Washington School for Girls Newsletter

Igniting the Joyful Pursuit ofLearning Spring 2022

Novie Brown*

Zoey Boone* Korrin Terry*

Photo credit: True Story Productions

Inside this Issue

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*These joyful students are currently sophomores in high school.

Our Vision for Transformation: WSG Strategic Plan 2020-2026

Pedagogy Graduates: What is 2 WSG 3 4 Where are they Social-Emotional

by Dr. Beth Reaves

now?

Welcome Our New Trustees

Learning in Practice at WSG?

Our Instructional Lead Girls, Our 5 Meet 6 Our for Equity and Excellence World, Our Future: 7 WSG’s 25th Tracy Johnson

If You Can See It, You Can Be It:

A look a WSG’S Women in Leadership Series

Anniversary Gala

Our 2022 Gala Awardees

Our Vision for Transformation: WSG Strategic Plan 2020 – 2026

O

by Dr. Beth Reaves

UR AIM IS TO PLAY ONE ESSENTIAL PART IN THE march toward equity—and to prepare graduates who will do even more.

Our board, school leadership, staff, students, and families were integral in helping us build our new strategic plan before the pandemic. While the plan was crafted in 2019 pre-pandemic, we paused on rolling it out due to the many historic events over the last two and a half years.

Now, with nearly a full school year of in-person learning, we are ready to move forward with our plans to support the educational needs of future leaders. We want to build on ways to bring the WSG experience to a new level of excellence.

Our goal has always been to provide an environment for our students to become independent thinkers and joyful learners.

Now we look to strengthen that further.

I’d like to share with you the dedicated and thoughtful pillars of the Washington School for Girls 2020-2026 strategic plan: 1. Enriching our curriculum in important ways to pave the road for future success for our girls—in high school, in college, and in meaningful careers. Our plan is for an expanded and transformed academic program, with art and music as an integral part of the program for every student, with age-appropriate experiences in STEM at every grade level, with foreign language starting in 3rd grade, and with a fully supported program of physical education and wellness delivered in purpose-built spaces.

We also envision more out-of-classroom experiences for our students, including a global educational capstone that emphasizes cultures, geographies, histories, and current issues—an essential tool in the 21st century, allowing WSG girls to see the world beyond their own communities and see themselves as global citizens.

The Washington School for Girls ignites the joyful pursuit of learning and inspires lives of faith-filled purpose, leadership, and service.

• Provide the spaces we require to enrich and expand the WSG curriculum in addition to informal engagement spaces for students to study and share fellowship with others in the community.

• Allow WSG to grow the student body, the Graduate Support program, alumnae engagement, and health and wellness programs by providing additional dedicated space.

3. Sustaining our financial future—As other independent schools nationally have recognized, long-term reserves are the key to financial strength, making it possible to plan with confidence and to weather unexpected challenges. It is also essential to WSG’s independence as an institution positioned to steer its own course. As a school committed to serving students tuition-free, this growth would ensure that WSG has available long-term reserves well into the future.

We are enhancing our program in ways that will make learning at WSG even more powerful for our girls. We are building a much-needed new home for our school that will serve our girls well and make our community proud. We are seizing a historic opportunity for growth and progress and making a commitment to deliver on our mission as never before! I am so grateful to have you all on this journey with our girls.

2. Unifying our two campuses with the construction of a new, student-focused, state-of-the-art school building.

This new building will: • Unify our entire student body on one site, allowing cross-grade connections—the chance for each girl to have—and to be—a role model.

• Create a 21st century learning environment supporting our program and ensuring the quality of their experience.

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Igniting the Joyful Pursuit of Learning | www.washingtonschoolforgirls.org

WSG Graduates: Where are they now?

Quanise Wooten, WSG ‘09, is currently in grad school at Bowie State and WSG’s Math lead and our Out of School Time Coordinator.

Joey Adams, WSG ‘10, graduated from Northeastern University in 2018 with a Masters in Higher Education and is now WSG’s Manager of Graduate Support.

Acia Sands, WSG ‘11, Graduated from Morgan State University with a Bachelors in Engineering in 2019.

Aliyah Matharu, WSG ‘15, is currently a guard for the Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team. They recently won the Big 12 title for the first time since 2003.

Welcome Our New Trustees Odis Braxton, Jr.

Odis Braxton, Jr., known as a “Retired Baptist Preacher,” spent 42 years in various leadership positions in the church.

He spent three years on the Board of Trustees for Connelly School of the Holy Child and is currently head of the Beach Committee for the city of Fenwick Island, DE. Odis Graduated from Grambling State University, Union Theological Seminary and Howard University School of Divinity receiving a BS, M. Div. and D. Min.

Gary James Lewis

Gary James Lewis is an Environmental Consultant who has over 20 years’ experience in managing Federal/State/Local Government projects which included: DoD (Pentagon and Military Bases), Federal Reserve Board and countless others.

As an alumnae parent, Gary has been a consistent volunteer assisting the WSG staff in various capacities. He looks forward to continuing to be an intricate part of the continued growth and development of the girls, staff and parents of WSG.

Delani Whitaker, WSG ‘17, and Duke Ellington School of the Arts ‘21, was accepted to Berklee Performance Center in Boston, MA.

Fun fact: Gary is Jacqueline’s father.

Jacqueline Lewis, WSG ‘18, was accepted to St. John’s University with a 106K Scholarship.

Rayonna Chambers, WSG ‘18, was accepted to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Kemistry Ingram, WSG ‘19, is enrolled at Archbishop Carroll High School where she is maintaining honor roll status.

Akilah Turner, WSG ‘20, is a sophomore at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School and the 2022 Catholic Business Network gala keynote speaker. She ended her freshman year with a 3.96 GPA. Darian Walker, WSG ‘21, is a thriving freshman at The Academy of the Holy Cross.

Josephine Epps, WSG ‘21, is a freshman at Connelly School of the Holy Child and performed “A Chorus Line” with the school’s performing arts department this year.

Janet Stolba, RJM

Sister Janet Stolba is a lifelong Catholic educator with nine years of direct middle school experience in New York, California, and Maryland. She was the Principal at Regina High School in Hyattsville, MD, and served as the Regional Supervisor for the Archdiocese of Washington, overseeing all Catholic elementary schools.

She has also served as the Religious of Jesus and Mary’s Provincial Councilor, a role that is active in supporting RJM schools across the country.

Amy Wilkinson

Amy recently retired from the Fair Housing Office at the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (“HABC”). One of her first tasks was to implement a mobility counseling program.

Education has always been a high priority in Amy’s family.

Both of her grandmothers were elementary school teachers and one great aunt was an elementary school principal. Her parents valued education above almost everything else and made sure she and her siblings obtained the best education available. She ultimately believes that any school that can provide a high-quality education and support to students where they live, like WSG does, is of tremendous value to the community.

Igniting the Joyful Pursuit of Learning | www.washingtonschoolforgirls.org

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Social Emotional Learning in Practice at WSG? Social and Emotional learning is a term often used to describe a school’s approach to building what may be considered the softer skills – regulating emotions, building interpersonal relationships, and navigating the internal desire to succeed.

According to CASEL, a non-profit that aims to make evidence-based Social-emotional learning (SEL) an integral part of preK-12 education social and emotional learning is:

De Res cis po ion nsi M ble ak ing

p shi ion lat lding e R ui B

Values

Core peacemaking perseverance

Self Esteem

ge

ex

cel

... the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

SEL @ WSG

WSG creates opportunities for Social-emotional learning and belonging daily by creating a regular schedule for community building and engagement and dedicated time for individual reflection and growth. Advisory groups, Sister Advisory sets, and houses beginning at the third grade level are just a few of the ways WSG regularly implements opportunities for SEL. These activities and more are a reflection of our commitment to our pedagogy, our students, and our community.

Advisory Groups –

are mixed grade level groupings provide opportunities for the girls to interact with students in other grades, creating a greater sense of sisterhood and trust.

Sister Advisory Sets (SAS) –

for elementary school students focus on community building activities and helping students to develop meaningful relationships with each other and adults in the school community.

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confidence

y osit faith ner

Self Awareness

joy

len

ce

Cultural Identity

ss dne

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Motivation

Social and Emotional Skills for Success Social and Emotional Learning is an important part of the WSG experience. Our intentional programming helps students develop the key skills that they will need to thrive in high school, college, and their adult lives.

Middle School Houses –

organize students into mixed grade homeroom groupings that they stay in for their 3 years in middle school. WSG’s houses are reflective of our Core Values (Imani – Faith, Confianza – Confidence, Ausdauer – Perseverance) and like Harry Potter houses, encourage a positive school climate through school spirit activities, and focus on healthy interactions and relationships.

School Counselor –

provides critical expertise to the Student Support Team and direct services to students, delivering direct counseling sessions either regularly or on a drop-in or emergency basis.

The counselor also leads group sessions with students to develop the skills needed to build a strong classroom and school community.

SEL is the process through which students at WSG have the experiences needed in their school environment to develop

Igniting the Joyful Pursuit of Learning | www.washingtonschoolforgirls.org

their perspectives, recognize their strengths and the gifts of others, build community, and feel good about themselves.

SEL gives students insight into themselves as learners while also helping them to think about their future goals for their lives. SEL at WSG helps girls to see the unique and beautiful perspective they bring to the world, establishing a foundation for positive personal growth.

Pedagogy Pedagogy is defined as the art and science of teaching and educational methods. Pedagogy involves being able to convey knowledge and skills in a way that students can understand, remember and apply.

In 2018, we began a collaborative process to define the WSG way of teaching and learning through the development of a pedagogy statement. It was important to define our pedagogy because we knew there was something special about how WSG engages students in the learning process.

We wanted the statement to both capture the essence of our teaching practices and be aspirational.

Our Pedagogy:

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Faith-Based

Root all learning and teaching in our shared belief of God and His love and teachings.

Flexible Grouping

06 Use data to place students into temporary groups to work together for only as long as it is needed for them to develop an identified skill or to complete a learning activity. The groups change often based on students’ needs, and skill development of knowledge.

Individualized

Deliver instruction which is specific and focuses on the needs of the individual student. Utilize this teaching method for remedial or advanced support.

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Culturally Responsive

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Experiential

05

Inquiry-Based

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Differentiated Assessments

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Positive Behavior Systems

Acknowledge, response to, celebrate, and offer full, equitable access to education for students from all cultures.

Provide learning that begins with a concrete experience.

After solving a problem, learners reflect on the process and are able to apply lessons more broadly to their lives.

Invite students to explore academic content by posing, investigating, and answering questions.

Modify and match assessments with the varied characteristics/profiles of students in order to meet the students’ learning and boosting their ability to show what they have learned.

Utilize research-based strategies to improve school safety and promote positive behavior.

Data Driven Decision Making

09 Examine assessment data to identify student strengths and deficiencies and apply those findings to their practice.

Igniting the Joyful Pursuit of Learning | www.washingtonschoolforgirls.org

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Meet Our Instructional Lead for Equity and Excellence Tracy Johnson

Tracy is Washington School for Girls’ Instructional Lead for Equity and Excellence.

She works closely with teachers across all disciplines to ensure that every classroom at WSG employs the core pedagogical strategies that lead to academic achievement (growth?) and equitable support for all students. Because every student is unique, Tracy helps teachers carefully plan opportunities to engage each student so that they collectively and independently have opportunities to reach their full potential. Tracy is also a native Washingtonian with deep roots to the Anacostia community.

Born and raised in historic Anacostia, Tracy was the youngest of two children born to Edward and Joanne Johnson of South Carolina. She graduated with honors from Eastern Senior High School.

Her mother worked as a member of the cafeteria staff at Ketcham Elementary School for over 25 years. She encouraged Tracy to join clubs and organizations in school and in the community.

In addition to being involved in schoolwide activities, Tracy is also involved in her church and community organizations. Her first job was working as a camp counselor at the church during the summer.

Tracy draws inspiration from her father.

He started a neighborhood watch program with the support of his family and a few dedicated neighbors. The group would gather to patrol the neighborhood. To create a distinctive look, they donned neon orange hats and jackets that anyone could easily recognize. Originally dubbed “The Orange Hats,” they later adopted the name - The Fairlawn Coalition, the official name of the community.

The Fairlawn Coalition went on to

Tracy Johnson & Dad, Edward S. Johnson, Sr.

expand its reach to every quadrant of the city where it thrived well into the early 2000’s. As a result, crime decreased in neighborhoods where “The Orange Hats” were on patrol.

Mr. Johnson humbly received awards and media coverage for his work in the community, even having the honor of being presented an award from former President of the United States, George H.W. Bush.

Tracy chose HBCU Morgan State University where she graduated with honors in 2000. One of the biggest joys of her life was having the opportunity to work with many of her former teachers, under the leadership of her former school principal, when she returned to ESHS as a teacher. According to Tracy, “It was a full circle experience.”

As a teacher, Tracy chaired several committees including, The Black History Month Committee, American Education Week Committee and even served as Building Representative for the Washington Teachers Union for 3 years. Tracy, a lifelong learner, received her M.Ed degree (Curriculum and Instruction) from National Louis University in 2004.

If You Can See It, You Can Be It:

A look at WSG’s Women in Leadership Series WSG’s Women in Leadership Series is an opportunity for our students to be challenged to think about their own voices, impact, and future opportunities while learning from women in leadership positions. This happens by engaging our girls with positive role models who have become changemakers in their communities and industries. Here are some of the women that have come to speak to our students in 2022.

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Chevonne Hall Smith joined the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women as its principal in July 2015. In July 2018, Chevonne was named the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Foundation for the Baltimore Leadership for Young Women. The Baltimore Leadership School is a sixth through twelfth-grade public school in Baltimore City. As principal and CEO, 100% of all graduates (Classes of 2016-2021) were accepted to college.

Igniting the Joyful Pursuit of Learning | www.washingtonschoolforgirls.org

Prior to being appointed as Principal, Chevonne served as a Program Evaluator for School Performance and Effectiveness in the Office of Achievement and Accountability with Baltimore City Public Schools. In this role, Chevonne has evaluated more than 50% of the district’s schools and implemented a prioritization plan for school leadership teams.

Additionally, Chevonne served in various founding capacities with a charter school management organization in New York.

Danita Johnson joined Major League Soccer club, D.C. United, as their president of Business Operations in January 2021, making her the first Black president of an MLS Club and only the third woman in league history to serve in this role.

Danita joins D.C. United with 15 years of experience in the sports industry, including several roles in the WNBA, NBA, and NBA G League, specializing in revenue generation, community programs, and digital media and marketing. In her short time leading D.C. United, Danita has already left a lasting mark, introducing a landmark broadcast arrangement,

Our Girls, Our World, Our Future

which sees all of the club’s Major League Soccer matches produced live in both English and Spanish – a first for the club – with local network NBC Sports Washington and TeleXitos.

Natalie Cofield serves as a Presidential Appointee within the Biden-Harris Administration leading the Office of Women’s Business Ownership at the U.S. Small Business Administration where she is responsible for the distribution of $70 M in funding and managing the largest women’s business center network in the history of the Small Business Administration.

Natalie was named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2019 and selected among 137 cover-story business leaders and entrepreneurs from across the nation for her response to COVID-19 in Entrepreneur Magazine’s July/August 2020 edition cover.

She has also been named as among the Women Who Mean Business and one of the 100 Most Powerful Washingtonians by the Washington Business Journal.

Our Honorary Chairs Dr. Marcia Chatelain, Department of History Faculty American Studies Program: Georgetown University

WSG’s 25th Annivesary Gala WSG is excited to celebrate 25 years inspiring lives of faith-filled purpose, leadership, and service for girls in Washington’s Wards 7 and 8 and Prince George’s County, MD at our upcoming gala: Our Girls, Our World, Our Future on Saturday, May 14 at Trinity Washington University.

Wonya Lucas President and CEO: Crown Media Family Networks

Check in and reception begin at 5:30pm.

Pinkie Dent Mayfield Vice President-Corporate Affairs & Chief Communications Officer: Graham Holdings

Event programming will being at 6:30pm Spearheaded by three female community champions, this important commemorative event will raise $1 million for the school.

Our Mistress of Ceremonies: Kami Simmons

Want to attend, sponsor, or donate to Our Girls, Our World, Our Future?

Visit: https://www.washingtonschoolforgirls.org/25

Kami Simmons graduated from Washington School for Girls in 2009 and went on to earn a B.A. from Kalamazoo College and a Masters of Science from Columbia University. Simmons has an extensive background in multimedia productions, including working as a television personality, content creator, and more.

Igniting the Joyful Pursuit of Learning | www.washingtonschoolforgirls.org

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Washington School for Girls 1901 Mississippi Ave SE, Washington, DC 20020

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Our 2022 Gala Awardees Founding Spirits Award:

This award recognizes significant contributions to the school and the embodiment of our founding spirits: Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, the Venerable Cornelia Connelly, and Saint Claudine Thevenet. Each of our honorees live the values that inspire our school each day including Catholic social teaching, trust and reverence for every human being, and civic engagement, and have demonstrated commitment to WSG’s mission through their service.

Sr. Mary Bourdon, RJM

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Jennifer Gibbs Phillips,NCNW

Sr. Eileen McDevitt, SHCJ

The Innovator Award:

THEARC space, 16 years ago, transformed the way in which Washington School for Girls provided holistic education to girls. This partnership could not have been possible without the innovation of Chris Smith and Skip McMahon. Their belief in our school’s programming and dedication to the community has allowed our school to again reimagine a future transformation.

The Advocator Award:

This award is dedicated to persons in the field of education who are making waves in how educators think about learning. They advocate for educators, decisionmakers, and families to see the whole child. This person or people represent an idea that WSG has used to inform our philosophies, perspectives, and pedagogy.

Dr. Monique Morris

Skip McMahon

Chris Smith Igniting the Joyful Pursuit of Learning | www.washingtonschoolforgirls.org