Spirit of Baltimore.
Growing up, I looked forward to graduations, birthday parties, and even school-sponsored events that would earn me a spot on the beloved vessel situated in Baltimore’s inner harbor waters. I remember vibrant, fun-filled times on the Spirit of Baltimore.
Dancing.
Laughing.
Smiling.
It was not unusual for a Baltimore City public school leader to charter the ship to recognize scholars’ academic achievement or commemorate the end of a successful school year. I can recall feeling the gentle rocking motion of the vessel as we relished the excitement of any given celebration aboard this Baltimore icon. For many Baltimoreans like me, the Spirit of Baltimore was the first cruise ship we had ever boarded – the gateway to water travel, enjoyment, and celebration.
It has been at least 25 years since those fond memories. (Although, I did board the Spirit of Baltimore for a high school graduation celebration in 2023.) However, deep inside, I am the same young scholar from the northwest Baltimore neighborhood, Park Heights, who was blessed with amazing and dedicated teachers and afterschool service providers that enriched my educational experience. I always knew that all children in Baltimore deserved the love and joy I felt in those spaces. That is why, in 2006, I began my career as a teacher at Highlandtown Elementary/Middle School #215.
Over the next 14 years, I worked in diverse school settings in Baltimore, including other public and private schools, with the same why. It didn’t matter if I was serving as a classroom teacher, a curriculum and assessment writer, or a school administrator, my commitment remained the same. I worked to ensure that scholars in Baltimore had access to a quality education that was rigorous and engaging. I also took great pride in being that educator. The teacher whose classroom was full of life, with a strong sense of community and infused with joy. The assistant principal whose office held challenging conversations and restorative ones. The curriculum and assessment writer who wrote with equitable outcomes for scholars in mind – aiming to affirm their diverse intersectional identities and experiences, while also challenging them to be their personal best.
Even after I left my school-based positions and began supporting school leaders and teachers as a consultant and coach, I never lost sight of why the work was so important. Baltimore’s young people deserve the best and they deserve opportunities to see themselves and their communities at their best. They deserve to see people working together to mitigate complex issues, and they deserve to be part of the solutions. As a former Baltimore City Public School System student, I know, firsthand, the impact of a community-centric approach to education – one that lifts up the importance of in- and out-of-school time experiences, and leverages the community assets, including its people, to reach ambitious goals. This is why I first came to Higher Achievement in 2022 as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and why I am truly honored to serve as Executive Director in Baltimore today.
Over the past three months, I have often reflected on my past experiences as an education professional and as a former scholar. I have learned that the Spirit of Baltimore is not just a ship. As the new Baltimore Executive Director at Higher Achievement, I have the honor of being entrenched in the spirit of Baltimore each day. It is an uplifting energy that is undeniable and immediately recognizable, much like the ship that is docked in the heart of downtown. As I have transitioned into my role, it has become clear that the energy among the Baltimore team is not merely the icing on a cake layered with talent and experience. Instead, it is the [not so] secret ingredient in the cake itself. Further, I have learned three things about why this ingredient is more than a delightful flavor, but a necessary element of sustainable ways of making a greater positive impact in the OST space.
First, Baltimore is a vibrant city comprised of vibrant neighborhoods that are filled with vibrant people. And Baltimore’s rich, yet complicated, history calls for good doers to possess a keen awareness of their positionality and implications for the work they lead. At times, this awareness can be sobering and seemingly dim the light along the path forward. However, one thing I have learned is that it takes people who are able to view Baltimore through a prism, and not just a lens, to truly make a difference in this colorful city. It takes dynamic stewards of equity and justice to hold a three-dimensional view of the work within the context of a city that has been the center of inequity and injustice. It’s no secret, then, why Higher Achievement’s Baltimore team shows up the way they do. Not with an air of naiveté, but a sense of realism and a view of what is possible.
Second, I have also learned that, as an organization that has been around for almost 50 years, Higher Achievement has a good sense of what has proven to be effective over the decades. However, as we learn more about changing needs, assets, and opportunities in Baltimore, we must be responsive and partner in new and intentional ways. Our work alongside scholars and their families, teachers and principals, and community-based organizations and corporate leaders must create an ecosystem or community of care in which all people thrive. It will take all our talent and our energy to responsibly and effectively work together to achieve our individual and collective goals.
Lastly, as a native Baltimorean and educator, I have always known that the young people in Baltimore deserve leaders who give it all they’ve got. For the good work in Baltimore to be deeply impactful and sustainable, leaders must always be thinking about ways to connect with youth to share and transfer power and responsibility. After all, the adage that young people are our future leaders can sometimes fall short of acknowledging and leveraging the immense power that Baltimore’s young people have now. In some cases, relying on the future, a point in time we have not yet seen, can absolve us of our responsibility to authentically engage with young people to lead positive social change today. Of course, it takes a high level of energy, fueled by personal connection to people and the Mission, to empower Baltimore’s youngest citizens.
It takes the spirit of Baltimore.
At Higher Achievement, we close the opportunity gap during the pivotal middle school years. This mission is lifted up through our work and our ways of working. As Executive Director in Baltimore, I recognize that this marathon requires a deep commitment to working collaboratively with and within communities for lasting positive change. It is through strategic partnerships that opportunities are maximized, and visions for a better, brighter Baltimore are actualized. Over the next few months, I look forward to continuing to share all I learn on this journey, and I’d love to create opportunities for others to learn and work alongside me and my team.
Caution. The spirit of Baltimore is infectious!
-Dr. Toni Woodlon
Executive Director, Higher Achievement Baltimore
Header image credit: ehpien on Flikr