Students from the International Academy at T.C. Williams High School have partnered with the Young Playwright’s Theater to adapt their unique stories of struggle and immigration published in a book last year into productions for the stage.
The one-act plays will be staged at the Anacostia Playhouse on February 27 and 28. Students who are currently at the International Academy worked with Thembi Duncan in workshops to discuss how to bring their stories to life. This has been an awesome experience for our students who are seeing their stories, identities and work validated by these playwrights.
Angela Glynn, an English teacher for the International Academy, helped coordinate the workshops with Thembi, bringing together students who are diverse in country of origin, race, ethnicity, and grade level.
Silence is Violence Flier
Last year, students shared their personal experiences and stories in a book entitled ‘Journey of the Titan: T.C.’s International Academy Students Share Their Stories. The stories shared in the book were written by the students in the International Academy in their own words. The photographs are the work of Titans in the Advanced Photography class at T.C. Williams.
The book tells the stories of 97 amazing young men and women who came to the United States from all over the world with the hope of a better life. The stories are touching, heart-warming and sometimes graphic. All paint an honest picture of what it is like to be an International student at T.C. Williams.
These stories touch the heart. We are delighted that they are hitting the stage are getting the publicity they deserve. You cannot help but be impressed and truly moved by what some of these students have gone through to find a better life,” said International Academy Coordinator Ben Hammond.
The book was written to celebrate the first class of students to graduate from the International Academy since its inception four and half years ago. Last year, 107 students graduated from the International Academy at T.C.
The International Academy, established in 2012 brings together English learners and provides them with a school-within-a-school model of services at T.C Williams, designed to make it easier for students coming from other countries to settle in and be successful in their schoolwork.
Here is a glimpse into the lives of just a few of the students profiled in the book:
Derlin Castillo
Derlin Castillo, whose father was murdered when he was 4 years old, survived a blood clot in his brain when he was 16 years old. He came to the United States with his mom, two sisters and little brother in 2012 and enrolled in the International Academy.
“I was put in ninth grade because I did not know English. I was 18 years old. I moved into my own apartment a year later. I have worked 40 hours a week at Los Tios for the last 3 years and I maintain a 3.4 GPA. I hope to join the Navy and serve my new country. I only have to wait one more year until I can become a citizen.”
Krissia Gomez
Krissia Gomez and her younger brother joined the rest of her family in the U.S. from El Salvador when she was 12 and he was 11. They had been separated from their family for more than six years.
“I came with many, many dreams, leaving everything behind and just looking forward. I have been here for almost 5 years with my family. I am a senior in the International Academy and my dream is to work hard and go to college for business administration, to have a better education and to get a job to help my family. I will work hard every day to achieve my goals and to pay my parents back a little bit for what they did.”
Melany Soto
Melany Soto moved to the U.S. from Ecuador with her brother in 2012, rejoining her mother who had left Ecuador when she was five.
“When I came to the International Academy at T.C. Williams, it was difficult because it was in English. I did not understand anything. I made it through with the help of my new friends and teachers.”
Melany plans to attend Northern Virginia Community College for two years and then transfer to George Mason University.
The International Academy exemplifies ACPS 2020 Goal #1 – Academic Excellence and Educational Equity.