Cardozo students join community leaders and other supporters in the groundbreaking for the “Build a House – Build a Future” program.

The October 26 ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the fi rst time the Academy students will be constructing a house from incep-tion. Th e students are anxious to

have the opportunity to fl ex their classroom knowledge about sustainable building in the fi eld through hands-on training. “We are going to be the fi rst students in D.C. to build a house. It makes me feel like I can grow up and be something,” said Carlos Burno, 18, a senior studying carpentry at ACAD who plans to start a career with Miller & Long Con-crete Construction upon graduation. “Th is is an historical event for the students and the city,” added Michael Sigal, vice presi-dent of GCS Inc. A mix of community leaders, Cardozo students, local policymakers, city government offi cials and educators turned out to voice their support for the eff ort, which has been a “long journey,” according to John McMahon, presi-dent of the D.C. Students Construction Trades Foundation Board of Directors. “But today, the enthusiastic reaction shows that this is the beginning of a series of houses to be built as learning laboratories for our

students,” McMahon, who also serves as chair-man of Miller & Long, said. “It’s been eight years coming, and our Academy kids have a 90 percent graduation rate. We are very, very proud this day has come.”

Championing a CauseMcMahon hailed Reginald Ballard, the former principal at Cardozo, as one of the champions of making the Academy a reality when eff orts to launch the program at another District school didn’t pan out. “Reggie Ballard stepped forward and said, ‘I’ll make it happen at my school,’ ” McMahon recalled. Ballard added that he, too, remembered the early stages of getting the Academy up-and-running. At the groundbreaking ceremony, he cited an early proposal for the student building program, and the student whose words of encouragement propelled the project forward. “Th is is a dream,” Ballard said. Sekou Biddle, a member of the D.C. Board of Education, also gave kudos to the innova-tive program. “It has transformed our vision of CTE (Career and Technical Education) in the District,” Biddle said. “It has changed how we

By Rev. Stephen E. TuckerPresident, JOBS Coalition

BUILDING PATHWAYS OF PROMISES | 1

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STORY INSIDE ON PAGE 2 >>

JOBS COALITION PLANS VIGOROUS ACTION IN NEW DECADE

WWW.DCSTUDENTSCTF.ORG

ACADEMY OF CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN LAUNCHES FIRST STUDENT-BUILD HOUSE IN THE DISTRICTClouds hung low, but spirits were high during the groundbreaking ceremony for the “Build a House – Build a Future” program, a newly-launched green initiative that will engage students of the Academy of Construction and Design at Cardozo Senior High School (ACAD) in the building of an eco-friendly, single-family home in Northwest Washington, D.C. By Arnesa A. Howell

JAN/FEB 2011 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1

MAKING STRIDES:JOBS COALITIONACCOMPLISHMENTS

While raising awareness of workforce

challenges and potential barriers to employment, the JOBS Coalition and its members have combined their resources and industry expertise to achieve the following results:

Built the Bellevue Resource Center, a program facility serving the hard-to-reach, hard-to-employ, and returning ex-offender populations. The Center was completed on September 30, 2003.

Guided the creation of the Construction & Design Academy at Cardozo, providing District students access, training, and preparation for careers in the construction industry and trades after graduation. The Academy offi cially opened in September 2005.

Leading the Children of Mine Center, in partnership with the Architecture Research Institute at the University of the District of Columbia, in designing, planning and developing a new community center in the Anacostia/Hillsdale community, and restoring the historic home of the city’s fi rst mayor. ■

programs we need to expand in the District as we move toward a 21st century economy.”

Tears of PrideJust a day before the groundbreaking ceremony, Shelly Morrison visited the site and stood on the sidewalk and cried. Th is project is “a small portion of what we do at the Academy,” said Mor-rison, the Academy’s manager. “I stand before you today and show you stu-dents who are wonderful. Th e sky is the limit for each and every one,” said Morrison.” For many of the students, Morrison is the Academy “mother” who watches over them. “I sometimes give a hug, and sometimes a swift kick,” she acknowledged, “but the students understand and they know it’s a place they can

make students successful in careers of the future. It allows our young people to be future entrepreneurs and to build their own business wealth.” He continued, “We have such a jewel in this program.” D.C. City Council members were also on site at 5734 13th Street, N.W., the location of the new project, an approximately 2,000 square-foot house that will incorporate energy-effi cient building ma-terials and installation techniques. Councilmember Kwame R. Brown (At-Large) applauded those spearheading the program – and the students. “Once again, D.C. students are showing their true potential,” Brown said. “Students at Cardozo are leading a greener nation and building a path for a better future. I couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments. Th ese are the kinds of

2 | BUILDING PATHWAYS OF PROMISES

In the wake of a sputtering economy with high unemployment rates, the JOBS Coalition continues to work towards achieving its mission while embracing the mantra: “Full steam ahead.”

Following robust job creation numbers in October, the November report was dismal – only 39,000 new jobs added. In the District of Columbia, we have a unique problem with unemployment. While the city’s unemploy-ment rate of just over 5 percent is lower than the national average (hovering at 9 percent or higher), it still on average leads big city jobless rates. Furthermore, unemployment in the District is uneven. Th ere are parts of our city, particularly East of the River, with rates as high as 30 percent. Th is is unacceptable and should be a concern to all citizens of the city. Th e JOBS Coalition must not merely step into the New Year, but it must charge into 2011. Th e election of former City Council Chair-man Vincent Gray to the offi ce of mayor will present new opportunities for the JOBS Coali-tion to continue a great work that began ten years ago. Our mission continues to be that:

“We will work together to develop a long-term strategy that creates an environment where aspiring District residents will have unprecedented opportu-nity to succeed. We strive to create a fair and open system, supported by government, industry, employ-ers and the education and faith-based communities, which seeks to properly train today’s apprentices while making an unparalleled commitment to edu-cating students and others not yet in the workforce.”

Th rough that mission, we stand an excellent chance of making tremendous strides, especially in the immediate months ahead. After all, it was then-Council Chair Gray who spoke at the JOBS Coalition-sponsored D.C. Students Con-struction Trades Foundation’s Annual Luncheon honoring and recognizing high school students from Cardozo High School for their wonder-ful achievements in learning valuable trades in the industry. Gray vigorously supported the work of the Foundation, and the importance of industrial education in our schools. He told us to “keep up the good work.” Th is is all the more signifi cant in light of the recent “Build A House – Build A Future” groundbreaking ceremony (see related story) on October 26, 2010, when several City Council members turned out to witness the groundbreaking for the new “green” house to be constructed by students of the Academy of Construction and Design at Car-dozo. Th is is a fi rst for the city. Th e 25 support-ing organizations should be highly commended for collaborating on such an eff ort. Th is project shows what can be accomplished when we work together. And it also shows the investment be-

Tucker Outlook Continued from page 1

Groundbreaking Continued from page 1

Miller & Long Chairman John McMahon hailed the program and the students of the Academy of Construction and Design at Cardozo.

Academy Manager Shelly Morrison applauds her students and the progress the program has made.

Continued on page 3Continued on page 4

D.C. City Council Member Michael A. Brown praised the fi rst student-built house in the District.

call home. We are a family.” Student Diamond Cofi eld agreed. “She pushes us to get good grades, to fi nd something we’re passionate about, and she keeps us going,” the 17-year old senior studying carpentry stated. With the support of staff that includes lead

JOBS Coalition PathwaysManaging Editor: Arnesa A. HowellExecutive Editor: Carol RandolphCopy Editor: Pam EllisonContributors: Arnesa A. Howell, Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Graphic Design: Jenn French Designs, LLCPhotographer: Imagine PhotographyBoard of Directors: Robert Braunohler, Bill Dean, Lynn C. French, Balchander Jayaraman, John McMahon, Rev. Anthony J. Motley, Debra Schoonmaker, Rev. Stephen Tucker, I. Margaret White, Hal WilliamsJOBS Coalition Legal Adviser: Roderic Woodson

Th e JOBS Coalition Pathways is the exclusive property of the JOBS Coalition, 633 Park Road, NW, Washington, D.C. 20010; 202-726-7400. JOBS Coalition Pathways is dedicated to disseminating information that will help strengthen the city’s apprenticeship training and job placement programs, broadening the scope to reach the young, the underserved, the unemployed and the returning ex-off ender. JOBS Coalition Pathways is published by the Jobs Coalition.

BUILDING PATHWAYS OF PROMISES | 3

Academy student Diamond Cofi eld praises Morrison, the “mother” of the Academy.

Groundbreaking Continued from page 2 carpentry instructor Marshall Janifer, electrical instructor Richard Lawrence and plumbing in-structor Lawrence Morris, the Academy is striving to make a diff erence in the lives of youth. Of the strides made by the students and the Academy, Morrison said simply: “Yes we can, yes we will and today we are.” ■

ACAD students boast a 90 percent graduation rate.

Morrison stands beside Carol Randolph (right), board adviser to the D.C. Students Construction Trades Foundation.

Morrison shares a special moment with student Jeanette Mitchell.

ing made in our young people, who may hold the key to turning our city around. Th e JOBS Coalition also plans to spearhead a citywide employment summit within the fi rst six months of the new administration. Th e Coalition has already reached out to mayor-elect Gray to work with his administration in making the summit a reality and in crafting the summit’s agenda. Th e numerous organizations seeking to address our city’s unemployment problem must also be pulled into this process to avoid divergent paths that would hinder our ability to be productive as a whole. Th e JOBS Coalition is uniquely situated to make such a collaborative eff ort work. Our board has been working diligently to begin this dia-logue, and has already submitted a letter to Gray requesting an early audience to move this process forward. Several organizations that I have spoken to or served as a plenary speaker for have already

JOBS COALITION

P.O. Box 54008Washington, DC 20032

JOBS COALITION PROMISES

Provide opportunities for District residents to secure gainful employment.

Remove barriers that prevent meaningful employment.

Provide educational and training opportunities for all District residents interested in pursuing careers in various industries and trades.

Work toward the creation of a comprehensive, fair, and more open system of training and hiring the underserved, unemployed, and returning ex-offenders.

Ensure that the training and educational skills being taught are relevant to the job market of today and tomorrow.

Engage elected and appointed offi cials to support legislation and maintain appropriate oversight to ensure gainful employment for District residents, including the underserved, unemployed, and returning ex-offenders.

Tucker Outlook Continued from page 2 expressed support for such a citywide event. Additionally, we want to renew and re-double our support for those citizens who were at the bot-tom of the employment heap even before the reces-sion. We know that economic hard times have only served to cast these individuals further down the chain of opportunity. Th ose returning from incar-ceration, those living in poverty and the chronically unemployed still need an advocate, and the JOBS Coalition stands ready to continue in that role. It is our goal in 2011 to strengthen the Coali-tion internally with strong board members who have the heart and the passion to fulfi ll our mis-sion. We also want to reach out to those who care about quality of life in the District of Columbia and surrounding areas. We intend to start out this next decade with a renewed sense of urgency and commitment that expresses our dedication to pro-viding opportunities for those District residents who are most in need. ■

JOBS COALITION MISSION STATEMENT

We will work together to develop a long-term strategy that creates an environment where aspiring District residents will have unprecedented opportunity to succeed. We strive to create a fair

and open system, supported by government, industry, employers and the education and faith-based communities, which seeks to properly train today’s apprentices while making an unparalleled commitment to educating students and others not yet in the workforce.