Clean Up, Clean up, Everybody, Everywhere!

If cast onto an island, with a few pairs of gardening gloves, grabbers, and trash bags, what would you do? Members of TMA Unplugged: The Wilderness Club found themselves with these essential tools this past Saturday for a clean-up of the Potomac River watershed on and surrounding Theodore Roosevelt Island.  After meeting at TMA for an early breakfast, students traveled with Ms. Campot, Ms. Horn, and Ms. Gang to the Roosevelt Island parking lot, just off the GW parkway.  National Park Service rangers and staff from the Potomac Conservancy provided a brief introduction and safety advice before sending the group of volunteers on their clean-up areas throughout the island.  The Wilderness crew headed to the rocky shores on the south part of the island facing the Georgetown waterfront. 

Tenth grader Marcelus Newell teams up with Ms. Campot to find trash buried beneath the island's edge.

 While along the edge, Darnell Hudson worked tirelessly to procure a cardboard box deeply embedded in the muddy marsh.  With the help of Ms. Horn and the careful placement of several logs, his mission was a success.  Check out his efforts below!

Ms. Horn and Darnell sizing up the situation.

Almost there....

Mission Accomplished!

Students also earned community service for their participation—a good chance to secure a few final hours before the end of the year.  For future events with The Wilderness Club, come join our meetings on Friday mornings and for more volunteer opportunities with Potomac Conservancy, check out http://www.potomac.org/site/volunteer/

Students Challenge Discrimination through ADL

Twelve Thurgood Marshall Academy students spent last Thursday in a day-long training session put on by the Anti-Defamation League. Students learned skills that would help them become Peer Trainers and combat discrimination and bullying at school and beyond. 

 

The training was put on by facilitators from ADL’s A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE^® Institute. The Institute is a leading provider of anti-bias education and diversity training programs and resources. The Institute seeks to help participants: recognize bias and the harm it inflicts on individuals and society; explore the value of diversity; improve intergroup relations; and combat racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of prejudice and bigotry.

Students began the day by introducing themselves and agreeing on ground rules for their discussions throughout the training. The activities ranged from brief discussions on issues that face high school youth, to games that encouraged students to recognize similarities between them and the other participants. 

Sophomore Joey Adams noted: "I learned about discrimination from bias to individual stereotypes, and I was surprised to learn that just one stereotype can escalate into genocide."

Joey also had advice for other TMA students and hopes for applying what she learned today to TMA: “Be careful about what you say because even little things you say can affect another person and hit the core.”

 Interested in joining ADL? 

We meet every Monday at 3:30pm in Room 108, and have many projects lined up for this semester, including another training day in May!

TMA on Two Wheels

Members of TMA Unplugged: The Wilderness Club are putting their off-roading skills to the test on two wheels. Thanks to a partnership with Trails for Youth and the National Park Service, students are learning to mountain bike this spring on Tuesday afternoons.  After an introductory skills session in TMA’s courtyard, students traveled to Fort Dupont Park this past Tuesday to ride the trails.  The mountain bikers meet every other Tuesday and will also work with the National Park Service on trail work and will continue to develop their biking skills in preparation for a nature-based adventure competition at the end of the spring. 

Sophomore Joey Adams gets ready to ride.

Volunteer Pat Childers helps Sophmore Jessie Watkins onto her bike. 

Jessie Watkins sets out  to practice her skills!

Ease On Down The Road...To The WIZ!

Thurgood Marshall Academy’s Drama, Dance, and Art Clubs are proud to announce the school’s second annual musical performance: THE WIZ!

This year’s performance will take place March 8^th at 7pm at THEARC, and will feature TMA students Ashia Downing,  Shamir Fauntleroy, Tiona Rollerson,  and Marquise Williams, among others.

Tickets are on sale in the Programs Office; student tickets are $4 and adult tickets are $5.

Don’t miss out on this musical extravaganza! Buy your ticket today!

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!

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.

TMA Unplugged: Blazing Trails in the Great Outdoors

After a surprisingly snowy Saturday, the sun broke out in full force through the autumn leaves this past Sunday afternoon as fearless members of TMA Unplugged: The Wilderness Club set out for a hike in Rock Creek Park. Starting at the Park’s nature center, the group set off for a trail head hidden behind the horse center and riding ring. Seeing the horses were a telling preview of the first foot on the trail. The first half-mile a steep downhill challenged the TMA trailblazers to maneuver around piles of horse manure and carefully place each step. The route then traversed along Rock Creek leading to a bridge back onto Beach Drive. In the spirit of Halloween, the path veered outside the park for a visit to Battleground National Cemetery, a burial ground for Civil War Union soldiers who fought at nearby Fort Stevens. Students relished the opportunity for a bonus and Halloween-inspired history lesson while munching on Halloween treats and their homemade GORP.

After leaving the cemetery, the hearty trailblazers returned to the park and followed a different uphill route to return to the nature center. Special guests on the outing included mentors (and former TMA teacher) Mr. Kaplan and Devin Johnson, Mr. Campot, and Riggs, the Wilderness Club’s resident mascot (pictured below).

Interested in exploring the great outdoors in DC and beyond? Join the Wilderness Club for breakfast every Friday at 8 AM and help to plan the next outing!

Endless Possibilities: Fall After-School Preview

The clock strikes 3:30 pm flooding the hallways with students, but once the locker rush subsides where will you go? Are you itching to get outdoors? Or are you looking for a non-competitive and fun way to exercise and stay-in shape? Do you want a means to channel your creativity energy? With more than 20 after-school activities and clubs at TMA, deciding what to join can be daunting. Here’s your guide to navigating the clubs fair that will take place next Thursday, September 15 after school in the cafeteria. If you’re looking for a creative outlet to dance, sing, or act try the Drama Club with Mr. Lloyd. Rumor has it they will be producing and performing the WIZ this year.

Listen up outdoor enthusiasts because there’s something for you. Do you have a green thumb? Returning this year is the student-initiated and favored Green Club spearheaded by Ms. Lee and Ms. Fried who are already cooking up secret plans for a live compost system in the garden. If you like the Green Club, you might also try out a new shade of green—TMA Unplugged: The Wilderness Club (brought to you by Ms. Horn) which will expose students to the world outside the city through activities such as hiking, camping, rafting, and wilderness safety training. Weekly skills trainings and local outdoor trips will conclude with an end of year camping trip. Want to experience nature’s beauty but scared of the risks? Not to fear because The Wilderness Club is for all students regardless of comfort and expertise.

Also new on the menu this year is Treasure Hunts (sponsored by chemistry teacher Ms. Enrich) that will give 11^th and 12^th graders the chance to apply critical thinking and problem solving skills to solve scavenger hunts throughout the city.

Old Favorites including Book Club with Mrs. Hanson, Fitness Club with Mr. Barton, Art Club with Ms. Shabbaz will also be returning this year. Still unsure what to choose? Attend the Clubs Fair this Thursday, September 15 after school in the cafeteria. The possibilities are endless!