As students and parents filled the auditorium of Banneker High School yesterday (Friday, April, 4, 2008) they were met by a gauntlet of television cameras, professional photographers, new reporters, proud teachers, counselors and well wishers. Students and staff members at Banneker are no strangers to celebrations of achievement because the majority of the students who attend this school for the academically gifted were achievers when they got there. But this day was a very special day, for on this day nine very special students stood before that bevy of cameras and well wishers and received a coveted $250,000 scholarship from the president of George Washington University, Mr. Steven Knapp.

The nine students who were honored on this day did not all come from Banneker, however. The master of ceremony began announcing the winners by calling the name of the school first (e.g. from Wilson High School..., from the School without Walls... from Banneker High School...) then the honorees name and accolades. Then all of the sudden the master of ceremony exclaimed "and from Theodore Roosevelt High School...." There was an eerie silence followed by small, polite applause. Much to the amazement of some members of the audience the MC announced "and also from Theodore Roosevelt High School...."

Yes, two of the nine Trachtenberg Scholars in the class of 2008 are Roosevelt Rough Riders, Veronica Torres and William El Idrissi Echbihi. Veronica and William strolled proudly to the stage and accepted their awards, in the presence of school chancellor Michelle Rhee, with the knowledge that they no longer had to worry about finding money to support their educational dreams.

Veronica, no stranger to academic and athletic accolades and who has already been accepted to Johns Hopkins University, seemed reserved on the outside, but must have been exploding with joy on the inside. Her remarkable journey started in El Salvador and she came to the United States knowing very little English. "I did not know any English when I got here and began learning it by watching television," she elatedly exclaimed. "I was able to learn a lot more when I got to Roosevelt and got in the ELL Academy. There I was around people who helped me a lot and I felt very comfortable. I pushed myself to do well in school because I wanted to go to a good college. My parents never got the opportunity to go to college and I wanted to make them proud of me."

William's reaction to receiving this award was quite evident as he accepted his scholarship with a smile so broad it could brightened a dark room. "I never would have been able to take that walk across this stage today if it weren't for the programs at Roosevelt," William reflected. "Gear-Up [in particular] was the grease that got me here today." Williams' journey started at DeMatha High School and has taken many detours. He spent three months this summer in Morocco learning Arabic and helping deliver flour, sugar, water, cooking oil and other necessities to the people in Khemissett.

Both students follow a proud tradition of Roosevelt graduates who have been the recipient of the Trachtenberg scholarship and have attended and graduated from George Washington University. In the ten year history of this award eight Roosevelt students have received the scholarship. These awards ($500,000) will make a significant contribution to the goal of the class of 2008 to reach two million dollars in scholarship awards.

(l-r) Lyrica Montague (Counselor), Jennifer Mitchum (Gear-Up Coordinator), Williams Idrissi, Saavetria Francis (Assistant Principal) and Veronica Torres.