The library space at Ballou Senior High School has a wall of windows on one side which allows indirect light to come in. The colors are black, brown, and dark blue, making the space warm and inviting for the students, staff, and community.
School spirit abounds at Ballou! The walls are filled with inspirational quotes
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The computer lab down the hall, and contains both a bank of PCs and a bank Apple computers. Unfortunately, many are not consistently able to access the internet, which hinders online research.
Teens gather at lunch for chess club. It was truly amazing and heartwarming to watch this older white man keep these boys completely focused on what he was teaching them. A chess tournament was planned during the second week of my field study, and the teens were very excited about it – especially when the principal donated $100 for the winner. The „Final 4â€&#x; competition was the week after I left, so I never found out who won!
Top: the high school has a daycare for the children of the students – the DCPS‟s valiant effort to keep the teen girls in school and encourage them to keep working hard to earn their diplomas. Melissa Jackson invited the toddlers in once a month for story time, which fell on Dr. Seuss‟ birthday. Middle/Bottom: During lunch on Dr. Suess‟ Birthday, also known as „Read Across America Day‟, we went into the cafeteria to hand out free books and stickers that said “I love to read!” We also went around the school and “caught” staff and students reading – Melissa printed out and update her bulletin board with the pictures.