One of the most poignant aspects of the Nation’s Capital is the contrast between its giant international institutions and the lives lived just a few miles away. Too many children from some of our communities grow up without any meaningful exposure to other neighborhoods, let alone other countries.
Higher Achievement strives to expand their horizons. When our scholars understand just how big the world is, they dream bigger.
On December 8th, sixteen middle school scholars from our eight DC achievement centers converged at the World Bank to compete in the annual Geography Challenge. These 5th-8th graders had won challenges hosted in their schools and spent weeks preparing for the questions related to local and U.S. geography in addition to this year’s focus region, the Middle East.
The event was once again hosted by the World Bank. Volunteers from Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), which promotes economic growth in developing countries by encouraging private investment, spent a Saturday helping scholars prepare in advance.
Francis Chukwu, a lawyer originally from Nigeria currently working with MIGA, served as judge for the Geography Challenge, along with Nicole Butler from Higher Achievement President’s Council and James Morgan, Higher Achievement’s Director of Site Operations.
We were especially proud of the winner Andrea-Grace (Alexandria), the runner-up Nahom (Ward 4), and the two emcees, Kaya (Ward 8) and Isaiah (Kramer), but all of the scholars were winners. Not only did they learn about geography, but now when they see the World Bank on the news, they can say, “Yeah, I’ve been there.”
You can expand the horizons of Higher Achievement scholars by becoming a mentor. Apply today to join the team in January!