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Maya Angelou launches Virtual Learning Plan and Campaign in Response to COVID-19
Maya Angelou Schools launch Virtual Plan and Campaign Amid COVID-19
On March 11, 2020, in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Mayor Muriel Bowser declared both a state of emergency and a public health emergency. During this unprecedented public health emergency, Maya Angelou Schools remains committed to ensuring the well-being of our students and school communities. Therefore, starting Monday, March 16 through Monday, April 27, MAPCS will modify operations to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our region.
Read more about our response plan and access helpful resources at www.seeforever.org/coronavirus-notice
Maya Angelou Schools launches Virtual Learning Plan and Campaign in Response to COVID-19
On March 11, 2020, in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Mayor Muriel Bowser declared both a state of emergency and a public health emergency. During this unprecedented public health emergency, Maya Angelou Schools remains committed to ensuring the well-being of our students and school communities.
Find out more information about our virtual plans and additional resources on our site at www.seeforever.org/coronavirus-notice
NBC4 Features Hoop House on News
On Thursday, July 18, 2019, Urban Farm at Maya was featured on NBC Washington’s morning and afternoon noon segments on yesterday. We recently marked the one year anniversary of the Urban Farm and this was a perfect way to celebrate and share the important work that we do at Maya Angelou Schools and the See Forever Foundation with thousands of viewers. See News Story here.
News anchor Aaron Gilchrist visited the campus last week to talk with school leaders about the program, day to day operations, and plans for the future.
Toward the end of the interview, Gilchrist shared our anticipated plan for the Urban Farm program over the next two years—- we will continue to educate young-enthusiastic scholars, set up a way to provide fresh produce to members of the Wards 7 and 8 communities and strives to become a primary local resource for the food industry in the District of Columbia. We hope to have you by our sides during this journey.
If you’d like to support the Hoop House and ongoing program initiatives at Maya Angelou Schools, please email your interests to communications@seeforever.org.
If you are sharing this exciting news on social media, tag us and use hashtags #MayaSchools and #MayaRising.
Thank you for your support so far and enjoy the exclusive release of our Urban Farm short film, here.
Founder, David Domenici, and Maya Angelou Academy Featured In Ozy
It’s a cold March morning in the nation’s capital. My fingers are stiff, and in the end, useless as I fumble to open the door to David Domenici’s battered 1992 Honda Civic. But with a sturdy shove and then a yank, the wiry 50-year-old reassures me that it’s not me. We’re headed less than a mile away, so Domenici can show me where he used to work.
“It was vile,” he says, nodding to the remnants of a juvenile detention center. Inside, he takes me to a stale, moldering complex where he used to teach the lockup’s student body, kids as young as 13 and as old as 21. In 2009, after allegations of abuse and decrepit conditions, a judge closed the facility. But in a new detention hall just down the road, named New Beginnings, Domenici has managed to build a model school for young inmates. On the day I visit, the classrooms are decorated with colorful murals, encouraging slogans and pictures of grinning recent grads. Teachers and security officers greet the tattooed scholars with warm handshakes and hugs. The ambience is downright optimistic. “You never would have seen anything close to this before,” Domenici says.
The question that remains, will we see others like it? Read full article
–By Meghan Walsh, Ozy.com
Maya Scholars join StriveTogether National Campaign
Two current Maya Angelou Public Charter School scholars, Emely and Antonio, participated in Strive Together’s, Strive, national campaign, “Let’s Create #SuccessTogether,” earlier this summer. Strive traveled to over 9 cities to talk with scholars grades 9-12 about their definition of success.
New Mural of Dr. Maya Angelou Graces School Campus
“If you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you are.” This is an infamous quote written by Dr. Maya Angelou and will soon be covering the left side of the High School entrance of Maya Angelou Schools campus. The Department of Public Works recently awarded the school with the MuralDC grant that afforded the costs of aerosol artist, Eric B. Rick.
The muse behind the mural is a dedication to namesake, Dr. Maya Angelou. WJLA reported, “The main motif is a bird feeding a younger bird because she’s nurturing the young mind and this is where you are feeding the mind,” said by the artist Ricks. “I’m using colors, in a way, to provoke a sense of calm and joy.”
The mural painting began earlier in August and has staff members and community members excited. During the interview with WJLA, L’Tanya Holley , Director of Family Engagement started, “I can’t wait for the kids to see. I can’t for the staff to see. It just makes me happy. In a world where you have a whole lot of negative stuff going on why not have some joy with color.”
Check out the news story, here.
Check out the progression of the mural from staff pictures.
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Three Graduations for the Class of 2018
The second week of June was full of pomp and circumstance as Maya Angelou Schools awarded over 70 diplomas and certificates to graduates of the Maya Angelou Academy, Young Adult Learning Center, and Maya Angelou Public Charter School.
The Maya Angelou Academy graduation was held at the Gala Hispanic Theatre in the Columbia Heights neighborhood on June 12th. The four graduates showed tremendous poise while receiving their diplomas and GED certificates on stage. During the reflections reading, the graduates exhibited maturity and self-awareness as they shared personal stories of growth and gratitude.
One graduate admitted that the silver lining of being in New Beginnings was that he was able to attend Maya Angelou Academy. “I was glad to came to this school with a plan because they were so willing to help me succeed.”
The following evening, Young Adult Learning Center staff, students, and families gathered in the same venue to celebrate the 31 graduates who earned their GED or completed their Home Builders Institute Pre-Apprenticeship Certification Training (PACT) this school year. The ceremony was inspiring and emotional; several YALC graduates—all of whom at one point in their lives dropped out of High School—shared how they overcame significant obstacles and personal struggles to get to where they were today. The keynote speaker for the ceremony was Sharece Crawford, a native Washingtonian who serves as ANC Commissioner for the District of Columbia.
The Maya Angelou Public Charter School graduation ceremony took place at Trinity Washington University on the morning of June 15th. Yasmin Salina of The Hustler’s Guild, a community impact organization that serves underrepresented youth, was the guest speaker of the afternoon.
Six graduates shared their senior reflections with their mentors standing right beside them. One of the graduates, John’nae, who will be attending West Virginia State University this fall, talked about the biggest lesson she learned in high school:
“If you cannot be yourself around people you associate with or students who claim to be your friends, then you should find people who accept you for who you are. People are going to hurt you, but you have to forgive them. If you do not forgive, you are allowing them to have power over your life.”
For Quion, he feels more prepared for the real world with his high school diploma: “As a young black man, it is hard to grow up in the ghetto and not fall victim to street life and gang violence. To me, high school was a way to prove to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to and I can be great.” Quion’s goal is to obtain certifications in barbering, mechanics, and graphic design while earning a degree from a four-year college.
The MAPCS Class of 2018 received an astounding $200,000 in scholarship money and 74% of the graduating class has been accepted to college. They have been accepted to or will be attending the following schools:
- Philander Smith College
- Bethune Cookman University
- Lincoln University
- University of the District of Columbia (UDC)
- UDC Workforce Development Program
- Prince George’s Community College
- Trinity Washington University
- Norfolk State University
- Virginia State University
- West Virginia State University
- Hampton University
- Allegany College of Maryland
- Montgomery College
- Bowie State University
- AVEDA Institute
- Bennett Career Institute
The Maya Angelou Schools & See Forever Foundation is incredibly proud of the momentous achievements of our graduates. We hope that they will continue to exemplify the Maya qualities of leadership, excellence, and positivity in their next steps. Welcome to the Maya Alumni family!