NCS Students Attend White House Workshop

Ten NCS students took part last month in a White House-sponsored workshop that promoted civic involvement by African American women.

 

The AfAmWomenLead Student Summit to Advance Educational Excellence for Black Girls drew hundreds to the Education Department on Dec. 9. The day-long series of seminars encouraged participants to think about and propose solutions to enduring problems, such as changing norms that say girls shouldn't study particular careers or removing the stigma surrounding mental illness.

 

The day concluded with attendees hearing from a panel that featured Brittany Packnett, a Teach for America vice president; Symone Sanders, the spokeswoman for Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign; Dr. Kimberlyn Leary, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School; and Cierra Kaler-Jones, a graduate student at George Washington University.

 

The White House invited NCS to send a contingent of students and teachers. Those who took part included six 8th graders from the Middle School, four 6th graders from the Lower School, Middle School math teacher Candace Vaccarella, and Lower School math teacher Liza Long. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to attend, and the students and teachers had an exciting and informative day.

 

The workshop was organized by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, which aims to improve student achievement through identifying evidence-based best practices.