‘It was a long journey’: High school graduation ceremony held at the DC jail

Graduates at the D C jail WTOP Kate Ryan Graduates at the D C jail WTOP Kate Ryan Lots of graduations take place in high school gymnasiums this one was different It took place inside the D C jail s Correctional Recovery Facility in Southeast Fifteen young men who completed their high school schooling through the Maya Angelou Academy were being awarded Wednesday with their diplomas after qualifying for and then completing the plan The graduates with the cuffs of their orange jumpsuits peeking out from underneath their graduation gowns sat on one side of the gym their families friends and in certain cases attorneys who d followed their progress sat on the other When the strains of the graduation Pomp and Circumstance anthem boomed from speakers the graduates strode underneath an archway decked out with black and red balloons the school colors of the Maya Angelou Academy Before the ceremony started Malique Outland described WTOP I feel good man I m really nervous for real for real But I know that this is one step closer for me achieving more goals in my life so I m really excited at the same time Outland noted his favorite subject is math and noted he may consider a career in accounting I love them all he commented of his teachers They all helped me out including with personal issues he desired to talk about But Outland also reported he had a lot of encouragement outside his classes including from his godmother She s been there for me from day one and I just love her to death Before the graduates described as scholars took the podium to speak Assistant Principal Shanon Redman declared something about each of them When Nathan Washington s turn came she communicated the audience He doesn t dwell on his past he understands it and accepts it and is trying to do better She called his name and the crowd erupted Nathan Washington is truly a gifted scholar she reported Washington took the microphone and thanked the audience Y all could have been anywhere else but y all chose to be here for us I want to thank you all for coming He described the challenges he faced and the gentle persistent pushes he got from staff and teachers I lost focus I wasn t in the right state of mind Y all helped me to continue to progress to move forward creating a positive and a rise mindset he commented Nicholas Lochrie who leads the history department at the academy stated he had previously worked on Capitol Hill but leaned into teaching after engaging in tutoring with young people at the D C jail Lochrie noted he learned from his students It s the most of valuable thing in the world to learn from someone who knows what their region is like who loves their region and just demands a helping hand up he reported They taught me a heck of a lot about life and it s been a real privilege He noted the graduates have shown an ability to lift each other up and forgive each other when needed They have so much value and so much heart and so much power within them to do good in the world he revealed But the difficulty in the region that I ve seen is a lack of love and a lack of forgiveness The graduates may be inmates at the D C jail now but Lochrie made it clear that his focus is on their futures and the improvement he sees in each of them Deputy Warden at the D C Correctional Remedy Facility Robert Dean was beaming as the students accepted their diplomas He noted that making sure people who are incarcerated get a chance to further their instruction is not just a worthy goal but a solid resources Statistics show that an individual who has a high school diploma is less likely to commit more crime and come back to jail Dean reported Clarisse Mendoza Davis CEO of the Maya Angelou Schools See Forever Foundation explained that the students are selected for the plan under a number of conditions including that they had previously been enrolled in either a general or a charter school in D C had not received their diploma and had an individual development plan or IEP She mentioned the activity has students on average and has held graduations in the winter and summer Mendoza explained there are two comments she typically hears from students in the Maya Angelou Academy in particular First they tell her it s the most of schooling they ve ever received and second they mention the level of care from staff and teachers When they were out in the society they were disengaged they had dropped out but after being enrolled in the effort they connected with school and their teachers in a way they hadn t before she stated Every participant was acknowledged and affirmed for their gifts for their unique talents and what they have to offer The undertaking provides a free and appropriate guidance for those between the ages of and although in specific cases graduates are as old as part of a cohort of students whose cases were at the center of a lawsuit alleging that D C had effectively abandoned efforts to teach incarcerated students during the pandemic Source