Save Duke Ellington School Of The Arts
Tivoni Hughes

Assist in the preservation of Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Duke Ellington is currently under the control of DESAP, so the District of Columbia Public Schools has no control over him. The DESAP board collaborates with the school to hire all administrative personnel.

As well as teachers, the District of Columbia Public Schools is currently trying to come in and take over, and part of their mission is to make all teachers certified under District of Columbia Public Schools, meaning Duke Ellington could lose most of their teachers if they do come in. The way Duke Ellington and the DESAP board hire teachers is based on whether they have real-life experience in their field, meaning if one of the art teachers is not certified, they could lose their job. An example would be Mr. Charles Augins. He is Duke Ellington's internationally acclaimed Dance Chair, as well as Charles Augins' renowned director and choreographer of Five Guys Named Moe, for which he received a Laurence Olivier Award. He demands physical and intellectual rigor from his students to prepare them as assuredly for life as for performing ballet, modern, and ethnic dance. If the District of Columbia Public Schools come in, we could lose such an extraordinary teacher and role model. These teachers have made an impact on all of us here, and by getting rid of them, you are also getting rid of our education, our history, and our discipline. Duke has a graduation rate of 95% (top 5%) and a minority enrollment of 87%. By taking over our school, they will be taking away opportunities for many children. Students graduate with an arts certificate from Duke, which gives us all an advantage in getting into college. Students are worried that we won't get the same opportunities. We are worried that we will lose our teachers. We are worried that what makes our school the way it is will change. We are worried that the legacy of our school will be forgotten. Our goal is to keep our school the way it is. Please help us fight for our school.