Thurgood Marshall Academy and Savoy Elementary School Students come together to celebrate Farm to School Week

Today, students from Thurgood Marshall Academy and its sister school right next door, Savoy Elementary, came together in their shared gymnasium to celebrate the kickoff of Farm to School Week, starting today through October 15.

The day's festivities included a cook-off between some of the area's best chefs (judged by the students present), a visit by the White House Executive Chef Sam Kass, a visit by Ward 3 City Councilwoman Mary Cheh (celebrating the passage of the Healthy Schools Act), and many others striving for healthier schools in DC.

Thurgood Marshall Academy students assisted the chefs, helping them prepare the dishes. Each TMA student, accompanied by a buddy from Savoy, were allowed to vote for their favorite dish: most were won over by the home-grown, healthy, apple crisp, made from locally grown apples.

After the cook-off ended, students, sponsors and teachers filed outside to view the newly completed portion of TMA and Savoy's shared garden, already sprouting fruits and vegetables in preparation for this spring's harvest.

This is only the beginning of a week that is designed to promote healthier eating choices for our children's schools, ensuring them a better diet and a better life in the long-run.

Find out what may be happened at a school near you for the rest of this week and find out more about Farm to School Week by clicking here.

View photos of the day's activities below.

Latest Announcements from Educate Ward 8

Hello Everyone- Educate Ward 8 and the Ward itself have had a great past week and are looking forward to some good things coming this week!

A few days ago, we were very excited to get an official note of support from Jacque Patterson, President of the Ward 8 Democrats! It is becoming more and more obvious with each note that Educate Ward 8 is quickly becoming and integral part of education reform here in Ward 8. You can read Jacque's note of support by clicking on the "supporters" tab on this site!

Also, I (Markus Batchelor) was able to get to E Street Cinema to see Waiting for Superman on Friday. Though there was really no groundbreaking or fairly new information in the movie, it definitely sparks awareness and thought about where our education system is, how it effects our nation's children, and what we all must do improve it. I will be writing a series of opinions on different issues that were raised in the movies in the upcoming weeks.

AND NOW, THIS WEEK, there is so much more in store:

Tuesday, October 12, 2010:

• 2010 National College Fair @The Walter Washington Convention Center (9am-1pm and 6pm-8pm): Students and Parents from across the District of Columbia will come to the convention center to speak with representatives from over 100 colleges and universities. Find more information here.
• Farm to School Kickoff Event @Thurgood Marshall Academy/ Savoy Elementary Shared Gym (1pm): Students will be the judges in a contest of local chefs competing to create the tastiest dish from a local apple harvest. The images from a city-wide School Garden Photo Contest will be displayed and the winning photographers announced. A brand-new school garden, shared by Thurgood Marshall Academy and neighboring Savoy Elementary School, will be named, dedicated, painted and planted. We’ll celebrate the passage of the DC Healthy Schools Act and the exciting changes in school lunches with Councilmember Mary Cheh. Special guests Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and Sam Kass, White House Chef and Senior Policy Adviser For Healthy Food Initiatives will join us to celebrate local and national efforts to grow healthier kids.
• Fairlawn Civic Association Meeting: Residents of the Fairlawn Neighborhood! Come join your neighborhoods to talk about the issues that matter most- including EDUCATION. @UPO Anacostia- 1649 Good Hope Road SE from 7-9:30pm

Thursday, October 14, 2010:

• Chancellor's Office Hours @Johnson Middle School, 1400 Bruce PL SE. (6pm-8pm). Come the Johnson Middle School on Thursday to have a five-minute sit-down with Chancellor Rhee about the issues that you care about the most. Email nicole.smith2@dc.gov to schedule an appointment.
• Fort Stanton Civic Association Meeting @Fort Stanton Rec Center, 18th and Erie St SE (7-8:30pm): Residents of the Fort Standon Neighborhood! Come join your neighborhoods to talk about the issues that matter most- including EDUCATION.

Saturday, October 16, 2010:

• Ward 8 Democrats Meeting @Matthews Memorial Baptist Church, 2616 Martin Luther King Avenue SE (Noon). At this month's meeting, it's time to MEET YOUR ANC COMMISSIONERS! Come to Matthews on Saturday and get to know those who represent you on the first tier of DC's Government system and talk to them about our Ward's most pressing issues.

CHECK OUT EDUCATE WARD 8'S CALENDAR FOR MORE EVENTS

WE ALSO STILL NEED YOU TO JOIN AND SUPPORT US! CLICK ON THE "JOIN US" TAB AND MAKE A COMMITMENT TO OUR CHILDREN.

Ward 8 Students and Parents: Get Ready for Farm to School Week! 10/12- 10/15

Mark your calendars – D.C. Farm to School Week is coming October 12-15, 2010!

Join the D.C. Farm to School Network, in partnership with schools, community organizations and state agencies to:

• Expose D.C. students to the joys of growing, harvesting, preparing and eating farm-fresh, local foods;
• Get healthy, local foods into D.C. school cafeterias;
• Celebrate the passage of the Healthy Schools Act; and
• Celebrate D.C. School Garden Week!

Want to sponsor the event, and support D.C. kids and local farms? Download our Sponsor Packet to learn more.

Join us on Tuesday, October 12th to kick-off D.C. Farm to School Week and D.C. School Garden Week!

When: Tuesday, October 12th ; 1:00pm
Where: Thurgood Marshall Academy & Savoy Elementary’s shared Gymnasium
2427 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE
Washington, DC 2002
Anacostia metro station, many bus lines, or parking in lot across the street

Please RSVP for this event to Kacie Warner at kwarner@washingtonyouthgarden.org by October 7th.

Students will be the judges in a contest of local chefs competing to create the tastiest dish from a local apple harvest. The images from a city-wide School Garden Photo Contest will be displayed and the winning photographers announced. A brand-new school garden, shared by Thurgood Marshall Academy and neighboring Savoy Elementary School, will be named, dedicated, painted and planted. We’ll celebrate the passage of the DC Healthy Schools Act and the exciting changes in school lunches with Councilmember Mary Cheh. Special guests Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and Sam Kass, White House Chef and Senior Policy Adviser For Healthy Food Initiatives will join us to celebrate local and national efforts to grow healthier kids.

Other Schools Coordinating Events in Ward 8!

Garfield Elementary School, Ward 8
10/13 – 3rd graders visiting Rocklands Farm in Poolesville, MD
10/14 – Cooking demonstration with Chef Tee of Station 9

Thurgood Marshall Academy and Savoy Elementary, Ward 8
10/12 Hosting the Farm to School Week and School Garden Week joint kick-off event

What will the event look like?

Participating D.C. schools will serve and highlight healthy, locally-grown foods in their school meals. Additionally, we’ll help a number of schools coordinate both educational farm field trips where students can harvest local produce, and also interactive chef demonstrations where students can prepare and taste local produce!

We’re also coordinating a battling chef kick-off event at Savoy Elementary School on Tuesday, October 12th. Stay tuned for more information!

How can schools get involved?

• Serve healthy, local foods in your school meals – many school food service operations have already committed to doing so, including all D.C. Public Schools. The D.C. Farm to School Network is working with many others – contact Andrea at andrea(at)dcfarmtoschool(dot)org to see if your school will feature farm-fresh foods during the week.
• Highlight local foods on the menu during the week by noting which items are local and where they come from. Find outWhat’s In Season during D.C. Farm to School Week.
• Spread the word about D.C. Farm to School Week! See below (Information & Resources) for sample P.A. Announcements, promotional materials, letters to parents, and more.

How can other individuals and organizations get involved?

• Do you want to sponsor the event? We need donations of food, transportation, and more. Download our Sponsor Packetfor more information.
• Would you like to lead a chef demonstration at a school? Read our Call for Chefs PDF for more details.
• Do you have local food to sell or donate for the event? Email andrea(at)dcfarmtoschool(dot)org or call Andrea at (202) 526-5344 x298.
• Want to just stay in the loop? Join our e-Newsletter to stay up-to-date on volunteer opportunities, planning updates, tools & resources.

FIND MORE INFORMATION ON FARM TO SCHOOL WEEK HERE

On College Awareness Day, Thurgood Marshall Academy continues its commitment to getting students to college

Today, all over the city, schools (elementary, middle and high schools) celebrated College Awareness Day, which encouraged teachers to inform their students about the importance of a post-secondary education and share information about their Alma maters.

I am a senior at Thurgood Marshall Academy at the intersection of Martin Luther King Avenue and Howard Road, SE. It is the highest performing open-enrollment school not only in Ward 8, but in the entire city, ensuring that 100% of its graduated seniors since its founding (five classes, since 2005) have been accepted to at least college or university.

Everyday at Thurgood Marshall Academy you will see pennants of each teacher's Alma mater hanging outside of their door as a constant reminder to their students of the variety of schools their teachers have attended, from Clark Atlanta University, Bowling Green State University, University of Albany, Cornell University, Harvard University and many others. Bulletin boards across the school feature teachers and their favorite college experiences, new opportunities for scholarships and fly-in programs, colleges TMA's ever-growing list of alumni have attended and profiles of Alumni and THEIR favorite college experiences thus far.

Needless to say, College Awareness Day was almost just another day at TMA. However, teachers made sure to go out of their way to wear their school's paraphernalia and make shameless plugs for their school during short gaps in instruction time.

One of TMA's main missions is to get their students into college and actively participating in our everyday society- and they are succeeding.

Photos from today's activities at TMA for College Awareness Day