Every September, school counselors interview students about their academic and socio-emotional histories.ÃÂ Counselors and teachers use this information to create unique student-centered academic and behavior programs.
The data presented is just a sampling of the personal, academic and intellectual needs of our students. The data shows us that our students need help. They need committed teachers who believe in their potential. They need an educational structure that heeds not just academic achievement, but also social and emotional competence. They need a school that will not shun or judge them for their less than perfect histories, but invite them in for second, third, or fourth chances.
At Maya Angelou, this is what they will find. We call it, The Maya Way.ÃÂ
Number of New Students Who Self-Reported that they were Truant Last Year (Truant defined as 10 or more days of unexcused absences in a single school year)Percentage of Students Receiving Special Education Services in Comparison to DCPS and DCPCSOver-Age Under-CreditedAverage Grade Level Equivalency (GLE) Score Fall 2014-15
There are days that try our patience, our stamina, our resiliency and our resolve.àHowever, amidst the discipline problems, construction noise, and other stress-inducing challenges, our staff and colleagues have persevered.àAs our namesake Maya Angelou would say, ââ¬ÅTry to be the rainbow in someoneââ¬â¢s cloud,ââ¬Â and the teachers and staff of Maya Angelou Schools do so every day. It is not an easy job, but together, we can be a mighty force of change.àWe can change the lives of the students we seek to serve.
Just a few weeks ago, the high school staff moved to the upper-level floors of the newly renovated Maya Angelou Learning Center. These sun-drenched classrooms will serve as the home base for our wonderful team of teachers and administrators. There is no doubt that the construction has been a period of endurance for us all, but we anticipate great transformations this year.
Even amid the renovation and transitions, Maya students continue to surprise and behold me. In this issue of See Forever, read about Omar Mobley, one of the four Young Adult Learning Center graduates who was chosen to intern with Forrester Construction on our renovation project. Also included in the newsletter is the essay of Shakira Hawkins, a senior at the high school who won a prestigious opportunity to study at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia through OSSEââ¬â¢s Summer Scholar program. And finally, our scholars at the Academy competed at yet another spectacular Speech Competition with incredibly moving and impassioned deliverances on the topic of power. You can read the top two speeches here.
We hope to make this a year of transformation and collaboration, not only with our partners, but also with our supporters and parents. Please come by and see the new space we will call home, meet our administration and teachers and experience the Maya Way.
We wish you a wonderful holiday season and look forward to celebrating the last month of 2014 with you!
The Young Adult Learning Center is proud to officially unveil our full-day integrated programâYALC Complete! As the name suggests, this is an opportunity for students to take full advantage of the full spectrum of programming offered at the Young Adult Learning Center. YALC Complete participants are on site from 9am- 3:30pm Monday through Friday (which includes one thirty minute break midday complete with a delicious lunch).
These motivated students are enrolled in two sets of classes: Academic courses geared towards critical thinking and success on the GED exam as well as a career and technical program focused on either (1) attaining a pre-apprenticeship certification in facilities maintenance or (2) various industry standard certifications in information technology, including the full Microsoft Office Suite. Teachers from the core- academic program and the workforce credential programs engage in collaborative planning to ensure instruction is contextualized and highly relevant.
In addition to the course work associated with the program, students have access to the robust wrap-around services offered at the YALC including career preparation, post-secondary readiness and counseling/ supportive services and groups. They engage in a student-led SMART goal setting and maintenance process through their tenure in the program. When these young people graduate the program, they are educated, skilled and completely ready for success!
A Student Perspective Essay By Shakira Hawkins
Shakira Hawkins at the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, GA.
I never thought that I would have the opportunity of going away to experience college life at such a young age. When I found out about the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) Scholars Summer Program, I thought what a great and wonderful opportunity. OSSE is a program that gives low income, first generation students a chance to meet new people from all over the world, experience a top-tier university, take new classes/subjects, and learn how to be independent. I was encouraged by my college counselor and many other staff members at my school, Maya Angelou Public Charter School, to just give it a try and apply. So I went through the rigorous process of filling out the application, an essay, and two interviews. Next thing you know, a few weeks later, I get an email and phone call saying, “Congratulations, Shakira out of 360 applicants you have been selected for OSSE!”
I was selected to go to Emory University for the summer of 2014 for six weeks. When I heard that I would be going to a college campus for the entire summer, away from home, I was excited yet very nervous. I enrolled for a Sociology class with Professor Lesley Watson and other college students.
Before we arrived at Emory for the summer, OSSE held an orientation for the youth who were going to Emory so that we could meet, help, and support one another. On my way there, I had all of these positive and negative thoughts of what college was going to be like. I thought that taking a college class was going to be really difficult, that I wasn’t going to understand the coursework or fit in with the college students.
When I stepped off the airport shuttle, I thought that the campus and residence halls were beautiful. I loved the marble buildings and the many places you could go on campus, even though everything was a good walk away. The students in the classes and the professors at Emory were amazing because I was surrounded by other students who were smart and who shared the same interests. We also had more freedom with our classes because the course that we took was totally up to us. If we didnââ¬â¢t like the course, we had the option to add/drop/swap during the first week.
In the beginning, my Sociology seminar was challenging, but I was able to ask a lot of questions during the group discussions. My peers understood the work better than me, they knew how to break down the lesson for me and explain a difficult concept. Inevitably, we became friends. I also loved the fact that Emory had activities for us to do because we learned time management skills.
Outside of class, we went to Emory Village and Emory Point, streets with lots of shops and eateries, to take our minds off of the heavy work load. On the weekends, we visited the Coca-Cola Factory and the Georgia Aquarium. After the graduation ceremony, we took a trip to Six Flags Over Georgia, a huge amusement park in Atlanta, Georgia. These activities helped us make better connections with the other students in the OSSE Scholars Program and we got to experience the city of Atlanta.
One lesson that I learned was that professors are not going to hunt you down and ask you if you did your work or not. The professor also isn’t going to hold your hand and remind you that you didn’t make up the missed work on the day you didn’t come to class. I also learned that you should take advantage of the supportive programs that they have like tutoring for your courses.
Overall, going to Emory was a life-changing experience that I will never forget and I encourage other kids to go out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves. My experience at Emory University made me even more excited of going to college and realize that I wanted to go to a school with a small class setting. I just wish every child who is serious about their education will have the same opportunity and experience that I had.
Shakira Hawkins is a senior at Maya Angelou Public Charter School and is currently taking classes for college credit at Trinity University in D.C. She is also an Achiever’s scholar.Â
