Newsworthy Notables - Changing girls’ lives one Minute at a time
October 8, 2010
Photo by Shereen Williams
Photo by Shereen Williams
Changing girls’ lives one ‘Minute’ at a time
Seventy-five girls who attend DC Public Schools rubbed elbows with some of the most powerful women in America, received iPads and got a visit from President Barack Obama during a “Minute Mentoring” event sponsored by Fortune Magazine and held Oct. 5 at the Mandarin Oriental.
Hosted by celebrity supermodel and reality TV host Tyra Banks, the event connected female high school seniors with 25 high-powered women from the worlds of sports, business, philanthropy and politics, who shared their life and career experiences during “Minute Mentoring” sessions. The girls wrote essays to be considered for the event and heard an address by President Obama in the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Constitution Avenue NW.
Mentors included actress Geena Davis; pro-tennis legend Billie Jean King; and Debra Lee, chairman and CEO of BET Networks.
DCPS shows college spirit
DC Public Schools, in partnership with Double the Numbers and the College Success Foundation, kicked off College Awareness Month with College Awareness Day on Tuesday, Oct. 5. All DCPS staff, principals, teachers and students were encouraged to wear college apparel that day. DCPS students also will attend a college fair on Oct. 12, take the PSAT on Oct. 13 and tour colleges. For a complete list of College Awareness Month activities, visit: Double the Numbers.
Healthy meals earn a Golden Carrot
District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Food Services Director Jeffrey Mills has won a national award for his innovative approach to serving healthy, vegetarian lunch options in more than 120 schools in the nation’s capital.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a national nonprofit organization that promotes healthy diets, has named Mills a winner in the 2010 Golden Carrot Awards. The award will be presented during this year’s National School Lunch Week, which runs from Oct. 11-15. A cash prize accompanies the award: PCRM will give $1,000 to benefit the school’s innovative food service program.
DCPS offers a wide variety of nutritious, vegetarian meal options—including curried local fall vegetables with steamed brown rice, Moroccan bean and vegetable stew, and black bean burger on a whole wheat roll—with fresh salads offered daily. Mills has introduced students to a variety of new fruits and vegetables this year through after-school programs and a “Strawberries and Salad Greens Day” to highlight the availability of fresh, high-quality, local food in school cafeterias.
Contest award fits Stuart-Hobson student to a ‘T’
Toree Weaver, a seventh grader at Stuart-Hobson Middle School, has won this year’s Fannie Mae’s Help the Homeless T-shirt Art Contest. Her drawing will be featured on more than 110,000 T-shirts given to participants in the 2010 Fannie Mae Help the Homeless Walkathon scheduled for Nov. 20 on the Mall. Her accomplishment was featured in the Oct. 4 edition of the Kid’s Post in the Washington Post.
Students team up with Fannie Mae for homelessness play
Young Playwrights' Theater is partnering with students at Stuart-Hobson Middle School to create an original play about homelessness in the Greater DC region. The play was commissioned by Fannie Mae and its Help the Homeless Program. The goal is to raise awareness of homelessness in the area. Students will learn statistics about local homelessness, and write original monologues and dialogues to be included in the final play. The play will tour throughout the Washington area.
From the farm to the school and back again
The D.C. Farm to School & School Garden Week kick-off event will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 12 at Savoy ES and will be co-sponsored by neighboring Thurgood Marshall Academy. The event will begin at 1 p.m., and will include a four-way battling chef competition, a local apple taste testing, and a school garden planting/dedication ceremony. White House Chef Sam Kass, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan, and Councilmember Mary Cheh will be present for the event.
During the week, school food service providers will spotlight local, seasonal produce on their menus.
Also featured this week will be:
- Farm field trips to give students the opportunity to pick fresh produce
- Chef demonstrations, where chefs prepare meals for the students with food collected during the field trip or featuring seasonal ingredients.
In recognition of Farm to School Week, third- and fourth-grade students at Neval Thomas Elementary School in Northeast will visit the 200-acre Great Country Farms in Bluemont, Va., to pick apples and pumpkins, tour the farm and learn about life on the farm by doing what farmers do to make a living. A chef will also demonstrate how to prepare a dish using farm-fresh produce and give students some recipes to take home.
Davis ES celebrates scholars at banquet
Davis Elementary School recently held its first Scholar Style Banquet for all Davis students who scored proficient and advanced on the 2010 DC CAS. Students who were honored received a new “scholar” uniform, which consisted of a sweater vest or cardigan, a red tie and a white button-up shirt. The event, attended by about 80-90 students and family members, was intended to reward students for their scholarly achievements and distinguish them as academic leaders in the school.
Maury ES holds Family Fitness Night
Maury Elementary School will hold its Family Fitness Night from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at the school, 1250 Constitution Ave. NE.
Sousa principal selected for Harvard Principals’ Center
Dwan Jordon, principal of Sousa Middle School, has been selected to serve on the Advisory Board of The Principals’ Center (TPC) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, according to a news release from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
The Principals’ Center offers professional development for school leaders in the United States and around the world who are interested in instructional leadership, school reform and quality schooling for all students.
The Advisory Board is comprised of a group of outstanding school leaders from around the U.S. and abroad who provide advice and suggestions on TPC institutes and membership activities, serve as a focus group for TPC on important issues in the field and future directions for institutes and other programs, and act as ambassadors for TPC.
Attend the DC College Fair!
The 2010 National College Fair will be held Oct. 12 at the Walter Washington Convention Center from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. and 6–8 p.m.
Students and parents can meet one-on-one with college representatives, visit the Counseling Center to talk with a counselor about choosing majors, and go to the Resource Center to get information on financial aid, grants and scholarships.
More than 220 colleges and universities have already committed to attend this year’s fair.
The College Fair also will have workshops covering topics such as financial aid, standardized tests and the college application process.
Students and parents are encouraged to pre-register online with the colleges they intend to visit at the fair. By pre-registering, student information only has to be entered once online, which eliminates the need to fill out numerous information cards during the fair.
Students should contact their high school guidance counselor for further information on pre-registration. The convention center is located on Metro’s Green Line at Mt. Vernon Square, 7th Street and Mt. Vernon Place, NW).
Get your student ready for college! Take the PSAT for free.
DCPS is dedicated to ensuring that all students are college-ready. Participating in the PSAT is an important step on that path.
DCPS will administer the PSAT to all ninth-, 10th- and 11th-grade students at each high school on Wednesday, Oct. 13.
This important test qualifies students for scholarships, provides important practice for later college admissions tests and enables the College Board to connect students with colleges and universities.
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