Through the continuing kindness of Baltimore Center Stage, the students were able to attend a performance of Black Nativity. This musical play is an adaptation of the Nativity story by Langston Hughes. We appreciate our partnership with Center Stage and the many opportunities they provide for us....
We continued a longstanding tradition last night attending the annual Associated Italian American Charities banquet. This group of Italian-Americans has been a primary supporter of our school for over 20 years. AIAC came together after World War II to support children in Italy who were orphaned by the war. It evolved over time to support organizations doing work primarily in the Baltimore area. It is a testament to the generosity of the local Italian community and their commitment as they have found personal success to give back. While performing this important role, it also builds fraternity in the local Italian community and promote the culture. We are thankful to the members of AIAC who direct their support to The Community School. This year it includes Tom Iacoboni, Tony Culotta, Felix Dialoiso, Ray Marocco, Jr., Mike Meola and Vince Piscopo. Your kindness is deeply appreciated. Tom and Felix invited all of the students to attend the banquet and everyone had a great time. All of the students went on stage as Madison did a great job speaking on behalf of the students and school to express our appreciation to the members of AIAC. We were also fortunate to hear from a number of other organizations and their important work. It was especially exciting to see our good friends from the South Baltimore Learning Center who gave a shout out to TCS from the stage. Thank you AIAC for your critical support over the years and for the great work you do!...
We are reading Trevor Noah's book "Born a Crime" for our literature class. This is both an entertaining and educational book about his life growing up in apartheid South Africa. Maneeza Khan, one of our JHU work study students who is from India, did an internship recently in South Africa and shared her experiences with the class. Maneeza talked about visiting Cape Town and Johannesburg, shantytowns and Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner along with many others. She shared not only some of the history of apartheid as well as its legacy. Everyone is a resource at The Community School and we are thankful to have such a diverse community to enrich our lives and our program. ...
We had a terrific "Conversation with.." Bonita Lee, the new Head of The GreenMount School. Although a Baltimore native, Ms. Lee shared her experiences in education from teaching and administration in Virginia and Texas to her journey back to Baltimore. The students were eager to learn more about Ms. Lee and her vision and experience as a Head of School, and she was interested in their lives and thoughts about their education at TCS. The Community School and The GreenMount School have had a close relationship for many years now. We would not have a Physical Education program without Mr. Eduardo and the kind use of their gym and facilities. We have enjoyed the opportunities for our students to support their students at such events as the annual Field Day. We are very grateful for Ms. Lee and The GreenMount School!...
[embed]https://youtu.be/TgeP2CWvh4M[/embed] This week's main story examines some of the appointments President-Elect Trump is making for top new posts in his administration. Stories around TCS include Conversations with photographer Kyle Pompey and TCS alum Ebony Love, the Sponsor Meeting, the Holiday Open House and more. This week's news was produced by Hector Rivas and Mohamed Cisse with production assistance from Rhys Guilfoyle....
Thank you to the shout from The Baltimore Beat! Read below from their latest issue where they featured their "Best (and Worst) of Baltimore 2024: For the Culture" Best: The Kids Are Alright Award In our current semi-apocalyptic-hellscape, finding hope and finding joy isn’t easy. Many folks have negative things to say about Baltimore (See Dietz further below) and Baltimore’s young people. We wanted to highlight the work of five Baltimore-based youth groups and organizations, which illustrate the talent, creativity, and promise of the next generation of Baltimoreans. If you are ever searching for moments of brightness and hope, look no further than the existence and work of Charm Lit Mag, Writers In Baltimore Schools, Wide Angle Youth Media, New Generation Scholars, and The Community School. Having faith in humanity can leave you feeling pretty jaded; these young people are working to ensure we have a future. Support them if you can with donations!...
What a great celebration! It was wonderful to see so many folks at the Annual Holiday Open House - Students, Families, Alumni, Volunteers, Supporters and Friends! A special thanks to Jenae & Dave for co-ordinating another terrific event. Massive appreciation to all of those who brought food and drink, helped decorate, set up and clean up. Gratitude to all of those who came and made the evening so special. What a terrific community we have! ...
Learning about education in Liberia was the theme of yesterday's continuing dialogue with our partner organization B4YT. We are in our 2nd year of working with Burning Barriers Building Bridges Youth Theatre, a youth empowerment organization in Liberia, West Africa. Every other week we exchange videos where the young people from each of our organizations share about a topic to learn about each other's lives, conditions and issues. Our students watched a video produced by B4YT's youth about the education system in Liberia with their young people sharing both their experiences and perspectives. We then filmed a return video answering questions B4YT submitted to us including the structure of our school day and the impact of racism in schools. This effort is facilitated by TCS staff and alumnus Janiah Tillery and continues to be an enlightening experience that we hope will also include an exchange visit at some point in the future. Learn about B4YT here: https://www.b4youththeatre.org/...
We had a spirited Sponsor meeting tonight as we wrapped up our first trimester of the school year. It was a night to update families and sponsors about some of the activities and accomplishments of the last 3 months. Most of all, it was a night to celebrate our students and their growth, engagement and successes. Here are a few statistics that help tell the story of this remarkable group of young people: Attendance Rate: 99.1% - this is better than many businesses and is at a time when the Baltimore City School System is grappling with an attendance crisis where 50% of their students are chronically absent - missing 10% or more of the school year. Honor Roll Rate: 64% - this is the highest rate the school has ever had. We have a very demanding and rigorous curriculum and to be on the Honor Roll students must maintain a G.P.A. of at least 90% and not have below 80% in any subject. 43% of the students have an outstanding 4.0 average while balancing college courses with their high school work. 100% of our 10th grade class are passing their first college course this semester. 100% of our 11th grade students are passing two college courses this semester both a philosophy course taught onsite by the University of Baltimore and a English 101 taught onsite by Baltimore City Community College. 33 College Credits - our 11th grade students have 15 credits at the end of this grading period and will graduate with an expected 33 college credits. We are so proud of...