The Spoken Word

The entire Thurgood Marshall Academy came together last Tuesday for a school wide assembly. Students listened to recent alumni give tips on how to take advantage of the resources available to them at TMA and how to make a smooth transition into life at college.

Afterward, senior John Tucker performed a spoken word poem he wrote for the DC-CAP “Why I Want to go to College” contest. John won the entire competition and received a $1,000 scholarship for his entry! Watch him perform below:




John (holding the mic in the video) also combined with fellow senior Ke'von Miles (on the drums) to produce a song version of his poem, which you can listen to here:



Senior Moo Ho Bae II also dabbles in the spoken word world. Below is his poem “Lost”:



A print version of Moo’s poem will appear in Volume I, Issue I of The TMA Brief, our student newspaper. Look for it after Thanksgiving!

Grease is the Word

After the school day ends, many of the classrooms are still filled with students participating in various clubs. Our clubs are wide spread, some of them include: Art Club, Green Club and Pep Squad. Every Thursday afternoon twenty-five students gather in Mr. Llyod’s classroom for Drama Club. This spring, Thurgood Marshall Academy will be putting on the production, Grease. The students are tremendously excited and are working hard to perfect their acting, singing and dancing skills. The cool moves performed on stage will be thanks to Ms. Ogunnaike’s award-winning choreography skills. The Dance Club will also be performing throughout the show. We are excited to see how the show develops in the next couple months!

Mentor Program Scavenges for Clues at the Zoo

On Saturday, November 13th the Mentor Program traveled to the National Zoo for a digital scavenger hunt. Congratulations to Team ALL STARS (Elana, Earica, John, Chris, Michael, DaQuan, and Roneisha) and Team DeNiyka, Kathryn, Mario, Justin, Tervon, LaQuan, Jazmin and Jordan who tied for first place!

United Against Hatred

On Monday, November 15th , seven of our ADL peer trainers went to the Kennedy Center for the Anti-Defamation League’s Concert Against Hate. The concert recognizes individuals who have stood up against all forms of bigotry and injustice. This year five individuals were honored for their courage and compassion. The National Sympony Orchestra performed in between the honorees’ stories. The Orchestra played selections from South Pacific and several local high school choirs joined in to sing ‘Somewhere’ from West Side Story.

The evening ended with two peer trainers from Maryland talking about the World of Difference Institute. The two students led the entire auditorium in an exercise called ‘Here I stand’. The exercise began by asking people to stand if you agree with or belong to the statement. TMA students were among the 150 students in the auditorium who stood when the students were asked to rise if they are a peer trainer. This was an exciting moment for our students to be able to see how they were a part of a much bigger movement than our own peer training group here at TMA. The most powerful question was when the students asked the audience to rise if you were committed to eradicating hatred and violence everywhere. The entire auditorium rose. This was an incredible moment for students to see thousands of people standing and publicly declaring their commitment to make the world a better place.


Our students enjoyed themselves and were thrilled to have this amazing opportunity!

For more information about the Anti-Defamation League or the concert, check out this clip:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/mornings/popular-tv-show-cast-members-take-a-stand-against-bullying-111510

Anti-Defamation League Peer Training Begins at TMA!

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, 23 students gathered to learn about discrimination, and prejudice. These students are participating in the Anti-Defamation League’s ‘A World of Difference’ program. Thurgood Marshall Academy is one of the only schools in the district that participates in the World of Difference Institute.

Our students participated in diversity training which teaches students how to address intolerance and bullying amongst their peers. This 18 hour workshop is the beginning of the Peer Training Program. Eventually, these students will go into classrooms at Thurgood Marshall Academy and work with their peers to talk about bigotry and promote diversity.

The two day training brings students in different grades and social groups together. The training enables students to become friends and build trust. It is a great experience to have our students discuss their own biases and acknowledge that they want to create a world without hate. Some topics of discussion included: what is discrimination and how to find our commonalities. Our students got particularly heated in a conversation about cyber bullying.

A special thanks to our ADL trainers: Allison and Mr. B for leading our training!

Fighting for Individual Freedoms

Last Friday, all 170 9^th grade students boarded buses and headed to three different law firms across D.C. They went to these firms (Hogan Lovells, Foley & Lardner, Latham & Watkins) to participate in the second Law Day of the year. Law Day is a program we run every month for our 9^th grade students to teach them basic legal lessons and skills. This Law Day focused on the individual rights and freedoms entitled to us by the constitution. This was the first time that this particular lesson had ever been run! We were able to introduce two new lessons this year due to our new partner firms, Latham & Watkins and Foley & Lardner!

The lesson began with lawyers informing students that a new president was elected and that he or she was governing the country in a dictatorial manner. In order to try and prevent a revolt, the president was going to allow the citizens (the students) to choose three rights that they would be able to keep. The students had 15 rights to start with and every round they had to forfeit a certain number of rights. The Law Day coordinator at Foley & Lardner, Marilee Miller, remarked that our “students were thoughtful, engaged, and really interested in learning about their rights and picking which ones to forfeit”.

Students at Foley & Lardner decide with volunteers, Marilee Miller and Dineo Mplea-Thompson, which rights to forfeit.

The next part of the lesson involved the students applying their new knowledge of rights and freedoms. The students were given a scenario that described when individual rights come into conflict with one another. The particular scenario was about a religious club in a public school. The rights that were in conflict with each other were freedom of religion and freedom from discrimination. In this portion of the lesson, the students had to use their creativity and come up with a campaign commercial that lobbied their position. The students were either students for the club, parents for the club, students against the club or parents against the club. All of the students enjoyed using their dramatic skills to sell their position.

Students discussing how to best pitch their position with our volunteer lawyer, Jim Bierman.

Overall, the day was a great success. A special thanks to Eleanor Lewis, our Law Day Consultant, who wrote our new Law Day lesson. Another special thank you goes to all of our Law Day teachers and chaperones! The day would not have happened without you!

Election Day!

Like the rest of the country, Tuesday was Election Day here at Thurgood Marshall Academy. Students in all grades voted for School President, School Vice-President School Treasurer, School Secretary, and two Class Representatives.

Some students participated in early voting before classes started, while the rest of the student body voted during their lunch period. All students registered with TMA election officials before filing into one of four booths to cast their votes.

Freshman Kahlil Stewart models the “I Voted” stickers students received.

The savvy seniors demonstrated their civic mindedness with a spectacular 92% voter turnout. That number blew away DC’s voter turnout, which registered at a paltry 28%.


Junior Uniqua Wood votes!

Congratulations to all students who ran for office. Each candidate devoted themselves tirelessly to the campaign trail – covering the halls with flyers, delivering wonderful speeches, and engaging their classmates.

In particular, Kadeejah Johnson, Errol Smith Jr., Kaneshia House, Amanda Barnes, Christoper Ridout, and Stewart Gray all ran exciting campaigns and captured the imagination of the school.

The 2010-2011 TMA Student Government is listed below:

School President – Markus Batchelor
School Vice-President – Tykia Shirriel
School Treasurer – Taylor Middleton
School Secretary – Markysha Dickens

12th Grade Class Reps – Andrew Alexander and Moo Ho Bae II
11th Grade Class Reps – Demetrius Begemann and Collecha Newby
10th Grade Class Reps – Jazmin Walker and Telvin Walker
9th Grade Class Reps – Kiyah Avent and Katrina Jackson

Pulsating Pep Rally Electrifies TMA

Students from all grades gathered in the gym on Tuesday for the first pep rally of the year. The event showcased our fall sports teams: girls’ volleyball and flag football. Senior athletes were also honored by their coaches and peers. Later, the bleachers were rocking as the TMA Cheerleaders energized the crowd with a spectacular dance routine.



The Pep Rally also included speeches by 10 students running for school-wide Student Government positions. Students heard from 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders hoping to bring new ideas and change to the school. Those students running for a Class Representative position spoke today at their grade-level lunches. Election Day is this coming Tuesday, November 2. As the rest of DC votes for its Mayor, the TMA student body will select its leaders for the school year.


Above, Taylor Middleton tells the audience why she should be Treasurer.

Each grade has shown incredible spirit this week, and we are excited to keep it going into November.

An Evening Honouring Peter Rohrbach

On the evening of October 21st, Thurgood Marshall Academy was packed with visitors. People came from near and far to honor the memory of Peter Rohrbach, a partner at Hogan Lovells LLP and a huge supporter of our Law Day program. Last fall, Mr. Rohrbach passed away. With the support of his family, the Law Day program has expanded to include six lessons and is partnered with two additional firms.

As our visitors arrived, they were greeted by TMA students. Students were also stationed in a variety of classrooms. They explained to visitors the different educational and extra-curricular opportunities available at TMA. Senior Mignon Hemsley displayed her art work to guests and engaged them in a conversation about the visual arts program at TMA. A number of students represented the green club including newly elected club president Keith Jenkins. In Ms. Yaun’s Spanish classroom, students showed off their videos about illegal immigration. Lastly, in Ms. Scogin’s English classroom, the classroom that will be named in honor of Mr. Rohrbach, sophomore Kijon James told guests about the World Literature course. He highlighted his own experience reading ‘The Kite Runner’.

After visitors toured the classrooms, everyone moved down to the cafeteria. Our students opened the event with music, playing instruments and singing beautifully. Amidst the speeches, two of our very own students spoke; Christopher Ridout and MarKysha Dickens discussed their own law day experiences. MarKysha spoke to her personal experience with Mr. Rohrbach and remember his words of wisdom. In her speech she said, “I learned from his words; I put my best foot forward, knowing that 10 times out of 10, applying to better educate myself is better than not applying at all”.


The evening was a great success and Mr. Rohrbach’s legacy will definitely continue to live on, in the halls of TMA. We were so proud of our students for their essential contributions in making this event as meaningful as it was.

Spirit Week at TMA!

Today marked the kick-off of Spirit Week at TMA! There are numerous fun and exciting events going on throughout the week. Today, many students got creative when dressing up for Mismatch Day by wearing clothes inside out, pairing opposite colors, and sporting wacky accessories. Each day this week students will have the opportunity to dress-up for spirit days, here’s the schedule for the rest of the week:

Tuesday: Warrior Pride Day

Wednesday: Decade Day

Thursday: Costume Day


In addition to these dress-up days, today marks the last home game for the Volleyball team while Flag Football plays its final home game on Friday at 4:30 pm. At the school wide pep rally tomorrow, students will deliver speeches for student government in preparation for TMA’s student elections next Tuesday and the Cheerleaders will perform to cap off the day. The week finishes with a cook-out during student lunches on Thursday! Be sure to check back for more photos and posts about Spirit Week!

AP US Visits Mt. Vernon

Last Wednesday, students from Mr. Rohal’s AP US History class visited George Washington’s home at Mt. Vernon. With the second major test of the course looming later in the week, the trip served as a concrete review of the events preceding and surrounding the American Revolution.

Students came equipped with information concerning Washington’s life and shared their expertise with other visitors. Mr. Rohal was impressed with his group. “Students ‘met’ Dr. James Craik, George Washington's personal physician, and asked him about how Washington treated his slaves,” he explained, “they really pressed him about why Washington didn't free the slaves himself.”


Above, a video of Dr. Craik answering students' questions.

The class also had a chance to see all aspects of Washington’s plantation, including slave cabins, blacksmiths at work, gardens (complete with cotton plants), playful animals, and the home itself, with its wondrous views over the Potomac.

Junior Courtney Jones said her favorite part of the trip was “the museum. Everywhere I looked I saw something I remembered learning in class. The trip made everything easier to understand. I also liked seeing the slave memorial but I was surprised by how many slaves Washington owned.” Courtney also liked the sheep: “I had never seen any before. Their little baaa noise was cute.”

Mr. Rohal said the group received a number of compliments from the guides and other visitors at Mount Vernon about how knowledgeable and impressive TMA's students were on the trip.

Below, George Washington poses with students.

TMA Election Day Approaches

Campaign frenzy has swept through the halls of TMA!

As District residents over the age of 18 prepare to vote in the midterm elections on November 2, Thurgood Marshall Academy students will be gearing up for a vote of their own. Election Day will feature 34 students hoping to secure a position in the Student Government as School President, School Vice-President, School Treasurer, School Secretary, or Class Representative.

Students elected to represent the student body are expected to be strong leaders, with a commitment to public service and unwavering convictions concerning TMA’s efforts to become a more effective institution.

Candidates will give speeches next week during class lunches and the school wide pep rally in a final attempt to secure votes.

TMA & Savoy’s Great Garden Of Anacostia

Thanks to Ms. Shannon for the great pictures!

The Thurgood Marshall Academy & Savoy Gym was packed on Tuesday, October 12^th, with D.C chefs, parents, students and visitors! They were all here to celebrate the beginning of D.C. Farm to School Week and D.C. School Garden Week. TMA was honoured to be chosen to host the event, which celebrates the District’s commitment to use local food in healthy school meals! The event included 200 visitors, including special guests Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and Sam Kass, White House Chef and Senior Policy Adviser for Healthy Food Initiatives.

TMA’s green club members were essential in the facilitation of the event. Their personalities shined through as they led guests around the garden, and their artistic abilities were obvious as they made signs, posters, and murals for the TMA and Savoy Organic Garden.

The main attraction for the day was a ‘Top-Chef’ cook-off. Chefs competed to create the tastiest dish using local apples. The chefs that participated in the competition were Chef Tee, Lauren Von Der Pool, Oliver and Will Artley. The chefs were assisted by TMA students: Malachi McCaskill, T’Asia Capiers, Akasha Rodgers, and Darvel Suggs. Others students served as the masters of ceremony for this event. TMA and Savoy students sampled each dish and voted for their favorite. The winners, Chef Tee and Malachi, will have their apple-cranberry crisp distributed in every DC public school one day in October.

TMA showed incredible heart and spirit throughout the afternoon. We were very proud of our students for doing a great job. A heart felt congratulations to Mr. Ullery who coordinated this incredible event and opportunity for our students.

After School Tutoring Up and Running

Even after a full day of classes, many Thurgood Marshall Academy students stay after school to work one-on-one with tutors who help them with homework and projects. TMA is lucky to have tutors come from all over the D.C. area. Volunteers from local universities such as Howard, George Washington, American, Georgetown and Georgetown Law make their way to TMA to meet with students and talk about difficult classes, college choices, and career goals. Students also have the privilege of working with tutors employed by Health and Human Services, K&L Gates, and NASA.

Precocious ninth grader Darnell Hudson works with Georgetown Law student Joel Fineman for two hours after school on Tuesdays. Darnell has enjoyed the sessions so far, explaining, “It’s like having a mentor who helps me go above and beyond what we do in class. Joel is really easy to talk to and very knowledgeable so we’re able to go over a lot of work.”

With prospective tutor applications flowing into the TMA offices each week, we are working to build upon the 20 pairings we currently have.

Our First Law Day of the Year!

Friday, October 8th, marked the beginning of this year’s Law Day program! This year we have a record number of participating firms. Two buses of ninth graders went to Hogan Lovells, one bus went to Latham & Watkins, and another bus went to Foley & Lardner. Students were given the option of wearing their uniform or professional dress attire, and many students took the chance to dress like the lawyers leading their sessions.


Students left TMA around 12:30 and once they arrived at the law firms, the students were separated into groups and participated in discussions about discrimination. The purpose of Law Day is for our students to engage with the material, think critically and have fun! The ninth graders discussed how discrimination can be bad but also how it can also be used so that society can function effectively. Students, for example, debated whether girls should be allowed to try out for positions on the boys’ baseball team at a public high school. Our students were articulate and argued with passion. After the conversations, they refueled with a snack, provided by the firms. Surprisingly, the yogurt and fruit were just as popular as the cookies.

After the break, students broke into three groups and were given a scenario in which discrimination was a major factor. They discussed their scenario and then presented it in the form of a talk show to the rest of the group. The student’s acting talents were out in full force.

At the end of the day, it was an amazing success! All of the students and volunteers had a great time. A special thanks to the chaperones and volunteers at the firms of Hogan Lovells, Latham & Watkins and Foley & Lardner!