A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Washington, DC’s Wheatley Elementary School as part of Target’s new initiative, Read With MeSM. I was particularly excited to attend this event as the principal, Scott Cartland, was the former principal of my children’s school, Janney Elementary. Two years ago, he left Janney Elementary to turn the then-failing schools of Webb and Wheatley into a place where children could excel in the classroom and beyond.
Students and their new books at Wheatley Education Campus
That first year I volunteered by teaching creative writing to a small group of seventh graders. At that time, the school felt more like a prison than a school; a dilapidated building echoing with the sound of disruptive students. The kids I taught, though, were pretty amazing and Scott Cartland had the capacity to see potential in all of his students. He also had the leadership skills to set goals, expectations, traditions and opportunities in a place where, formerly, there had been none. Reading scores rose steadily, and “respect” became the school’s guiding rule. Meanwhile, the District of Columbia Public Schools transformed another building and moved into the beautiful new space.
Target and First Book staff at Wheatley Education Campus
Our celebration at Wheatley was beautiful for so many reasons: all the gorgeous kids, excited about their new books (one kid yelled “Flat Stanley! Yesssss!!!”), all the proud and dedicated teachers and staff, all the helpful volunteers, and First Book and Target working together to provide new books to deserving children – it felt like magic. But I was particularly struck by how far this one school has come from where it was, and how much farther these kids will go thanks to caring, involved people like Scott Cartland, Target, and a LOT of great books.