and questioned Carl Wilkens, the only American to stay in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide.

Orientation: The First Days at Thurgood Marshall Academy

Returning and new students visited Thurgood Marshall Academy for orientation last week to become familiar with the school's policies, programs, and expectations for the year.

"How many of you want to go to college?" college counselor Mr. Mitchell asked a group of tenth-graders. Most of the small crowd raised their hands. "How many of you are left handed? How many of you play an instrument?" The students who raised their hands are in luck---Mr. Mitchell used these examples to show the different kinds of scholarships available for various talents or attributes.

In another session, students heard about some exciting extracurricular programs, like the Mentoring Program, Law Day, and the new Pep Squad, which will cheer for the Warriors at home games in our new gym!

What are Thurgood Marshall Academy students looking forward to this year?

"I'm planning on studying." "And asking questions!" said sophomores Monet Tucker and Patrice Young. 

Freshman Amana Everett said she's looking forward to music class and "getting to know the teachers." With two sisters and a cousin already enrolled at Thurgood Marshall Academy, she's practically a veteran.

It's all systems go for the first week of school! Best wishes to all for a successful year.