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!

National History Day at TMA!

Last Wednesday, Thurgood Marshall Academy juniors participated in National History Day. This year’s theme was Debate and Diplomacy: Successes, Failures, and Consequences and students selected an original research topic to write about and present to the TMA Community at Wednesday’s fair. Students presented their work and exhibit boards on topics ranging from the Gay Rights movement to the Death Penalty to US Relations with Cuba. During the fair students showcased the results of the research and work they had done since October. Thank you to Ms. Otrasina for organizing the event and congratulations to the students, all of your hard work paid off!

Mentor Day at Georgetown University!

On Saturday, March 5 the Mentor Program visited the beautiful campus of Georgetown University. Led by mentor Kathryn Cogswell and TMA Staffer Jess Joswick mentors and mentees got a tour of the university that included tips and special information they learned from the guide’s time at Georgetown. The groups got to explore the library, visit a dorm, see the student fitness center and the newly built Business School. After the tour, the group sat down for a panel discussion with current TMA Mentors where they learned what college life is really like. They also got some tips on what they need to do to end up at the right school for them. The day ended with lunch at the Leavy Center. We hope everyone had a great time and that all the TMA students will be ready to return to a college campus soon as enrolled students!

TMA Track Team Runs in First Ever Meet

This past Sunday, the Thurgood Marshall Academy track team competed in its first ever meet. 11 Warriors ran the 3.1 mile course in Woodley Park, braving rain, wind, and a field of over 500 runners.



Senior co-captain Delonte Nash finished first for TMA, and 5th overall in his age group. He was followed closely by fellow captain Ke’von Miles and Rashad Hartridge, Maurice Ogletree, John Brinson, and Stewart Gray.

Nadean Talley led the Lady Warriors; the co-captain finished 24th in her age group. Crossing the line not far after her were Courtney Jones, Justice Long, Darylquisha Hill, and Shandale Scott.

Today it was back to business as usual with 7:30 AM practice before school. If you want to support the track team, stop by the Banneker track this Saturday morning at 10:00 AM. The team will be working out in preparation for the soon to be released track schedule.

Law Day Takes on Consumer Rights

The situation: a brother and sister buy used bikes from an online retailer for a low price. After their 5 day warranty expired the bikes fall apart. Can they get their money back? Is the website responsible? What rights does a consumer have? This is the issue that TMA students debated in February’s Law Day.

Students took on roles as consumers, parents and the website to debate the issue and come to a resolution. Each group had the facts of the case and relevant laws at their disposal to formulate their position. A panel of students, acting as the better business bureau, listened to each side of the argument and then decided on a resolution. In one group, the panel decided that the website would replace only one of the bikes, in hopes that both sides would be a happy.

Students learned that as consumers we have rights that we need to know so they are not infringed upon. Law Day Students improved their critical thinking skills and learned techniques to advocate for themselves. The next Law Day will be Friday, March 25th. A big thank you to the chaperones and volunteer lawyers. A special mention goes to ,Eleanor Lewis and Mike Mazer, the authors of this brand new Law Day lesson.

Issue II of The TMA Brief!

Newspaper students have been hard at work on the second issue of the school newspaper, The TMA Brief.

Click HERE to check it out!



Inside you’ll find an article about student uniforms, our Student Government President’s State of the Academy Address, Ask Dwayne – our advice column, Armoire – our fashion column, a creative writing section and more!

Print copies will be passed out to students and faculty today at lunch!

10 Questions with Marquise Williams

Watch Ms. Fried interview Junior Marquise Williams about his dance and rap performances across DC.

Celebrating Our Roots

On Saturday, February 5^th, students, faculty, staff, and the community came together at THEARC to celebrate Black History Month. The event focused on sharing African culture through literature, poetry, song and dance. Many of TMA’s students performed and volunteered to help make it a tremendous success! Thank you to THEARC for hosting this event, Ms. Shabazz and Ms. Ogunaike for organizing the wonderful event, and to all of the participants and volunteers!

Be sure to check-out the photos on the slide show from the event!

University of Maryland Physics Visits TMA

A special report by Thurgood Marshall Academy Physics teacher Kena Allison:

On Friday, February 4, University of Maryland physicists Luis Orozco and Jeff Grover spoke to TMA physics students about waves, light, and the application of light to historical and modern technology. Dr. Orozco shared his work with lasers to slow atoms and explained how applying this to fields like telecommunication helps our cell phones and iPods become smaller and faster.

Additionally, students were provided with demonstration kits that allowed them to explore lenses and the polarization of light. Students were engaged and impressed to learn how polarization applies to sunglasses and transition lenses. They were equally intrigued by their use of magnified lenses to create a telescope that allowed them to read a sign with small print on the far end of the basketball court from the stage.



Students were impressed, calling the presentation “awesome.” They were also wowed by the physicists themselves; “Luis’s explanation of how light travels in waves was very detailed and comprehensive.” Another student added, “I appreciate the speakers speaking to us like we were young adults or college students,” and “they showed us how physics applied to everyday life…I loved the interactive kits.”

Luis and Jeff not only generously donated their time and expertise, but also gave the kits to each student and a Galileoscope (model of Galileo’s telescope) to the school. Luis ended the event by reminding students that science is changing the world. He encouraged them to always stay informed about science, even if they pursue careers in other areas.

TMA hopes to work with the duo again during the electricity unit.

Extra! Extra! Mentor Day Goes to the Newseum!

Saturday, February 5^th, students and mentors ate a hearty breakfast and then boarded buses to the Newseum! At the Newseum, mentees and mentors looked at exhibits and participated in interactive activities like being a reporter at the steps of the Capitol. The most popular exhibits were those about Hurricane Katrina and the gallery of Pulitzer Prize winning photos. While at the Newseum, everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch. Before anyone was ready it was time to leave. The next mentor day is March 5^th and we cannot wait!

Vote for TMA's Resident Poet John Tucker!

Senior John Tucker is a finalist in the DC-Capital Stars Talent Competition. Only the top ten contestants with the most votes will perform at the DC-CAP Gala on Monday, March 28. See a video of John preforming and vote for him here!

Preparation Makes Perfection!

Post by Alyza Weinberg
Not even the snowy weather could stop 9^th graders from boarding buses and heading to Hogan Lovells, Latham & Watkins and Foley & Lardner on January 28th. Upon arrival at the firms, students sat down and learned about advocacy. Students participated in a number of exercises aimed at teaching students that the most important part of an argument is the preparation beforehand. Students learned what steps they should take to prepare an argument. They had to visualize and think about their opponents’ perspective and think about how they would counter their arguments. Students prepared different scenarios and arguments. In one scenario, ‘Morgan’ was trying to convince her parents to allow her a later curfew like her older sibling. In another case, students were stakeholders at a new school, Johnny Cochrane Public Charter High School. They had to play the role of students, teachers and parents articulating their opinions about school uniforms. Students and Volunteer Lawyers both had a great time.

A huge thank you to all the chaperones, Law Day Coordinators and Volunteer Teachers for making Law Day run so smoothly!