Flag Football off to a GREAT START!

Just a few weeks into the 2009 season, the TMA Warriors flag football team seems to be playoff-bound. After an intense week of tryouts, sixteen students were selected to be on the team, and they have surged to a 3-0 record!

They opened the season against Hospitality and won by a shocking 26 points for a final score of 46-20. They won their second game by forfeit, and then, on Monday, they played a close game against Young America Works winning by 4 points for a final score of 16-12. Two-point conversions by Stephon Proctor and James Trice proved to be the difference.

After the game, senior De'Sean Suarez stated, "Winning shows us, as a team, that we worked hard day in and day out to get there." The TMA Warriors sure have a lot to be proud of and we’ll keep you posted during their quest for a championship!

Afterschool Clubs Make Us Smile!

We took a few weeks to settle in to a routine. Arrive at school, find locker, learn, find locker, leave. But on September 17th, a whole new world opened up to the students at TMA. Because on that day, we hosted the Clubs Fair!

Organizations and clubs ranging from a Knitting Club to Wilderness Leadership & Learning (WILL) hosted tables to promote their clubs to the students at Thurgood Marshall Academy. When the dust settled, there were over 200 signatures on the various interest forms.

So what will our students do? Here's a potential week of afterschool activities for a TMA student:

Monday - Yoga with Ms. Peterson. Learning basic relaxation techniques and early yoga positions, student finds his inner OM.
Tuesday - Drum Empowerment Club. In a circle of students, she drums and laughs and drums some more.
Wednesday - Teen Action. This community service club gives the student a chance to leave the building and perform service in the DC area.
Thursday - Debate Team. Honing her argumentation skills, she gets this months debate topic (Health Care reform) and practices her public speaking.
Friday - Film Club. Students choose the movie. They watch together and discuss afterward. First film on the marquee? Slum Dog Millionaire. He watches, relaxes, and hopes the film has a happy ending.

And that's why clubs make us smile.

Law Firm Tutoring coming SOON!

The 2009-2010 school year is in full swing, and there are many exciting activities going on at TMA! Law Firm Tutoring, which begins this month, is a program designed for every 11th grader in the school. This is an opportunity for students to connect with community members from various DC law firms including: Morgan Lewis, Crowell & Moring, Williams & Connolly, Jenner & Block, and Vinson & Elkins. The students of TMA will meet lawyers at their firms for dinner and one-on-one tutoring each Tuesday after school. Students and law firm tutors will cover chemistry, literature, Algebra 2, and US History. Many current TMA 12th grade students had such an amazing time with Law Firm Tutoring last year, they have begged to do it again this year! Thanks to all our law firm partners; we're looking forward to another great year!