Dream Cities | Washington, DC
3999 8th Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20032
Phone: 202-562-9001
Fax: 202-562-9002
Learning Center DirectorEvroy Marrettemarrett  usdreamacademy [dot] org | Mentor CoordinatorKyle Baconkbacon usdreamacademy [dot] org |
Feature Story
It is a widely accepted fact that families are a critical part of every child's development. In celebration of that, the Washington, DC Dream Academy Learning Center regularly hosts “Fulfilled Family Initiatives” which are opportunities for families to see what their students have been up to and get to know the Dream Academy staff.
On Wednesday, February 9th, parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts and nieces, students and staff, mentors and volunteers gathered in the Dream Academy Learning Center at Ferebee-Hope Elementary. Program Assistant Ms Chantel Palmer kicked off the night with a warm welcome, followed by Dr. Frank Hutchinson, who presented a brief introduction to the computer program students use for additional reading and math stimulation. Mr Kyle Bacon, Mentor Coordinator, then spoke about the mentoring program, and introduced the mentees. Makayla presented her mentor Ms. Dail with a card reading “Oh Ms. Dail I would wait for you so long my food would go stale”. Aniya and Crystione presented their mentors Ms. Lea and Ms. Eboni with construction paper cards piled high with sequins, glitter glue and snapshots of the pairs. Kenya and Ms.Logan stood together and embraced for the camera.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Dream Boy and Dream Girl of the month. Ms. Palmer presented the awards in front of proud parents and classmates. Isaiah, who has done “a 355, turning his behavior around almost completely,” was stunned to be named Dream Boy for the month. And Nakiya, who is always a pleasure to have around the Center, was Dream Girl. The final presentation of the night came from Trashawna, Dej'anelle, and Ronell, who read the poem they wrote to honor volunteers from the Jewish Community Center who put on the Holiday Store for students in December.
The evening moved on with a catered dinner for all attendants. Families, staff, and volunteers ate and chatted while students eagerly showed off their hard work and explained their favorite things to do around the Center. Families left for the evening with two grocery bags piled with food, and a greater understanding of the work their children are doing everyday when they come to Dream Academy.
Our History in Washington, DC
The Learning Center at Ferebee Hope was the inaugural Learning Center site. The center was commissioned in March of 2000 with an address by President Bill Clinton. Ferebee Hope Community School is located in the 8th Ward, south of Anacostia, in the southeast section of the nation’s capital. The school serves approximately 300 students in grades PreK-5 and will add grade 6 for the 2009-10 academic year. With support from the 21st Century grant, DALC, in partnership with Communities in School for the Nations Capital is able to provide a state of the art model for afterschool programming for the children of southeast DC. The recreational resources offered at Ferebee Hope are a direct result of community activism to foster both positive social and physical activity for the children of the Washington Highland community of southeast, DC.
About Our Staff
Learning Center DirectorEvroy Marrett, a native of Orlando Florida is the Center Director in Washington, D.C. Mr. Marrett attended the University of Florida in Gainesville and earned a Bachelor of Science in Recreation, Parks and Tourism. Mr. Marrett has 6 years experience in combined youth development and customer service relations including serving as the Community Service Chair of Iota Phi Theta, Inc. and Recreation Assistant at Frontline Outreach. Mr. Marrett has experience providing academic instruction, team-building activities and leadership skills for underserved and incarcerated teenagers providing them with realistic hope of their future endeavors by talking to them about life plans and short/long-term goals upon their release. | Mentor CoordinatorKyle Bacon serves the D.C. center as the Mentor Coordinator. Mr. Bacon is well acquainted with D.C. having graduated in 2003 with a BBA from Howard University School of Business. Mr. Bacon has vast experience working with youth having served as an Intervention Specialist at Vision for Youth in Springfield Ohio as well as an Assistant Instructor for the Bullis School. Mr. Bacon is passionate about seeing youth in at-risk circumstances succeed. In his time working for the Springfield City Schools, Mr. Bacon provided one on one and small group intervention to over 200 at-risk potential drop outs resulting in a 97% success rate in meeting standardized testing scores. |
Our Washington, DC Partners in the Dream
Communities in Schools
Urban Families House of Hope
Far Southeast Family Collaborative
Howard University
George Washington University
Black Artists of DC
Upcoming Events
There are no upcoming events scheduled for this learning center at this time. Please check back later.
