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Table 1

Demographic Data for 2014-2015 School Year

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Every September, school counselors interview students about their academic and socio-emotional histories.  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. 

 

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)
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 DCPCS
Percentage of Students Receiving Special Education Services in Comparison to DCPS and DCPCS
Over-Age Under-Credited
Over-Age Under-Credited
Average Grade Level Equivalency (GLE) Score Fall 2014-15
Average Grade Level Equivalency (GLE) Score Fall 2014-15

 

Dear Maya Family: Letter from CEO

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December 2014

Dear Maya Family,

There are days that try our patience, our stamina, our resiliency and our resolve. However, amidst the discipline problems, construction noise, and other stress-inducing challenges, our staff and colleagues have persevered.  As our namesake Maya Angelou would say, “Try to be the rainbow in someone’s cloud,” 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.  We 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 OSSE’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!

Warm Regards,

Heather Wathington

 

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From the COO : Improvements and Move-Ins

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DSCF0062 copyWe are beginning a landmark year for the Maya Angelou family. This fall, the high school moved into its freshly renovated space with a brand new computer lab, media center, two fully provisioned science labs, dedicated classrooms for music and art, and much more. This month marks the completion of more than five years of work, with many of you as our partners, in renovating the Maya Angelou Learning Center.

One of the most exciting aspects of the renovation has been our students’ participation. They have been involved throughout the project, providing feedback on mockups and learning firsthand from our general contractor (Forrester Construction) in the classroom and on-site. During Phase II, Forrester took on four of our Young Adult Learning Center graduates as interns. The students proved their workforce skills as productive members of the time and several were extended beyond the internship to work with Forrester or subcontractors.

The 2014-15 school year and beyond will bring exciting opportunities for us. We have dramatically improved our information technology infrastructure, renovated our building, and sharpened our hiring and professional development practices. With your help, we are creating a renewed and re-energized network of schools to serve our students, their families, and our community well.

Chief Operating Officer


Chris Tessone is Chief Operating Officer of the See Forever Foundation and the Maya Angelou Public Charter Schools, where he directs day-to-day operations for the organization, develops and systematizes human resource policies, and has primary oversight in the areas of financial management, technology, security, and facilities. 

YALC’s First 2014 GED Graduate: Chanaya Wheeler

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YALC's first 2014 GED Graduate

Please join us in congratulating the Young Adult Learning Center’s first 2014 GED graduate, Chanaya Wheeler!  Ms. Wheeler came to the YALC in April of 2014 reporting that she had way too many credits to make up in her traditional high school and wanted to try the GED route instead.

The new GED is a very rigorous test with an emphasis on critical thinking, but Ms. Wheeler was able to gain the skills she needed to be successful and even helped tutor her classmates along the way. Ms. Wheeler started taking sections of the test early this fall after she turned 18. Last week, she passed the final section of the exam making her our very first graduate of the year.

She is enrolling at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) for an associate’s degree in business and technology and plans to go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting.  We know her journey will be filled with continued success.

Way to go, Chanaya!

Maya Angelou School Community Mourns the Death of Their Namesake, Dr. Maya Angelou

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For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 28, 2014 — We at Maya Angelou Public Charter Schools and the See Forever Foundation are saddened by the passing of our namesake, Dr. Maya Angelou this morning.

Dr. Angelou was not just a cultural icon and our namesake; she was unquestionably the strongest advocate and supporter of our school and the youth we serve. Her unwavering commitment and dedication to our students was nothing short of astonishing. She cheerfully gave of her time and talents whenever we called upon her and encouraged her circle of friends to do so as well. Dr. Angelou attended every annual fundraiser that has been held at the school until this year and even then, she made sure she joined us from her living room via satellite. The commitment she demonstrated to ensure the school’s success was unmatched.

Dr. Angelou has truly been an inspiration to our students and staff alike. Her influence and wisdom were far-reaching. She wasn’t just a citizen of North Carolina or even the United States, she was truly a citizen of the world.  Her message of tolerance, peace and love touched all of our hearts. The world is immeasurably better because of all that she gave, said Dr. Heather Wathington, Chief Executive Officer of the See Forever Foundation and Maya Angelou Schools. “We must continue to help our students realize the hope that lies within them — the hope that Dr. Angelou believed in for each of them.

When the Maya Angelou Schools opened its doors 17 years ago, a naming contest was held in which students were asked to write an essay about what the name of the school should be and why.  The opening line of the winner’s essay stated that the school name should represent the power and importance of education.  The author went on to explain the many hardships and challenges that Dr. Angelou faced in her early life, but not unlike Maya scholars, she used hard work and education to create a new future for herself.

We offer our heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to Dr. Angelou’s family, colleagues and friends. The world mourns her loss today, commented David Domenici, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board.

A restricted fund will be set up in response to the many inquiries and outpouring of support given to the schools. For more information about Maya Angelou Schools and the See Forever Foundation and to make a contribution, visit the website at: www.seeforever.org

 

Contact: Leah Lamb
Chief Development Officer
See Forever Foundation
202-797-8250, ext. 1005
llamb@seeforever.org