Washington Jesuit Academy

It is no accident that the Washington Jesuit Academy is buzzing with a new appreciation for the arts.  Arts initiatives have been spearheaded by WJA faculty and supported by its Board of Directors.  Mr. Derek Porter, 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher, advises WJA’s Pulse Dance group and Glee Club and works with students individually and in groups to learn the piano, record original rap performances and rehearse auditions for performing arts high schools.

Meanwhile, religion teacher Mr. T.J. Tondorf has incorporated religious art and art history into his curriculum, and Ms. Rosie MacInnes is taking advantage of the Kennedy Center’s rich arts performance schedule to take students on field trips to shows such as Alvin Ailey.  At the Sponsor Luncheon in November, guests were treated to student music and dance performance and an art gallery.  Indeed, the young men of WJA are taking full advantage of club time, talent shows, class assignments and even recess to refine their skills of self-expression and constructive peer critiques.
20 students competed in WJA’s first annual Talent Show last December, expressing themselves through performance in song, dance, rap and spoken word poetry.  Some even stepped beyond their comfort zones to perform mime, magic and stand-up comedy!  These courageous and creative students performed in front of 100 classmates and teachers as well as a panel of staff judges, who critiqued them for originality and effort. 

The first talent show winner, Tonye Ikoli, ‘12, sang “I Believe I Can Fly.”  Tonye had never sung before because of his shyness, but when asked about how he mustered the courage to perform, he said, “I wasn’t the only one that everyone was really surprised to see performing, so that made me feel comfortable doing it.”