Chancellor Kaya Henderson will officially step down on Friday, Sept. 30, after six years at the helm.
Henderson, who joined the DCPS system in 2007 as a deputy to former Chancellor Michelle Rhee, took the reins after Rhee resigned in 2010.
Student Holiday
Friday, Sept. 30 is DCPS’s Professional Development Day. Students have the day off.
State of DCPS
The public is invited to join interim Chancellor John Davis on Tuesday, Oct. 18 for a presentation on the “State of DC Public Schools.”
The free event, which will be held 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at Roosevelt High School at 4301 13th Street NW, will feature a series of presentations from students, parents, educators and school leaders on topics such as school culture, family engagement and career readiness, as well as student performances from schools across the District.
A reception with light refreshments will precede the event.
Making Global Local
Students who participated this summer in the “DCPS Study Abroad” program recently assembled at Roosevelt High School in Northwest to present their “Making Global Local” projects.
The project, a requirement for program participants, gave students an opportunity to magnify the learning experience they had through travel and helped them reflect on their role as a representative of their school, community, city, and country.
One Duke Ellington School of the Arts senior said she was inspired to research food waste after her trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands and hopes to “bring awareness” of food waste with her project.
‘Back-to-School Night’
“Back-to-School Night” was celebrated Sept. 7 at Powell Elementary School in Ward 4, where parents had the opportunity to share their hopes and dreams for students this year.
Fourth-grade dual-language teacher Ms. Henson said she particularly loves the event because it “gets families excited about what’s going on in their child’s classroom.”
Student Spotlight
Dana Dudley, a 10th-grader at H.D. Woodson High School in Northeast, is a member of the school’s champion football team, but his aspirations extend beyond the gridiron.
Dana, who wants to pursue a career in Information Technology after college, is also part of the school’s inaugural class in the IT career academy.
“I want a different option so people don’t look at me and just say, ‘Wow, you’re a football player,’” Dana said. “No, I can create websites. I can design stuff.”
Dana spent time designing a new website for those who have served in the military, giving veterans the opportunity to voice their opinions on how they feel about working at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Dana likened the IT academy’s in-depth coursework to “digging into the motherboard.”
Rising AP Scores, Participation Rates
This year, more than 3,000 DCPS students took more than 5,000 Advanced Placement exams, nearly double the number of students who took the college-level exams in 2010.
The percent of students who are passing AP exams also increased to 34.6 percent, up 7.1 percent from 2010.