Presenting: The TMA Spanish Fair

By Aaliyah Long '12 and Ambré Ellison '12

The Spanish Fair occurred on May 26, 2011 and was a very successful and exciting event! If you didn’t come you missed a very cultural experience with the entire TMA community.


Ms. Allison leads a Zumba session full of Latin beats.

This fair was presented by students in Spanish I, II, and III. The students participated by contributing things that appealed to their talents, such as food preparation, art work, journalism, dressing up like cultural leaders, and performances.

We interviewed fellow TMA students about their experience at the Spanish Fair. Our first interviewee was Aaron Long ‘14. His response to the Spanish Fair was “It was amazing!” Nia Boxley ‘12 thought the fair was “good. It was actually really fun.” Tiona Rollerson ‘12 said, “The Spanish Fair was very great; I enjoyed the dancing and the different acts.” Lastly, Nia Johnson ‘12 loved the fair, saying “It was awesome! I didn’t think that I would ever come to something this great.”


Some of the gastronomical delights. From left to right: mango banana smoothie, guava juice, and arroz con pollo.

Overall, the students here really enjoyed themselves. Congratulations to Collecha Newby ‘12 and Tiona Rollerson for their victory in the Spanish recipe contest. They really did an excellent job. All of the performances were great. Thanks to all students and staff for participating and we hope that next year’s fair is an even bigger success.
~Love Peace Happiness !

June Issue of The TMA Brief is Here!

The latest and greatest issue of our student newspaper, The TMA Brief, has arrived! Inside you’ll find a cornucopia of student reporting, including Allanxandria Hall’s profile of the junior class, Aaron Long’s TMA Scoop, and Ambre and Aris Ellison’s fashion section.

Click here to stay abreast of what drives the thoughts and interests of TMA’s students!

TMA Track Team Hosts Community Meet

This past Saturday, teachers, mentors, tutors, friends, and family all finally got a chance to strut their stuff against TMA’s track stars after weeks of build-up, anticipation, and a little trash talk.

The first ever Community Track Meet took place in Northwest DC at Banneker Track. The event was the eighth and final meet of what has been an incredibly successful first track season.


Chris Ridout talks about his record breaking day.

School records fell throughout the day. Nobody could catch Chris Ridout as he raced to three new records (in the 55, 200, and 400 meter dashes). Courtney Jones (55 meter dash), Nakiah Ferrell (200 meter dash), and Nadean Talley and Kijon James (mile) also set school records.


Courtney Jones after her 55 meter dash.

There were lots of great moments throughout the day. Ms. Allison, Ms. Fried, Ms. Jones, and Ms. Juskewycz all did well in the sprints, even though Sunday brought many sore and rediscovered muscles. Ms. Johnston, Ms. Williams, and Ms. Dalton all ran the 800 together and provided Alexis Fenwick with some quality competition. Mr. Kaplan just barely outkicked Delonte Nash in an exciting finish in the men’s 800 (you can see Kaplan glancing over his shoulder to peek at his competition in the pictures). And Mr. Hanson and mentors John McCabe and Tyler Hall rolled back the years by running more than one race.



Coach Scogin and Coach Addison would like to thank all of you who came out to support our athletes. This season has been incredibly rewarding and we look forward to continue building the TMA Track team next year.

TMA Celebrates Athletics

Athletic Director Michele Thompson honored athletes, coaches, and their families last Wednesday at the Thurgood Marshall Academy Athletic Banquet. Members of the Flag Football, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball, and Track teams all assembled in the gym to collect awards and celebrate their seasons.


Volleyball coaches Ms. Horn and Ms. Garcia address the audience.

Ms. Bobo, Ms. Thompson, and the coaches all spoke of the importance of playing sports and how each team has positively impacted the academic culture at TMA. The teams, they said, have fostered both a competitive drive within students and an inclusive, team-oriented mentality throughout the building.


Members of the Cheerleading team receive their awards.

Coaches called up athletes individually and gave them trophies. Some students also received MVP and Coaches’ awards. TMA students returned the favor by giving framed pictures to their coaches.

Dinner and a reception followed in a night that will hopefully include many more sports in years to come.

Final Law Day of 2011

On Friday, May 20^th, the sun was shining as our freshmen boarded buses to go on the last Law Day of 2011. Instead of going to Law Firms, half of the freshmen went to the Navy Yard and the other half went to the Catholic University of America.

As soon as our students arrived at the Navy Yard they were greeted by Captain Robert A. Sanders, the commanding officer of the base. After the introductions, students departed to see the display Ship Barry and one of the Navy Courtrooms. In the courtroom, students witnessed a mock trial where real lawyers presented arguments to Navy judges. The case involved a woman, Stevens, who suffered from ‘Battered Women’s Syndrome’ and had killed her husband. The lawyer for Stevens argued that due to Battered Women’s Syndrome she killed her husband because she perceived immediate danger. The attorney representing the United States argued against this claim. Despite the guilty verdict, there was a general consensus among students that Stevens should have been found not guilty. After the trial, students had the opportunity to ask the judge, attorneys and clerk of the court room questions.

The other element of the trip to the Navy Yard was a guided tour of Display Ship Barry. Our guide taught our students about etiquette on naval ships, and he explained that ice cream machine never works because it is the least important piece of equipment on the ship. They also learned about sound-powered telephones which enable communication without the use of external power.

At the Catholic University of America, students were greeted by an Admissions officer. They participated in a power point presentation about the school after which, students had the opportunity to partake in a question and answer period. Questions ranged from what sports are available and whether they have ballet classes to what the required GPA is for admittance. On the tour of the campus, students saw everything from classrooms to the library to the campus center. One group even had the opportunity to go into the Basilica. The students’ favorite part of the tour was the dorms. Visiting CUA gave many students their first look at college life.

Whether students had the opportunity to be JAG Lawyers or college students for the day, our final Law Day was a great success!

National History Day at Howard University

On Saturday, TMA 11^th graders Jasma Grantham, Shandale Scott, and Maurice Ogletree competed in the DC National History Day at Howard University with tremendous success! Congratulations to Jasma and Shandale for winning first place in their group division for their project titled “Battles of the Sexes: Debating Iranian Women’s Rights” and to Maurice for winning second place for his project titled “The Power of the Atomic Bomb”!

Words of Wisdom on Activism

Recently, a good friend and I had the enlightening opportunity to interview an activist in the D.C. area, as a part of a project that we would conduct for our U.S. Government class. Our interviewee was an employee and enthused member of the Operation Understanding DC organization. Their organization takes a group of teens from the D.C. area with diverse ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds, and conducts a country wide tour in which they experience firsthand the places where some of the greatest and most important events of the Civil Rights Movement took place. My partner and good friend, John “Jaytee” Tucker, was a proud participant of the last year’s honorary group and has told me how incredibly life changing the entire opportunity was, how much it changed him and in many ways enhanced his views of the world and people for the better. So when we were asked to select an activist to interview for the country-wide Civic Voices project, we thought who better than a leader of one of D.C.’s greatest organizations for change.

Aaron Jenkins is a native Washingtonian, who has used his work to improve himself as a person, son and leader of activism within the city. As we began to interview him and get his insight on some of the things and ideals we discussed, I felt that the content of his character was strong, both from his concrete upbringing and many years involvement with ODCU. He spoke to how he had a strong mother that pushed for academic achievement just as much, if not more so than the teachers at his school. He referenced at one point how he vividly remembers his sixth grade teacher telling him to always do two things, “read, and always do the best he could do in everything he did.” To me, the simple fact that he decided to digest words such as those in sixth grade, and be able to recall them with such clarity many years later showed the content of his character. As we continued to talk about the issues of the world and people, he began to teach us a few things about the importance of history and self-action. He spoke openly to the fact that he himself had learned a lot on the trips where he was supposed to be the teacher. His main point was that each person can always make a difference if they offered a drive and some initiative to do so. As he said this, John and I both learned how vitally important it is to take action for the things we believe in.

But of all the powerful things he said, one thing stuck out to me more than any other. When asked, what was the goal of his organization, Operation Understanding DC, he said “we would love to put ourselves out of business.” When explaining what he meant, he said that OUDC is an organization that aims to help the youth – America’s future – to eliminate the social ills of society. If OUDC puts itself out of business it would mean their organization has fulfilled its goal and there is no need for their existence. In my opinion, this was the greatest statement of the interview because it spoke volumes to me about the selflessness and passion within him and the organization as a whole, to look beyond itself and think passionately about the well-being of the world rather than themselves. The interview concluded with me inquiring about one wish he had for the world; his reply was that we as a people need to adapt an attitude of community to better the world for all, reassuring my admiration for his character and the effectiveness of the OUDC organization. This interview was one that I feel is a good reference point for anyone who wants to hear words of wisdom on activism. A piece of it will be posted on a national website for the public to view and enjoy. That link will be posted when it is available. And for any and all information about the Operation Understanding DC organization, please visit www.oudc.org.

TMA Track Competes at Cronly Invite

The TMA Track and Field team wasted no time making use of their spring break. After Friday's shortened class day, Coach Addison and Coach Scogin took the team to Episcopal High School in Alexandria to compete against several private league teams.

Captains Ke'Von Miles and Delonte Nash led the boys team to a 3rd place team finish while captains Nakiah Ferrell and Nadean Talley drove the Lady Warriors to 4th in the women's standings.

The day was filled with many highlights, but TMA's first ever individual wins were particularly noteworthy. In the first race of the afternoon, Nakiah Ferrell took the early lead in the 400 and never gave it up, running 65.64 and crushing the rest of the field by more than three seconds.



On the boys' side, Rashad Hartridge captured the 200 meter dash in a much tighter finish. He and Christopher Ridout duked it out in the home stretch, coming across the line in 24.24 and 24.84, respectively.

To cap the day off, Coach Scogin awarded the Meet MVP Warrior Pride T-shirts to Courtney Jones and Christopher Ridout.



The Men's 100 Meter Dash. From left to right: Markel Lucas, Maurice Ogletree, John Brinson, and Stewart Gray. John won the heat and finished fourth overall, with a time of 13.00

TMA Track will be hard at work over break in preparation for their next meet on April 26.

And stay tuned for soon to be released details about a TMA vs. Teachers/TMA Community meet on May 21!

Photos and video shot by The TMA Brief Chief Reporter Moo Ho Bae II

Mentor Program Day of Community Service!

Saturday, April 9th was a busy at Thurgood Marshall Academy. Mentors and mentees in TMA's own Mentor Program spent the day working on four different service projects. Throughout the day, they made sandwiches that were delivered to the Gospel Rescue Ministries of DC, made 8 care packages for soldiers serving overseas that together weighed over 150 pounds , created over 60 door tags and picture frames for seniors and planted flowers, painted signs and repaired raised beds in our garden.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

The TMA Brief Reports Live from the USPS Stamp Event

Aaron Long, Associate Reporter and Entertainment Guru for The TMA Brief, conducted the following interview with Sean Miller, Education Director at Earth Day Network.

The Brief: How long have you been working with TMA? And how has it been?
Sean Miller: Close to 4 years with Mr. Ullery, it’s been phenomenal. We’ve seen a lot of change. There was no Green Club until after Mr. Ullery arrived. Basically we’ve been able to make TMA one of the greenest schools in the entire country.



The Brief: Do you think students actually take something away from you all?
Sean Miller: I do because going green is easy to do. However, students want to have good jobs when they get out of school so learning about it now is a good thing.

The Brief: Does Earth Day Network Have any job or volunteer opportunities for TMA students?
Sean Miller: Yes, especially with the summer coming up. We’ll be happy to have any TMA student help out this summer or even the fall. The email is education@earthday.org. All you have to do is send your information.

The Brief: Earth Day Network is big with TMA are there any other partners you have worked with?
Sean Miller: Yes, we work with schools across the country. For example, this week is National Environmental Education Week and thousands of schools across the country are going to use the curriculum for that.


The TMA Brief reporter Aaron Long speaks with Sean Miller

The Brief: Earth Day is right around the corner, what big things is Earth Day Network doing to celebrate?
Sean Miller: We are constructing several other school gardens around the year. Our first is Templeton Elementary School in Prince Georges County. We’re also putting biodiesel production facilities in two other schools.

The Brief: Any final words you would like to give to the TMA Brief?
Sean Miller: TMA should take a sustainability stand so that one person can be in charge of the sustainability efforts and we’ll be willing to help.

Special thanks to Sara Passaro for her help with this post!

TMA Juniors go to Virginia

A special report by Ms. Levine, TMA's Upper School Student Advisor and Alumni Coordinator.

On Friday, April 8th, Thurgood Marshall Academy juniors visited Virginia State University and the University of Richmond. At Virginia State, a historically black college in Petersburg, VA. TMA juniors met with VSU students, who shared their experiences at the school and discussed both their favorite and least favorite things about VSU. The juniors also went on a tour of Virginia State, followed by lunch in the school's cafeteria. Following lunch, juniors traveled about an hour to visit the University of Richmond, a predominantly white school in Richmond, Virginia, where they heard from an admissions representative and went on a tour of the school. While some students like VSU better and others liked U or R better, both schools gave students a sense of the different types of colleges and the varying requirements at two colleges.

TMA is going to Host the "Go Green" Stamp Ceremony!

At 11 am on Thursday, Thurgood Marshall Academy is hosting the launch of a new series of stamps based on the ways people can "Go Green". They chose TMA because of our wonderful garden! We are so thankful for the work that Mr. Ullery, Ms. Lee, Luis, the mentor program volunteers, Earth Day Network and the Green Club have done to prepare the garden for it's national debut! The event will be a short ceremony and in attendance will be Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the new Deputy Postmaster General. We hope to see you there!

Here is a preview of the brand new "Go Green" Stamps!

TMA Students Giving Back to the Community

Last Wednesday and Thursday, while the rest of the school was either taking the DC CAS, practice exams, or preparing for graduation, the majority of 11^th graders participated in community service projects at Martha’s Table, Bright Beginnings, Food & Friends, Bread for the City, Behrend Bulders at the DC-Jewish Community Center, Metro Teen Aids, and the Wright House. Students helped out these organizations in many ways from playing with toddlers and preschoolers, to packing grocery bags for people with life-challenging illnesses to making and serving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the homeless. Students really enjoyed volunteering and getting to learn more about the challenges that many people across DC face every day. Thanks to all of the organizations who hosted our students!

Springing into Spring at TMA

The past week has been a busy time for Thurgood Marshall Academy students. On Thursday, students in Mr. Hendrick’s Street Law class participated in the first round of an annual mock trial competition with other local area high school students. The presiding judge, a federal prosecutor at the Department of Justice, told the students, “I was blown away with how well you did as attorneys. The witnesses also did a superb job. Overall this was one of the best mock trials, if not the best, I’ve ever seen.” Several students were given recognition for their work including:

Moo Ho Bae—Best Defense Attorney
Shaunise Stewart—Best Plaintiff Attorney
Marquia Monroe—Best witness for the defense
Tiana Long—Best witness for the plantiff.

On Monday, students participated in the second round of the mock trial competition at the D.C. Superior Courthouse, and again did a fantastic job! Again several students were recognized for their work:
Best Plaintiff Attorney-Jessica Perry
Best Plaintiff Witness-Natalia Austin
Best Defense Attorney-Moo Ho Bae
Best Defense Witness-Marquia Monroe

Congratulations to all of the participating students for their exceptional work and dedication, it paid off!

On Saturday the TMA Warrior Debate team participated in their final debate tournament of the year. The team finished in 8th place overall and are busy preparing for the Urban Debate League Championship in May!