Prince George's County

EDUCATION

Md. Student and Heart Transplant Recipient Inspires Youth at Disney Dreamers Academy

Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

Olivia Jones recalled how her mother introduced her to the Disney Dreamers Academy program.

And as the Hubert Black High School student continued her story, she soon captured the imagination of her fellow program participants.

“I researched the program further on the internet, and to apply, I used my heart transplant story as my essay,” Olivia, 13, remarked.

Soft-spoken and brilliant, Olivia said it didn’t take long for Disney officials to reach out to her with the news that she’d been invited to join 100 students worldwide out of thousands of applicants.

Established by Walt Disney World in 2008, the educational mentorship program’s mission remains to inspire young leaders to dream beyond imagination. The program provides lifelong access to personalized support for the Disney Dreamers, their caregivers and their communities through

5 Olivia Jones, a heart transplant recipient from Silver Spring, Maryland, counted among the 100 chosen for the 2022 Disney Dreamers Academy. (Photo courtesy NNPA)

insightful content and talented experts, mentors and sponsors.

Olivia, one of three students from Maryland in the 2022 program, said the mentors and academy classmates serve as inspirations.

But she quickly recognizes those who continue to care for her new heart.

“I think all my hospital procedures and my donor are what inspire me,” Olivia remarked. “That’s what keeps me going every day.”

She noted that she has regular hospital visits which help her remain healthy.

“The Disney Dreamers Academy helps a lot because you get the support you need and you make a lot of friends,” Olivia said.

During the four-day academy, Olivia sought to learn life lessons from mentors and she said she looked forward to returning home with new memories and friends.

“I was so excited and surprised when I heard the news [that Disney had approved her application to attend the academy],” Olivia recalled.

A frequent visitor to the District’s Smithsonian museums, Olivia said she prefers the Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

“I like the Air and Space Museum because they have the astronaut ice cream that I enjoy,” she said with a laugh. “I grew up going to all of the Smithsonian Museums and I attended a camp at the National Museum of African American History and Culture and had access to the whole museum.”

Olivia added that her experience has driven her to dream of creating a system for better healthcare for everyone.

A National Honors Society member and co-captain of her school’s color guard, Olivia serves as an ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network, the Washington Regional Transplant.

“I enjoy raising money and awareness for kids with complex cardiac diseases. My favorite class is AP Art History which I plan to study in college,” Olivia said. “Ultimately, my dream is to become a museum curator with a focus on African and African American Art.”

WI

With Barriers Gone, Isabella Sanchez Announces Run for State Board Seat

5 Isabella Sanchez (Courtesy photo)

Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer

In years past, DC Public Schools [DCPS] employees running for the State Board of Education [SBOE] had to officially leave the classroom by submitting a Declaration of Intent to Not Return [DINR].

And with the DINR deadline just a few weeks away this year, some teachers eyeing an SBOE run faced a dilemma.

However, much to their relief, the D.C. Council recently passed emergency legislation to ensure that DCPS employees no longer have to choose between their job and SBOE aspirations.

DCPS teacher and newly-announced SBOE candidate, Isabella Sanchez, counted among those who extolled the D.C. Council’s move as a step in the right direction for further diversifying the voices on the SBOE and ensuring that teachers can leverage their on-the-ground experience.

Though she made the decision to run last fall and contemplated leaving the classroom to fulfill her goal, Sanchez said she feels grateful no longer having to make a difficult decision. If elected to the Ward 1 seat, Sanchez said she hopes to elevate the voices of community members and highlight ethnic diversity and uniqueness as a provider of adult education.

“As someone who loves to work at a school, it made me wonder and be excited that I could continue to have a schoolbased role if elected to the state board,” said Sanchez, a teacher SANCHEZ Page 25

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at Garrison Elementary School in Northwest.

“The idea of leaving [the classroom] was weighing on me,” she added. “I get a lot of joy from being a teacher. Seeing this legislation come out made me extremely excited that it wouldn’t have to be something I have to give up.”

SBOE Ward 1 Representative Emily Gasoi didn’t return The Informer’s inquiry about whether she would run for reelection this year. She and other members of the state board, a nonpartisan entity, advise education policy for District public and public charter schools, the most recent of which involved the STAR Framework.

Once D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) signs the emergency legislation into law, it will go into effect. Before the emergency legislation’s unanimous passage on March 3, only public charter school employees qualified for inclusion on the state board. Had any DCPS emQ2 AMTRAK PRINT_Washington Informer_B-AA 3-1.pdf 1 1/25/22 4:12 PMployee decided to run for SBOE

after the DINR deadline, they would’ve faced a fine of at least $1,000.

Such circumstances compelled D.C. Councilmembers Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) and Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) to introduce the emergency legislation, especially since people have spoken in support of such measures in previous council hearings.

The concept of a state board with public school teachers had support among SBOE members, including At large Representative Jacque Patterson who currently works for KIPP DC and Ward 4 Representative Frazier O’Leary, a former DCPS teacher.

The passage of the emergency legislation culminated three years of on-the-ground advocacy by EmpowerEd, an organization dedicated to increasing teacher retention and diversifying the teacher workforce.

Lewis George and Allen, at the behest of EmpowerEd and other teacher advocates, attempted to address teacher eligibility on the SBOE through legislation related to dismantling mayoral control of schools, opening public charter school meetings, and modernizing elections.

Scott Goldstein, founder and director of EmpowerEd, pointed out these efforts grew out of a movement to bring transparency to District schools. He told The Informer that having DCPS teachers as SBOE leaders not only fulfills that goal but provides more opportunities for growth within the profession.

“When you have your ear to the ground, you have the best ideas about how to improve our schools,” Goldstein said.

“We need those people in leadership. There are challenges with teachers’ schedules and being an elected official but as it stands, the state board is a part-time role so I know teachers can engage in that work productively and as well as current state board members,” he said. Lewis George, a former SBOE student representative, said the emergency legislation could play a part in alleviating DCPS’ teacher retention problem. She said DCPS teachers have the qualifications and know-how that could augment the work of the state board. Not removing the barriers to entry would’ve been detrimental, she said.

“We had to make it clear for potential “We had to make it clear for potential candidates that they can candidates that they can run and stay in run and stay in the classroom next year. They would’ve either paid the classroom next year. They would’ve a fine or left the classroom not knowing they could still run. This either paid a fine or left the classroom is about creating the symmetry between DCPS and charter schools. not knowing they could still run. This is This is the one issue with unaniabout creating the symmetry between mous support. Everyone agreed it was fair and it was cool the entire DCPS and charter schools." state board was on board,” Lewis George said. WI @SamPKCollins