schools

Colombian Singer Shakira Reads To Oyster-Adams Bilingual Elementary School Students

By Prince Of Petworth

Well, this was pretty cool. I attended an MLK Day/Call to Service at Oyster-Adams Bilingual Elementary School this morning. I can see why so many folks want to send their children here. We probably waited an hour and a half (some folks even longer) for the main attraction to arrive and the children were incredibly well behaved and patient sitting in the auditorium.

There were many songs (of course in English and Spanish) and everybody genuinely seemed to be having a good time. There were also student presentations about what it means to be an American (in English and Spanish) that was also quite nice. And then, try to imagine 100+ elementary school students screaming at Shakira’s arrival. Quite a scene, man. I nearly fainted. Of course that may have more to do with the bars being open until 4am and not eating enough… Anyway, the unbelievably good looking Shakira said a few words and then read a children’s story. The event had another nice touch:

“Shakira, Oyster Principal Monica Liang-Aguirre and the students will also announce a sister-school relationship with a Colombian elementary school, Escuela Gabriel García Márquez, located outside of Bogota. Shakira’s Barefoot Foundation works with the school, which is largely attended by children who have been displaced by Colombian civil war.

For a little background, Shakira founded the Barefoot Foundation in 1995 at age 18 and is devoted to universal education and early childhood development around the world. Shakira is the Chair of the Global Campaign for Education and a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.”

New Location For Bill Ayers Speech Tonight

By Prince Of Petworth

From an email:

“Due to the large number of people who want to attend the book talk and signing with Bill Ayers, we have moved it to a new location to be sure there is space for everyone. The book talk and signing will be held at: All Souls Church, 1500 Harvard Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 – two blocks from the Columbia Heights Metro.

6:30 PM
William Ayers will sign and discuss his two books – City Kids, City Schools: More Reports from the Front Row – and its companion- City Kids, City Teachers: Reports from the Front Row. In these inspiring resources, William Ayers explores the surprising realities of city classrooms from kindergarten through high school. With its upbeat mix of ready-to-share city kids’ memoirs and classroom strategies, William Ayers reflects on how improving urban education is more essential than ever. It is a useful guide as well as a call to action for anyone who teaches or has taught in the city, for those considering teaching in urban schools, and for every parent with children in our schools today.”

7th Street Garden Gets New Home

By Prince Of Petworth

This is one of the many reasons why I enjoy having no destination on my weekend walkabouts. I literally stumbled on this super cool organization building a new community garden. It has restored some of my faith in society after hearing about all the recent crime lately.

It is located on the grounds of the Gage Eckington Elementary school at 2025 3rd Street, NW.


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As you can see from the title of the post, this organization is moving from 7th Street where they currently have a garden. I was able to speak with their director, Liz, who told me that they just signed the lease for this new plot a week ago. They are moving from 7th Street because Bread for the City will be expanding their building. There is a lot of good info on their Web site:

“The 7th Street Garden directly promotes food security, human and environmental health and strong communities by:
– The Green Tomorrows Program: A horticulture job training for low-income D.C. residents that can be applied to gardening, fresh food entrepreneurship, and urban sustainability fields.
– Garden Education Program: Teaching hands-on classes in urban food production, gardening, nutrition, pollination and food origin to adults and children.
– Marketing affordable produce through farmer’s markets.
– Nourishing disadvantaged D.C. residents through provision of shares of fresh produce.
– Collaborating with community organizations and hunger advocates addressing District residents’ needs.
– Holding events and activities in the garden for Shaw community members.”

Naturally, they’ll be getting a new name to represent their new location. If you’d like to volunteer be sure to check out their Web site. Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)

Judging Additions

By Prince Of Petworth

I really like how this edition is modern yet doesn’t stick out from the classic building. This is the Capital City Public Charter School located at 15th and Irving. Incidentally, I think this may be the most multicultural school I’ve ever seen. One day I say the students let out and they were black, white, hispanic, asian, it was a beautiful sight. Anyway, what do you think of the extension?

Hmm, What Exactly Does the School Board Do?

By Prince Of Petworth

I noticed that there were some signs for the upcoming school board election. We spoken a lot about schools before but it occurred to me I have no idea what the elected school board does.

So can anyone explain what this (I assume) important board actually does? Also what would be the different positions of the candidates for the board?

Volunteer for Beautification Day on August 23rd

By Prince Of Petworth

From a reader:

“Next Saturday, August 23, we will be helping with the DC Public Schools “Beautification Day.” We’re looking for volunteers who will join us in completing a few clean-up and landscaping projects at Powell Elementary School from 8:00am till shortly after 12:00pm. Powell is located at 1350 Upshur Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011. There will be snacks, water and a t-shirt for all volunteers. If you’re interested in joining the fun, please e-mail Scott Jackson at scottj@handsondc. org.

Get involved — Volunteer “Job” openings

If you’re looking for experience running a nonprofit organization, want to further refine your skills, or are just interested in helping DC Public schools in a deeper way, we would love to have you involved as a member of the Organizing Committee. We’re looking for people with skills in project management, painting, landscaping, training, fund raising, sales, marketing, media relations, public outreach, web development, database development, social networking, or special event planning. If you have experience (or interests) in any of these areas, we would like to talk to you about our numerous leadership opportunities. Please contact Scott Jackson at scottj@handsondc. org by September 1st for more information.”

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