Each spring, on the last day before Spring Break, we welcome family and friends to Capitol Hill for a morning of engagement and fun.  This year, we also welcomed former Secretary of Education Rod Paige, who led a compelling and energizing discussion with our community.

Paige’s intensity and passion, garnered from decades in the public eye, were memorable and meaningful, and he left plenty of time for student and family questions.  Along the way, he defended the No Child Left Behind Act, his signature initiative, while acknowledging what in hindsight he might have done differently.  He also advocated for charter schools, shared thoughts on arming teachers, and expressed appreciation for SEGL’s welcoming attitude toward all speakers, regardless of ideology.

Joining him for the discussion was Fall 2009 graduate and current DC Board of Education member Markus Batchelor.  The discussion took place at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School, Batchelor’s alma mater and the current home school of a Spring 2018 student.  Thanks to TMA and its staff for hosting us!

Below are pictures from the Paige event, as well as from the model English class (featuring renditions of the “tennis balls speech” from Shakespeare’s Henry V) that took place earlier that morning.