Homework Help's Holiday Meal

Cornbread prepared by Programs Staff.

Last Monday TMA students gathered in the cafeteria to celebrate an early Thanksgiving. About 30 students feasted on green beans, sweet potatoes, corn, and cornbread, all washed down with some delicious apple juice. The dinner was a huge hit, with several students coming back for second helpings! Many thanks to the Kids Café program of the Capital Area Food Bank for donating the components of our Holiday Meal!

Allente Clark poses with his food.

Students waiting in line for portions of food...

Isaiah Anderson and Treasure Shields dig into their dinner!

The TMA Brief Hits Newstands

The wait is over.

After months of hype, the first issue of this year’s TMA Brief is out on campus. With 12 pages of news, entertainment, photography, art and creative writing, this issue covers the creative energy of TMA and its students.

On the front page, Carlos McKnight reports on the results of the 2011 Student Government Association elections. Bryn Baffer writes in smart, funny prose about her experiences living on both sides of the country. Keneon Williams sits down with Ms. Shabazz to get the inside scoop on life, art and the influence of Picasso. Rounding out the reportage, Stewart Gray narrates the play-by-play of the year’s first Mentor Day in stunning detail.

Want more? Kimon Mickens dishes on the new Beyonce video alongside poetry by Anthonya James and Keneon Williams and photographs by Sydni Foshee and Jasmine Williams.

And, of course, don’t hold back on tackling The CoCoRon Puzzler. The first student or staff/faculty member to turn in a completed puzzle to Mr. Corcoran in Room 006 wins a prize!

Kicking yourself for not contributing to the issue? Don’t worry. The TMA Brief is looking for writers, artists, business-types and student leaders. See Mr. Bein in Room 210 or Mr. Corcoran in Room 006 for more information.

The TMA Brief is now published worldwide. A pdf version is available on the TMA web site. Click the link below.

http://www.thurgoodmarshallacademy.org/tma-publications/

National Treasure: TMA Edition

While many students spent last Friday’s day off from school sleeping in late, twenty of Ms. Enrich’s chemistry students scurried across DC in a city-wide treasure hunt. The treasure hunts demanded problem solving, critical thinking, persistence, and cooperation. The hunt led students to sites including Lafayette Park, the Martin Luther King library, and the National Portrait Gallery.

Treasure Hunts began as a brainstorm three years between Ms. Enrich and her former colleague from Cesar Chavez, and this year students from both schools participated. All students persevered to finish the hunt this year, but coming in first place was the dynamic trio of Malachi McCaskill, Telvin Walker, and Chris Ridout. Organizer Ms. Enrich commented, “Treasure Hunts pushes students to think extremely hard while also having fun exploring the sights in their own city.”

Winners Telvin Walker, Malachi McCaskill, and Chris Ridout

Want to be involved in a future treasure hunt? There will be another opportunity to participate in a second treasure hunt at the end of fourth quarter. It’s open to teachers as well, so start forming your teams now! Talk to Ms. Enrich for more information.

Award-Winning Photojournalist Talks Travel, Careers and Storytelling

Take risks and follow your creative passions—that was the advice award-winning photographer Andre Lambertson offered a group of about 15 students after school on Tuesday, November 8.

Lambertson told the group, which included members of the HERO Club, Art Club and Media Club, that when he was young he knew only that wanted to tell stories. After a stint in college as an apprentice for a news photographer in New York City, Lambertson decided to devote himself to visual media. You might not make money starting out, Lambertson told students, but if you are passionate about the daily grind then you will find a way to make it work.

Lambertson showed a series of photographs from his travels to impoverished regions of Liberia and Haiti. Speaking at length about the relationships he built with the people he met, Lamberston explained the stories behind each photograph. Students learned about child soldiers in Liberia and about Haitians surviving after the devastating earthquake that took place there in 2010. Lambertson explained that he develops personal relationships with his subjects and in doing so can often tell their stories in a more truthful way than what is portrayed in typical media reporting.

He advised students to travel widely as a means of broadening their perspectives.

“Traveling changes you,” Lamberston said.

Lambertson has published photographs in many publications, including Time, The New York Times Magazine, the Baltimore Sun, and National Geographic. Currently, he is working on a documentary film about marching bands that work to reduce street violence in New Orleans.

Lambertson’s visit to TMA was arranged in cooperation with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a DC-based non-profit that funds international journalism projects.

Students interested in photography, journalism, media or related career tracks should see Mr. Bein about contributing to TMA student media. Sophomores should also speak with Mr. Bein about developing potential placements for Job Shadow Day in the spring.

Fall Farmer's Market a Huge Success!

Green Club members with their tables of produce!

Chard, tomatoes, peppers, and sage, oh my! TMA’s Green Club got the garden ready for winter by sponsoring a Farmer’s Market this past Thursday after school with the season’s final harvest. Green Club members sold herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage, chives, lavender, parsley, mint, and dill, as well as other vegetables, including green tomatoes, several kinds of peppers, eggplant, and chard. 

Ms. Lee rings up a customer.

All of the produce was grown in TMA's Garden!

 Elegant bouquets of zinnias, marigolds, and mums, made by Sydni Foshee, were also a huge hit! 

Green Club was also fortunate to be joined at the Farmer’s Market by Candice Sullivan, a personal chef matched with TMA through the Chefs to Schools Program. 

Chef Candice Sullivan and Ms. Lee at the beginning of the market.

  

Ms. Sullivan gave recipe ideas to interested buyers and explained how to store herbs until ready to use (wrapped in a damp paper towel in in the fridge).

Selling the produce at the packed farmer's market

  The Farmer’s Market sold almost all of the harvested produce and made nearly $100 to support the efforts of Green Club! Not a bad way to end a season!

Law Firm Tutoring Highlight: Crowell & Moring

DaQuan Gunn works on homework

 With eight weeks under their belts, TMA’s 11^th grade class continues to excel at the Law Firm Tutoring program each Tuesday. This past Tuesday, students who attend Crowell & Moring arrived at the firm and sat down to dinner (some of them already working on homework!). Once their tutors arrived, students and tutors turned their minds to essays, history projects, close readings of poetry, and math homework.

Monee Ford and her tutor

Each student at Crowell & Moring is paired with 2-3 tutors who rotate each week; often, students will have two tutors helping them! Students and tutors at the firm usually sit side-by-side at small tables, so that the two are working together to help students improve. Throughout the session, students and tutors talked both about homework and life outside of LFT, with tutors explaining their day-to-day work at Crowell & Moring, and students discussing classes and TMA’s social life.

Charell Williams gets some help from a tutor

After another successful evening of tutoring, students waited at the elevator to head back down to the bus. “I really like coming here,” said Tabria Green, “I get more work done here than I would at school!”

Charell Williams agreed: “It’s better when there’s someone right there to help you with your work!”

Press Pass Mentors

Congratulations to juniors Beverly Carpenter, Malachi McCaskill, Earica Parrish, and DeNiyca Short on their acceptance to the Press Pass Mentor Program! Through this program, students are matched up with journalists from the Washington Post who serve as their mentors for two years. Students and their mentors travel across the city for behind-the-scenes field trips to the White House, Redskins games and more. Press Pass students will then write articles about their trips which will appear on the Press Pass Mentors blog. This great opportunity allows students to learn more about the field of journalism and develop their writing skills with help from a real reporter. To find out more about the program or get involved next year, find one of these lucky juniors or speak to Ms. Sher in the Dean’s Suite.

Flag Football Flies to Championship

After a 21-0 victory over National Collegiate yesterday, the mighty Warriors will be going to the championship game! The Warriors will take on IDEA Academy this Monday, November 7th at 5:00 at Cardozo High School, 1200 Clifton St. N.W. Thanks to all the fans and cheerleaders who came out to cheer them on to victory. A special shout out goes to Ms. Ames and Ms. Moore for helping to supervise the "little warriors".

Interested in coming to the game on Monday? A fan bus will leave the school at 4:00 if you want a ride to the game. See Ms. Thompson for a permission slip and more information. GOOOO WARRRIORS!