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Lots of graduations take place in high school gymnasiums; this one was different.
It took place inside the D.C. jail’s Correctional Treatment Facility in Southeast.
Fifteen young men, who completed their high school education through the Maya Angelou Academy, were being awarded Wednesday with their diplomas after qualifying for and then completing the program.
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 some 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 told 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 said his favorite subject is math, and said he may consider a career in accounting.
“I love them all,” he said of his teachers. “They all helped me out,” including with personal issues he wanted to talk about.
But Outland also said he had a lot of support 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 said something about each of them.
When Nathan Washington’s turn came, she told 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 said.
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 growth mindset,” he said.
Nicholas Lochrie, who leads the history department at the academy, said he had previously worked on Capitol Hill, but leaned into teaching after engaging in tutoring with young people at the D.C. jail. Lochrie said he learned from his students.
“It’s the most valuable thing in the world to learn from someone who knows what their community is like, who loves their community, and just needs a helping hand up,” he said. “They taught me a heck of a lot about life, and it’s been a real privilege.”
He said 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 said. “But the problem in the community 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 growth he sees in each of them.
Deputy Warden at the D.C. Correctional Treatment Facility Robert Dean was beaming as the students accepted their diplomas. He said that making sure people who are incarcerated get a chance to further their education is not just a worthy goal, but a solid investment.
“Statistics show that an individual who has a high school diploma is less likely to commit more crime and come back to jail,” Dean said.
Clarisse Mendoza Davis, CEO of the Maya Angelou Schools and the See Forever Foundation, explained that the students are selected for the program under a number of conditions, including that they had previously been enrolled in either a public or a charter school in D.C., had not received their diploma and had an individual education plan, or IEP.
She said the program has 65 students on average, and has held graduations in the winter and summer.
Mendoza said there are two comments she typically hears from students in the Maya Angelou Academy in particular. First, they tell her it’s the most education they’ve ever received, and second, they mention the level of care from staff and teachers.
“When they were out in the community, they were disengaged, they had dropped out,” but after being enrolled in the program, they connected with school and their teachers in a way they hadn’t before, she said. “Every student was acknowledged and affirmed for their gifts, for their unique talents and what they have to offer.”
The program provides a free and appropriate education for those between the ages of 18 and 22, although in some cases, graduates are as old as 24 — 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.
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