On March 20th, 2013 Thurgood Marshall Academy’s Junior and Senior Classes entered the gym assuming they would be attending a normal assembly. As Ms. Pardo started to talk to students about the boundaries of an upcoming Senior Prank they tensed, but quickly called her bluff when they saw George Washington University’s “George” mascot enter the gym with the GWU President, Steven Knapp and Director of Admissions, Karen Felton. The bleachers broke out in congratulatory shouts and applause as Delanté Fludd was awarded the Stephen J. Trachtenberg scholarship (SJT), an honor which provides full funding for Delanté to attend George Washington University, and become a 2017 graduate of the university.

Everyone here at TMA is so proud of our Executive Director, Alexandra Pardo. She won the Washington Post’s Distinguished Educational Leadership Award, which seeks to recognize leaders who go beyond day-to-day demands of their position to create an exceptional educational environment. We already knew she was a winner, but now everyone else knows too! Of the 38 award winners, TMA was the only charter school recognized.

The Washington Post Announces 2013 Distinguished Educational Leadership and Agnes Meyer Awards

At its 7th annual meeting in Chicago, the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (COSEBOC) selected Thurgood Marshall Academy as a recipient of the COSEBOC School Award, which recognizes and rewards schools that have a proven record of effective pre K-12 education of male students of color. Along with this award, Thurgood Marshall Academy will also receive a $10,000 grant from the Open Society Foundation’s Campaign for Black Male Achievement.

Thurgood Marshall Academy is the only school in Washington, DC and one of only two high schools nationwide to receive this award. As the first and only law-themed public charter high school located in Washington, DC’s ward 8, Thurgood Marshall Academy continues to demonstrate remarkable success in educating its male students of color. With this award, COSEBOC recognizes Thurgood Marshall Academy for its creative, effective, and sustainable in-school and out-of-school programs that support its male students of color.

The Washington Informer’s Coverage

The Lem Wills Foundation awarded Thurgood Marshall Academy with a $2,000 grant to support students who are interested in the fine and performing arts.

Sharon Boesen, Executive Director of the Lem Wills Foundation presented the grant check to Juliet Kline, Development Manager of Thurgood Marshall Academy on April 26, 2013 in DC Councilmember Tommy Wells’ office in the Wilson Building.

The mission of the Lem Wills Foundation is to provide opportunity enhancing resources for economically disadvantaged District of Columbia Public School students interested in the performing and fine arts and to emphasize the value of these activities to themselves, their schools and their communities.

This year, in the tradition of the past eight graduating cohorts, 100% of Thurgood Marshall Academy seniors gained acceptance to college. Students in the Class of 2013 were accepted at 75 different colleges and universities, including prominent institutions such as Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, Eugene Lang College at the New School for Liberal Arts, Sarah Lawrence College, and the University of Missouri Columbia School of Journalism – one of the top ranked schools of journalism in the country. In addition to being admitted to some of the nation’s top universities, Thurgood Marshall Academy’s graduating seniors have also been offered over $4.2 million in scholarships by universities and private foundations that have taken note of the remarkable successes of these students, both in and out of the classroom.

We did it again! For the second year in a row, Thurgood Marshall Academy is the highest performing non-selective high school in the District of Columbia based on scores from the 2013 DC Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS) as well as the highest performing high school in ward 8 among both District of Columbia Public Schools and Public Charter Schools.

With an Accountability Score of 81.6 – a composite of the school’s math, reading, and composition scores – Thurgood Marshall Academy earned the status of Reward school this year. Schools that reach 80.0 points on their Accountability Score or are in the top 5% of growth citywide are considered Reward schools. Thurgood Marshall Academy earned the highest composite score of all non-selective high schools and was only one of two non-selective high schools to earn Reward status. Thurgood Marshall Academy’s Accountability score averaged 56% higher than neighboring DCPS schools in ward 8, an indication of the significant need for high performing high schools for youth in this community.

Grantors

The Thurgood Marshall Academy community is grateful for the generous support of the following grantors who have contributed to the school since its inception:

• 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program
• Acacia Foundation
• Action for Healthy Kids
• American Forest Foundation
• Arcana Foundation, Inc.
• Arts Education Initiative, DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities
• Beaumont Foundation of America
• Beech Street Foundation
• Build-a-Bear Foundation
• Building Hope… A Charter School Facilities Fund
• The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
• Carol M. White Physical Education Program, US Department of Education
• Challenge Foundation
• Children’s Charities Foundation
• CityBridge Foundation
• City Build Incentive Grant, Executive Office of the Mayor
• Clark-Winchcole Foundation
• Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color
• College Board
• Combined Federal Campaign
• Concern, Inc.
• Crowell & Moring Foundation
• Cruise Industry Charitable Foundation
• DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation
• DC Escheated Estates Fund
• DC Public Charter School Board
• DC Office of Public Charter School Financing and Support
• DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education
• DC Public Libraries
• Dimick Foundation
• Earth Day Network
• East of the River Arts Initiative, DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities
• Educational Investment Fund
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Fannie Mae Foundation
• Fight for Children

• Freddie Mac Foundation
• Google
• General Mills and the United Way of the National Capital Area
• Philip L. Graham Fund
• The Humanities Council of Washington, DC
• IECA Foundation
• The Kinder-Morgan Foundation
• The Kovler Fund
• Library Services and Technology Act
• Lumina Foundation
• Lydia’s House
• The MARPAT Foundation, Inc.
• George Preston Marshall Foundation
• William G. McGowan Charitable Fund
• Mead Family Foundation
• Miller & Chevalier Charitable Foundation
• Neighborhood Investment Fund, DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development
• New Schools Venture Fund
• Office of the State Superintendent of Education
• Ohrstrom Foundation
• Oracle Help Us Help Foundation
• The Peter Rohrbach Charitable Trust
• PNC Foundation
• The Sallie Mae Fund
• Serve DC Learn & Serve K-12 School-Based Program
• SMARTer Kids Foundation
• Spring Creek Foundation
• Hattie M. Strong Foundation
• United Community Grants Program, United for DC
• US Congress
• The Walton Family Foundation
• Washington Capitals Charities
• The Webber Family Foundation
• The Weissberg Foundation
• The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Grantor Spotlights

General Mills/United Way for the National Capital Region

The General Mills/United Way grant will provide new physical fitness activities, provide students with resources to make responsible nutrition decisions, and present a public health fair for students to share what they have learned during the school year with the greater Anacostia community.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

This program supports the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. The program helps students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.

Thurgood Marshall Academy’s 21st Century Community Learning Center provides out-of-school opportunities for youth to develop new and share new talents through after-school clubs, take time to study in homework help, and connect with mentors and their peers.

Donors

Thurgood Marshall Academy is generously supported by the following donors (July 1 2012—June 2013):

• The Acacia Foundation
• Jeanne and Tom Archibald
• Alice Aughtry
• Bruce and Perfecta Baffer
• Jeffrey Black
• George and Evelyn Brown
• Aleksandar Dukic
• Building Hope
• Walter Burgin
• CityBridge Foundation
• Michael Coe
• Combined Federal Campaign
• James Condren
• Stacy and Will Conroy
• Cooley & Darling Insurance Agency
• Crowell & Moring Foundation
• Paul Delaney III
• Ken DeLaski
• The deLaski Family Foundation
• Carrie DeLone
• Agnes Dover
• Kevin Downey
• Debra Duncan
• Aleksandar Dukic
• Jami Dunham
• Le Roy Eakin
• Early Cassidy & Schilling Inc
• Holly Eaton
• Meghan Edwards-Ford
• Jessica Ellsworth
• Jerry and Jayme Epstein
• Burton Epstein
• Aimee Evan
• Joey Feldman
• FOCUS
• Foley & Lardner LLP
• Tom Gardner
• Andres Gentry
• Michael and Marilyn Glosserman
• Michael and Rena Gordon
• Irv Gornstein
• Joshua Greenwald
• Jonathan Grossberg
• Jeffrey Grover
• Elizabeth Hale
• Roula Hemady
• Jocelyn Henderson and Bernard Marchive
• Katharine and Andrew Herman
• The Himmelstein Family Foundation
• Hogan Lovells
• Derrick A. Humphries
• Sheryl Israel
• Betty Jackson
• Sachi and Nathan Jepson
• Jenner & Block
• JHJ and Associates
• Katherine Johnson
• David and Terri Joswick
• Jessica Joswick
• Steven Kaufman
• Sarah and Frank Kern
• J. Andrew Keyes
• Edward Kim
• King & Spalding
• Richard and Fay Kline
• R Royce Kneece
• Ajay Kuntamukkala
• Latham & Watkins, LLP
• Lem Wills Foundation
• Jerry Levine and Sarah Pokempner
• Randall Lewis
• Eleanor and Roger Lewis
• Bridget Bailey Lipscomb
• Maria Lloyd
• Olivier Massot
• Michael and Hannah Mazer
• John McCabe

• William McDaniels
• McGladrey & Pullen, LLP
• MCN Build
• Alan and Amy Meltzer
• Ethan Merlin
• Thomas Merrill
• Norman Metzger
• Douglas G. Meyer
• Sonya Miller
• Stephen Milliken
• Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
• Sean Murphy
• Thomas O’Brien
• Todd Overman
• Alexandra Pardo and Henry Awad
• Kevin Parnell
• Rebecca Penney
• BJ Phillips and Kath Howarth
• Pitney Bowes
• PMM Companies
• Raffa
• Michael and Anna Ravvin
• Recoup
• RK Auto Group
• Corey Roush
• Dahlia Rockowitz
• Richard Roe
• Linda Rohrbach
• Janna Rosenberg
• Andrew and Jenny Rosenberg
• Paul Rosenzweig
• Lorin and Nanci Rydstrom
• Kaye Savage
• Samantha Sewall
• John Schilling
• Robert and Hilary Schlossman
• Charles and Norma Schlossman
• David Schlossman and Jeanette May
• Louis Michael Seidman
• Ruth Selig
• Paul Seligman
• Samantha Sewell
• Kannon and Victoria Shanmugam
• Norean and Peter Sharpe
• Alison Sher
• Craig and Jan Sher
• Jessica Sher
• Lauren Sher
• Mindy Sher
• Michael Sher
• James Showen
• Sara Simons
• Sanjay Singh
• Craig Smith
• Michael Somerville
• Jonathan T. Stoel and Emily Lindow
• The Ten Square Group
• The Belz Foundation
• The Motley Fool
• The Ralph and Frances Dweck Family Foundation
• Michelle Thomas, Esq.
• Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley LLC
• Peter Trentman
• Leah Tulin
• Tandra Turner
• Lindsey Vaala
• Venable Foundation, Inc.
• Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.
• Geovette Washington
• The Washington Post Company
• Allen Waxman
• Kathy S. Williams
• Jane Williams
• Williams & Connolly LLP
• Edward Wilson
• Dj Wolff

We know what formula works. If you combine engaged students, committed staff and faculty, comprehensive programming, and devoted supporters, college dreams become an achievable reality. On May 16, 2013, we hope you will join us for our 13th Annual Shining Star Gala, an evening exploring the formula we have used to reach a college acceptance rate of 100% for the past eight years. The annual gala, attended by over 300 community leaders, is our main fundraising event, anchoring our efforts to fund a rigorous college-preparatory education for our almost 400 students.

Gala Sponsorship Opportunities

Advertisement Opportunities

Our expectation of excellence and our steadfast commitment to helping each student are at the heart of our success at Thurgood Marshall Academy. And this is how we know our formula works…

• According to results from the 2012 District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS), Thurgood Marshall Academy is the highest performing open-enrollment high school in the District among all charter and traditional (DCPS) public schools.

• TMA students have continuously outperformed other high schools in the District on AP exams. The average AP test score of TMA students surpasses that of their peers at all DC public schools (public and charter).

• Approximately 93% of alumni enroll in college within one year of graduation; and, over 80% of graduates since 2008 are still currently enrolled or have graduated college.

But our formula for success does not add up without you. We spend roughly $9,000 more per student than we receive in public funding to ensure that our students have the tools they need to attain college success. Please support Thurgood Marshall Academy’s goal of closing the achievement gap in DC by making a donation to our 13h Annual Shining Star Gala.

Thurgood Marshall Academy Campus
Thurgood Marshall Academy & Savoy School Athletic Center
2427 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20020

Plesae RSVP by April 26, 2013
www.TMAGala.org
Business Dress

Directions to Thurgood Marshall Academy Campus:

BY CAR
Thurgood Marshall Academy is located in the southeastern quadrant of Washington, DC. As of March 2012, there is significant construction on I-295 and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue exit is only accessible using a detour. These directions are from downtown Washington, DC and follow the detour route:

• Take the Interstate 395 N/Southwest Freeway ramp on the left to South Capitol Street
• Merge onto I-395 N
• Continue onto I-695
• Continue onto I-295
• Take exit 3B for Howard Rd toward Nationals Park/Downtown
• Turn left onto Howard Rd SE
• Turn left onto Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE
• The school and valet parking services will be on the left.

BY METRO
Thurgood Marshall Academy is directly across from the Anacostia Metro Station on the Green Line. Once you have reached the Anacostia Station,

• Use the Howard Road exit.
• As you exit the turnstile, turn left.
• Turn right up Howard Road.
• At the second light (Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue), cross Howard Road.
• Thurgood Marshall Academy is on your left; please enter through the main doors.

BY SHUTTLE BUS
A shuttle bus will be provided to transport guests to and from the event. Pick-up times will be 6:00 PM & 7:00 PM with the return trip leaving Thurgood Marshall Academy at 9:30 PM. Pick-up location will be downtown at the law firm of Hogan Lovells 555 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004

Auction Information

The Annual Shining Star Gala features a live auction and raffle. Do you have or know of something that would make a good auction or raffle item? Contact Pilar Gimenez. You may also download our Auction Donation Form and mail or fax it to the school.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are crucial to our successful event, and we are excited to involve interested people. We will ask volunteers to dress in formal clothing and attend one short training.

To volunteer, contact Juliet Kline at (202) 563-6862 × 105

This year, in the tradition of the past eight graduating cohorts, 100% of Thurgood Marshall Academy seniors gained acceptance to college. Students in the Class of 2013 were accepted at 75 different colleges and universities, including prominent institutions such as Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, Eugene Lang College at the New School for Liberal Arts, Sarah Lawrence College, and the University of Missouri Columbia School of Journalism – one of the top ranked schools of journalism in the country. In addition to being admitted to some of the nation’s top universities, Thurgood Marshall Academy’s graduating seniors have also been offered over $4.2 million in scholarships by universities and private foundations that have taken note of the remarkable successes of these students, both in and out of the classroom.

What began as a school assembly to celebrate Thurgood Marshall Academy as a Reward School turned into a surprise for Kena Allison, physics teacher and instructional specialist, who received the top educator award from the Milken Family Foundation.

Growing Healthy Schools Week is an initiative that celebrates school gardens and farm-to-school programs throughout the district. Thurgood Marshall Academy was thrilled to host a kick-off event for this wonderful celebration of green initiatives for the 5th year in a row.

In September, teachers Liza Enrich and Laurel Horn took six students to Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania to tour the school’s historic campus. The young women explored the dorms and historic classrooms and met with students and administrators. They were, for a few hours on a cloudy Saturday, integrated into the fabric of this prestigious women’s college. This college visit is just one element of Thurgood Marshall Academy’s Women’s College Cohort (WCC), now in its second year. Led by Chemistry Teacher Liza Enrich and Special Education Teacher Laurel Horn, both alumnae of Scripps College in Claremont, CA, the WCC exposes female students to the powerful impact of the women’s college experience.

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Although many high schools measure their success by the percentage of students accepted to college, Thurgood Marshall Academy – whose mission is to prepare students to succeed in college, not simply to be accepted – has an Alumni Support Program to ensure that our graduates are able to fulfill the school’s mission.

Thurgood Marshall Academy’s Advocates Council engages and mobilizes community resources to advance the mission of the school, and to cultivate current and future generations of Thurgood Marshall Academy supporters.

Dj Wolff, Chair
David (Dj) Wolff is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Crowell & Moring and a consultant with C&M International, the firm’s trade policy affiliate. Dj is responsible for Crowell & Moring’s weekly tutoring program with the Thurgood Marshall Academy, a D.C. Charter school with a pre-law focus, where he now has the privilege of chairing the Advocates Council. Dj also serves on the Alumi Associate Board of St. Lukes School, in New Canaan, CT. Dj received his J.D. from Stanford University, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a BA from Dartmouth College.

Natalie Sanders, Chair-Elect
Natalie Sanders is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins where she focuses her practice on regulatory and transactional matters for tobacco, pharmaceutical, medical device and other related industry clients. Ms. Sanders earned her JD cum laude from Harvard Law School, and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to law school, Ms. Sanders completed a two-year fellowship in teaching and urban education administration with The Steppingstone Foundation before working as a third grade teacher at an independent school in Boston, Massachusetts.

David Lee Morrow II, Treasurer
David Lee Morrow II is a regulatory attorney with BuckleySandler LLP, where he assists clients in the financial services industry in transactional, litigation, regulatory and compliance matters. Following law school, David worked for the Honorable Anna Blackburne-Rigsby of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. David received his J.D. from Elon University School of Law and his B.A. from Elon University in 2007. David recently received the 2013 Junius W. Williams Young Lawyer of the Year Award and the 2013 President’s Award from the National Bar Association during its 88th Annual Convention in Miami, Fla.

Kate Flanagan, Community Outreach Committee Chair
Kate Flanagan is a Senior Dedicated Advisor in the Performance Technology division at The Advisory Board Company. Kate serves as the relationship manager for hospital executives and staff using business intelligence applications to transform process improvement, physician alignment, and supply chain management. Kate holds a BS in Exercise Science from The George Washington University. Kate serves on the Advisory Board Company’s Community Outreach Committee and as a mentor with the Thurgood Marshall Academy’s mentor program.

Courtney Howell, Development Committee Chair
Courtney is the Director of Development at an Alexandria-based nonprofit, Community Lodgings. In addition to her work with Thurgood Marshall, Courtney is involved with a host of organizations including: the Corcoran Gallery’s 1869 Society; Children’s National Medical Center’s Junior Council; the Junior League of Washington; the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run; and the Washington Performing Arts Society as an inaugural member of a young associates council. Courtney received her BA from the University of Virginia.

Rachel Gang
Ms. Gang is a Masters student at the University of Maryland School of Social Work where she is pursuing a clinical concentration and specializing in children and families. She previously worked at Thurgood Marshall Academy from 2011-2012 as part of AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps and taught PK3 at KIPP DC: Grow Academy. Ms. Gang is an active volunteer with Jews United for Justice, former collegiate swimmer, and in the summer of 2013 she completed her 200-hour teacher training through Yoga District. Ms. Gang is a DC area native and earned her B.A. in Psychology and Education from Bowdoin College.

Sachi Jepson
Sachi is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Hogan Lovells, where she advises clients on privacy and information management matters. Prior to joining Hogan Lovells, Sachi worked at Freedom Now, a U.S.-based non-profit organization that works to free individual prisoners of conscience. Sachi holds a J.D., with pro bono distinction from Stanford Law School, an M.A.P.P. from Stanford, an M.S. from Brigham Young, and a B.S. from Brigham Young where she graduated as Valedictorian.

Katherine Johnson
A native Mississippian and long-time resident of Chicago before arriving in the District of Columbia in 1988, Katherine has enjoyed several careers including insurance claims adjustor for Fireman’s Fund Ins. Co. in the 1970s, and Paralegal Project Manager in the 1980s and 1990s before joining King & Spalding in 1999 where she now serves as a Legal Assistant. As a volunteer, she currently supports the Visitor Information Center at the Kennedy Center on a weekly basis and Habitat for Humanity builds on an irregular basis. Last school year she served Thurgood Marshall Academy as a law firm tutor. Katherine is also a Life Member of the Illinois National Guard Association having served almost 10 years as an officer in the Illinois Army Reserve National Guard.

Jessica Sher
Jessica Sher has served the educational sector for over a decade through direct service, non-profit management, fundraising, and capacity-building. She spent that past seven years at Thurgood Marshall Academy. 2013, Jessica founded Idea Sher Consulting, an independent consultancy to charter schools, grantmakers, and youth development organizations offering expertise in grants management, program development, fundraising, and operations. Jessica serves as a board member for the Young Professional Division and Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League; Press Pass Mentors, a writing-based mentor program in Washington, DC; and Thurgood Marshall Academy’s Advocates’ Council. Jessica earned a Masters of Social Work from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University.

BaSheba Valentine
Ms. Valentine currently works for King & Spalding LLP. She is a native of Middleburg, Virginia and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland, University College. Previously, Ms. Valentine worked at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, the nation’s premier black think tank, as an Information Resources Manager, and for the National Medical Association, a national organization dedicated to educating physicians of color as an Administrative Manager. Prior to working in the non-profit sector, she was a law librarian for the law firm Epstein Becker & Green.

Adam Yoffie
Adam Yoffie is an Associate in the D.C. offices of Williams & Connolly. Adam graduated in 2006 from Duke and remains a diehard Blue Devil basketball fan. Adam spent a year in Israel on a Fulbright fellowship and then a year working on Capitol Hill before attending Yale Law School. After two federal clerkships, he is excited to be back to D.C. and to get involved with and contribute in anyway he can to the leading charter school in the District.

If you would like to get involved with the Council, please contact Juliet Kline (TMA Advocates Council Lead) at 202-563-6862 ×105.

We’re excited to announce that three seniors received full-tuition scholarships from the POSSE Foundation. Joey Adams was accepted to Sewanee University of the South, while Amber Hudson and Kavon Holley were accepted to the University of Rochester.