Our History
Founded in 1997 by David Domenici and James Forman, Jr., the See Forever Foundation was created to offer a holistic program to teens involved in the juvenile justice system. Court-involved teens told our co-founders that they wanted to earn money, learn marketable skills, and gain responsibility. When they returned to school, they also wanted to attend small classes with teachers who cared about them, and they wanted help making hard decisions.

We opened our doors in 1997 as a comprehensive program for 20 teens. That year we sponsored a school naming contest. Sherti Hendrix, a member of our first graduating class (Class of 1999), wrote the winning essay, advocating for the school to be named after Dr. Maya Angelou. In the spring of 1998, we incorporated our school, the Maya Angelou Public Charter School, as separate nonprofit subsidiary. That same year we purchased the historic Odd Fellows Building at the corner of 9th and T Street, NW. We moved into the building in the fall of 2000, after completing a $3 million renovation. We grew each year, as students from all over the city and from all sorts of academic backgrounds actively sought admission. Some had been out of school, some had been going to big schools and heard about our program and the one-on-one support offered to students, and others were referred to the school by supporters. To meet the needs of our growing student population, particularly in the Ward 7 and Ward 8 areas of the District of Columbia, in September 2004 the See Forever Foundation opened a second campus of the Maya Angelou Public Charter School in partnership with the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). Our second campus, located in the former DCPS Evans Middle School is located in the 5600 block of East Capitol Street, NE.

In 2007, the See Forever Foundation/Maya Angelou Public Charter School had a huge growth spurt; we opened our first-ever middle school, designed to meet the needs of a younger, alternative student population – middle school students at the 6th, 7th and 8th grade levels. That campus, housed for its first year in the former DCPS Fletcher Johnson Elementary School, is now located at 5600 East Capitol Street, NE along with our Evans high school program.  We also won the contract to oversee the Oak Hill Academy, the educational component of the Oak Hill Detention Center for adjudicated youth. In May 2009, the Oak Hill Detention Center was officially renamed the New Beginnings Youth Development Center and our school was renamed the Maya Angelou Academy. As a part of our service to this population of students, the See Forever Foundation also opened a Transition Center to support students of the Maya Angelou Academy as the transition back into their communities.

The See Forever Foundation/Maya Angelou Public Charter School is a national alternative educational program model. Over the last decade, our school has offered a comprehensive program where students receive individual attention, learn marketable skills, and move on to postsecondary programs or employment at a rate exceeding 80%. Our integrated program model program includes small classes, individualized instruction, and a wide range of wraparound services that give our students the opportunity to succeed. Tutoring, mentoring, career preparatory programs, enrichment classes, mental health services, residential opportunities, college access and transition support, as well as “real-world” authentic learning experiences help our students set and meet high expectations. This year, MAPCS will serve approximately 530 students across its two high school campus and middle school campus, but will serve upwards of 600 students when including the Maya Angelou Academy and its affiliated Transition Center. Our school strives to be a place of hope: students, teachers, parents, and community members form unique bonds through an intensive academic curriculum and special wraparound services and supports.