Save the Date! TMA's 2nd Annual Celebrating Our Roots

Students prepping for last year's Celebrating Our Roots

Thurgood Marshall Academy is proud to announce our second annual Black History Month Celebration: CELEBRATING OUR ROOTS! This year’s theme is A Hip Hop Retrospective.  

We will celebrate all things HIP HOP, acknowledging the influence of visual art, dance and sound that has made an incredible impact on American culture.  This year’s feature presentation is a documentary film the students and Art Teacher Ms. Nafeesah Shabazz have created, which discusses the state of HIP HOP.  

The day will also showcase professional workshops from Words, Beats & Life, Inc. (http://www.wblinc.org/), the TMA Dance Team and TMA spoken word artists!  

We hope you will join us!

WHAT: CELEBRATING OUR ROOTS: A Hip Hop Retrospective

WHERE: Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School

      Multi-Purpose Room

      2427 Martin Luther King Jr., Ave SE Washington, DC 20020

WHEN: Saturday, February 4, 2012

COST:  Free and open to the public

PROGRAM: 11am-12:30pm              

• Workshop 1: MC/Poetry Exhibition and Writers Workshop

• Workshop 2:  These Are The Breaks: The Original Dance of Hip-Hop Culture

12:35pm-1:35pm: Art Walk & Reception

1:35pm- 2:45pm: Performances & Film Screening

Tickets are limited, so email Nafeesah Shabazz at nshabazz@tmapchs.org to reserve yours today!

Dance lessons at the 2011 Celebrating Our Roots

Thurgood Marshall Academy Students: See Ms. Shabazz for a permission slip and a ticket!

Mentor Day Takes Flight!

On Saturday, January 21st mentors and mentees showed their dedication by coming out to TMA amid ice and freezing rain for Mentor Day. Despite the freezing (literally) weather, pairs were still excited to participate in the planned ice skating activities. Unfortunately, the federal government did not anticipate their dedication to winter activities and the skating rink was closed. The mentor pairs rebounded gracefully and the group spent the day at the Air and Space Museum. Pairs enjoyed a 3D IMAX movie, “Legends of Flight” and learned about the Wright brothers’ first flight and Bessie Coleman, the first female African American pilot. Upon returning to TMA pairs were greeted with a feast from Chipotle procured by Ms. Sher. Not a bad end to the coldest day of the year.

Community Service Rocks TMA Library

Delante Fludd and Te'Asia Capies apply for volunteer opportunities.

Many thanks to the Thurgood Marshall Academy students and staff who made this week’s Community Service Workshop possible! 

Joey Adams works with Mr. Corcoran to fill out an application.

Over 25 students applied for volunteer opportunities, including Reading Partners, Teen Action, TMA’s Green Club, The Dr. Bear Ambassador Program at Washington Hospital Center, and Alley Cat Allies! 

Winners! Keneon Williams and Cristal Sandoval.

Congrats to the first five students who successfully applied for three volunteer opportunities:

• Telvin Walker
• Darylquisha Hill
• Jasmine Williams
• Keneon Williams
• Cristal Sandoval 

DaQuan Gunn and Ms. Levine work on community service applications!

 The Workshop also benefited from some awesome bean dip and crackers provided by the Kids Cafe program of the Capital Area Food Bank--Yum! 

Black Bean and Cheese Dip vs. White Bean and Avocado Dip

Cierra Bailey loved the dips!

Did you miss the Community Service Workshop? Don’t worry, you can still check out the Community Service Guide at tmacommunityservice.blogspot.com!

Kesha Payton writes down information for a volunteer opportunity!

Save the Date! Community Service Workshop on January 26th

Thurgood Marshall Academy students: Looking for creative ways to earn your community service hours? You should come to the Community Service Workshop in the Library on Thursday, January 26^th, from 12pm to 2pm!

Stop by the library to search for community service opportunities, and apply on the spot amidst loud cheers of encouragement from the Programs Staff. 

Do you have questions about community service? Need a community service form? Attend next week's workshop and Programs Staff will answer your questions! 

 

If you’re the type that likes to get things done early, take a sneak peek at the TMA Community Service Guide: www.tmacommunityservice.blogspot.com and start earning community service hours TODAY!

4th Annual MLK Day Scholarship Event

The TMA Library, filled with students and volunteers.

 Thurgood Marshall Academy marked the 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday with the fourth annual Martin Luther King Day Scholarship Event. Over 40 students, most of them from the senior class, attended and applied for a wide range of scholarships and summer programs. Each student was matched with a volunteer from the community who helped students edit essays and decipher application requirements, and offered advice on college and scholarships. Both the library and the computer lab were packed with students and volunteers! 

Kathleen Williams works on a scholarship application.

Seren Snow and volunteer hard at work in the computer lab.

Marquise Williams and a volunteer confer about a scholarship essay.

Student Advisor and Alumni Coordinator Emma Levine, who helped organize the event, stated: “The Martin Luther King Scholarship Day was an excellent opportunity for seniors to complete scholarship applications, and underclassmen to complete summer programs applications.  Many students said that they completed over 5 applications during the event—hopefully this will translate into seniors getting a lot of money for college!”

Jasma Grantham fills out a scholarship application.

Students interested in more scholarship opportunities should see Mr. Mitchell or check out the TMA Community Service Guide here.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: TMA Homecoming

TMA rocked the gymnasium at the Homecoming Pep Rally last month, and we have exclusive footage of the afternoon's greatest moments. TMA Brief reporter Kendra Atchison was on location shooting the video.

After a wild Spirit Week of costumes, hall decorations and activities, the girls and boys TMA Warriors basketball teams emerged to raucous acclaim.

Then the TMA Cheerleaders took the floor.



One of the biggest of the day's competitions was the tug of war tournament. The seniors and freshman advanced to the final round, where, after some pandemonium, the seniors were declared the victors.



The afternoon closed out with the debut of the TMA Music Club's go go band. They rocked the stage with two cuts and showed some chops. Look for more in the new year from these up-and-comers...

A Showcase for Healthy Advice

There was a flurry of excitement in the air in the gym on Tuesday afternoon as ninth and twelfth grade advisories visited the health fair presented by Mr. Barton and students in health classes. Students learned about a variety of topics including how to read food labels, drugs, Body Mass Index, obesity, and careers in health. Many of the booths featured interactive activities tests, including blood pressure and the student favorite “drunk goggles,” designed to simulate blurred vision due to alcohol and challenges students to walk a straight line.
 

Freshman Reonte Walker attempts to walk straight while wearing alcohol goggles.

 
In preparation for exams, students could also learn about different coping mechanisms for stress and try out progressive relaxation, a deep muscle relaxation technique that can be practiced lying down or sitting in a chair. Just a few minutes of series of tightening then relaxing muscles can be effective in reducing tension and anxiety!

Erica Kelly and ShaRhonda Lewis offer coping mechanisms for countering stress.

Dual Basketball Victory!

It was a double triumph for Thurgood Marshall Academy on Thursday afternoon. Both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams defeated National Collegiate Prep on their home court. The mighty Warriors return to action on Saturday afternoon, when they will take on Friendship Collegiate at Edison. Catch the warriors back to back, with the Girls’ tip off at Noon, and the Boys’ at 1:30. Good luck!

There’s Lots of Work to do in the Garden, Even in the Cold!

This Thursday, students showed up to Green Club for a snack and a quick lesson on crop harvesting and berry pruning, then, braving the cold temperature, Green Club bundled up and headed out.

Green Club still had a lot to do to prepare for next season’s planting, including pulling up and composting dead plants, weeding, pruning berries, cleaning out the shed, planting cover crops and moving cold frames. 

After a couple of hours of work, Green Club had cleared out most of the garden and gotten a great head start on the spring season. Over the next few weeks, Green Club will work on planting cover crops and mulching the raised beds and fruit trees. 

Upcoming events include speakers from around DC, a field trip to see “Cafeteria Man,” a new documentary about healthy food in schools, and a possible cooking lesson…stay tuned or stop by Green Club’s next meeting (every Thursday at 3:45) for more information!

Queen and Mickey Show #10

Check out Queen and Mickey's new podcast! Sophomores Kiman Mickens and Darylquisha Hill discuss all the latest news in music and entertainment. Want to ask Queen and Mickey an entertainment question? Post your questions in the comments below to be answered on air during their next podcast.