Thurgood Marshall Academy

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.

Summer Does Not Mean Vacation for Thurgood Marshall Academy Students

True to form, Thurgood Marshall Academy students worked hard throughout the summer. Participants in Summer Prep, Summer School, and summer Advanced Placement enrichment programs hit the books alongside students in the DC Superior Court Internship program.

DC Superior Court Internship Program- Led by Mr. Hendricks, the DC Superior Court Internship Program paired nine rising seniors with a DC Superior Court judge. The student interns worked with the judge and his/her chambers for six weeks during June and July. For four days per week, the interns headed to the court to assist with and observe a variety of trials, including a few murder cases. In class on Fridays, they discussed their experiences during the week, reviewed legal vocabulary, and heard about law in action from guest speakers.

In its second year, the internship is experiential learning that focuses on issues affecting the Thurgood Marshall Academy community. Culminating in a final analysis of one of the observed cases, the internship gave these rising seniors a chance to apply what they learned in the classroom to a real-life situation. "They're getting to do what most law students would be doing for their internships," commented Mr. Hendricks.

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Peer Trainers Complete 3rd Day of Training

Sixteen ADL Peer Trainers in the World of Difference Program completed their third all-day training session on Thursday, April 3. During the training, students improved their facilitation skills and prepared to lead their own workshops on appreciating diversity, recognizing prejudice, and working together. The students are eager to enter the classrooms to offer these workshops!

Youth & Government Summit

Thurgood Marshall Academy's Youth & Government delegation had a successful experience at the Youth & Government Summit on March 15. Highlights from the weekend include the following achievements.

• The Thurgood Marshall Delegation wont he great honor of Superior Delegation for the second year in a row. The award honors the delegation that overcomes obstacles while still maintaining professionalism, positions of power, and enthusiasm.
• Remy Williams successfully ran for City Council Chair (the second most important position in Youth & Government) against five other students. Next year, he will chair a significant portion of the Youth & Government meetings.
• Remy Williams and Darryl Tibbs were selected to attend the National Youth & Government Conference this summer in North Carolina. Corante Henderson, Elisabeth Robinson, and Christian Yanez were selected as alternates.
• Victoria Henderson and Jasmine Jeffries-Campbell wrote and presented a bill on how to save schools with under-enrollment problems, which was passed in a nearly unanimous vote.
• Darryl Tibbs, as a member of the Press Corps, wrote a major article in the Youth & Government Newsletter, The Informer.
• Abdisomal Hashi won tremendous praise from many facutly advisors for his insightful questions and well-crafted arguments during debates.

                                                                     

Welcome Karen Hastie Williams, Former Clerk to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall!

"Law is an important tool... the more you know, the more you can help yourself and your family."  So said Karen Hastie Williams, former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and retired partner at DC law firm Crowell & Moring, during a visit on Monday, February 25th, to Thurgood Marshall Academy.  Thirty-one students gathered in the library to hear her speak about her experiences as a lawyer, clerk to Justice Marshall, and civil rights advocate.  She has long been a pioneer in her field: In 1976, she was the only African-American clerk out of 27 for the Supreme Court, and one of only five women. 

Ms. Williams welcomed student questions.  Senior Christian Yanez wanted to know if as a law clerk she ever had to write an opinion for a judge that she personally disagreed with.  Senior James Watkins wanted to know about her experience at Bates College: he has applied there himself for college, and would she recommend it?  To sophomore Mache Chase, Ms. Williams had a question herself: what kind of career would you like to have?  When Mache answered psychology, Ms. Williams spoke about how psychologists might sometimes have to go to court on behalf of their clients. 

Ms. Williams's advice to students who are interested in a law career: make the most of your education, and also--find a way to do public service! 

Thank you to Ms. Williams for the inspiring visit, and thank you also to Ridgway Hall of Crowell & Moring for the support.   

Neighborhood Exploration

In Mr. Ullery's Environmental Science course, students took to the streets to explore the neighborhood surrounding Thurgood Marshall Academy. Before they ventured outside, they used aerial photographs and maps to develop hypotheses about what they would see on their walk. During their walk, students recorded places where there was access to fresh food and places where people meet to talk, engage in community events, and learn new things. Armed with this "ground truth," they synthesized their findings by creating power point presentations of their results. Students also discussed how their neighbors view the community and offered some solutions to the problems they observed. Through projects like the Neighborhood Walk, students learn how to be advocates for themselves and their communities.