Latin Dance Competition

The Seventeenth Annual Latin Dance Competition will occur from March 25-29 across all Two Rivers campuses for 3rd graders and up. Look out for an ecstatic crowd of well-wishers as students display their finest bachata and merengue moves. This cherished tradition celebrates deep learning, creativity, connection, and pure joy across our community!

Check out ParentSquare for more details.

Spring Musical: Willy Wonka Jr.

Our middle School Spring Musical is none other than "Willy Wonka Jr." We can't wait for you to witness the incredible talents of our students both on stage and behind the scenes.

Stay tuned for showtime details – it will be a magical performance at Atlas Theater on May 22 and 23! 

20th Anniversary Festival

Save the Date! September 7 marks a milestone as Two Rivers turns 20! Join us as we commemorate two decades of living the mission as crew. We're excited to invite our entire community to join the festivities – current and former students, families, and staff.

20th Anniversary Gala

Join us for an intimate gala dinner with founders, alumni, students, educators, and community members where we celebrate the journey of Two Rivers and set the stage for another incredible 20 years. Ticketing details are forthcoming.

Saturday, October 19, 6:00 PM | Two Rivers Middle School

Seeking student singers and storytellers

It's not a TR event without student voice. To this end, we are auditioning for vocal talent for the TR 20th Anniversary Album (classics from community meetings!) and for storytelling roles on stage at the Gala Dinner in October

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For information on singing auditions, please visit this TR Album document. For information on speaking auditions, please visit this document. Deadline to register: March 29. Good luck! 

For questions, please contact Khizer Husain (khusain@tworiverspcs.org).

Ella - Student Spotlight

You are now in 5th grade. How long have you been at Two Rivers?

I have been at Two Rivers for six years starting in kindergarten.

What excites you about coming to school every day?

When I think about what makes me eager to go to school, I think about all the things I will experience. The very idea of learning new things makes me exited to leave my home.

Congratulations on your being named a Student Ambassador! Why did you decide to apply to be one?

I decided to apply to be a Student Ambassador for a few reasons, starting with the future. I figured that if I didn't apply now I would always wonder if I could have become one later. I also was so curious what being one was like I found it hard to resist the opportunity to become one.

When you meet with visitors or families deciding whether or not to join Two Rivers, what do you want to share with them about your own experience?

I usually want to acknowledge that Two Rivers focuses not only on building students knowledge but also building their character. I also often point out that I really like the staff at Two Rivers. Whether it someone like my teacher who I see everyday or some one who I just pass in the hall every now and then, they are always friendly and welcoming.

Scholarly Habits - is there one you really like? Which one speaks to you?

For me I really feel connected to the Scholarly Habit "I can connect and collaborate." In my view, putting the words connect and collaborate together creates an air of community.

What plans do you have for your future?

For my future, I aim to be a good student and a good person. I want to look back on middle school as a positive experience in which I learned new things.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your crew?

Every crew or class has a different feel. The general vibe in my class is a feeling of fun or joy. Everyone walks through the door with an intention to make others laugh.

Da'yana Segears - Staff Spotlight

You joined the Two Rivers community first as a middle schooler! How was that like? What do you remember about those days? 

It was a blend of excitement and nervousness as I embarked on my first day of school, which happened to be at North Bay. Spending that initial week away from home amidst unfamiliar faces and new teachers intensified both emotions.

Over the course of three years at Two Rivers, similar experiences continued to unfold. The consistent interplay of excitement and nervousness presented numerous opportunities for exploration and growth. Engaging in activities like school musicals, expeditions, volleyball tournaments with my crew, and participating in YMCA-led events every Wednesday enriched my middle school journey.

Two Rivers instilled in me a readiness to embrace challenges and pursue new endeavors. The supportive environment, coupled with the encouragement of dedicated teachers who nurtured my interests, made my time in middle school truly enjoyable.

High school was a time for "reinvention" as you said a few years ago when you stopped by. What did you learn about yourself given your challenging circumstances? What about high school or college makes you particularly proud? 

Adversity taught me the lesson of perseverance, revealing that every obstacle presented an opportunity for personal growth. Transitioning from middle school to high school and eventually college, I leaned on my community for support. Trusting in their guidance I ventured beyond my comfort zone, engaging in extracurricular activities and academic programs as advised by my high school teachers.

This trust in my mentors led me on a journey that culminated in becoming a Posse scholar at the University of Rochester. Through challenging circumstances, I discovered my capacity to achieve far beyond what I initially believed possible. Each hurdle I faced served as a stepping stone towards realizing my potential. I take immense pride in not allowing adversity to affect my journey.

You are our first alum-teacher. Congratulations! We are so happy to have you back. 

Your title is interventionalist. Folks might not be familiar with that term. Can you please explain what your role entails? What brings you joy about it?

Thank you!

As an interventionist, my role involves providing targeted support to individual students or groups who may be facing challenges in math. I spend a lot of time collaborating with teachers and looking over MAP data to create individualized plans to help 4th and 5th graders. What I enjoy most about this role is building relationships and creating a supportive environment where every student feels valued.

Share a fun fact about yourself.

Despite hearing numerous suggestions that I'd be a good teacher I consistently dismissed the idea adamant that it wasn't the path for me. However, my perspective shifted when I enrolled in a college course titled "The Art of Teaching Dance K-12." This class emphasized integrating dance and movement into classroom instruction. For the first time, I saw the possibility of merging all my passions.

Inspired by this newfound approach, I ventured beyond my comfort zone and taught an 7th-grade psychology lesson that incorporated movement. Recognizing the potential to blend my new found interests I decided to add Dance Performance as one of my majors and accepted a job teaching 1st grade after I graduated.

Rachael Coad - Family Spotlight

When did you join the Two Rivers community? What attracted you to it? 

In 2019, when our 2nd grader started PS3! We met co-worker friends who were a part of TR and we loved the idea of expeditionary learning, the emphasis on the arts, and the reputation of such a positive & vibrant culture that the school had!

Tell us about your children and their experience this year. How have you seen them be leaders of their own learning? How do they show up as crew?

Elynia had some obstacles to overcome at the beginning of this year and was able to show her scholarly habit of resilience after some of her closest friends moved away and the transition to having all new teachers (including specials teachers in 2nd grade) hit her hard the first month of school. Both Elynia and Nora (PK4) love diving into their expeditions. At the recent Celebration of Learning Elynia gave quite the presentation on famous paleontologists and we are currently loving hearing all the facts Nora is learning about the human body (complete with songs about bones, of course)!



As Two Rivers turns twenty years old, what about TR is incredibly special that we should never change?

The feeling that the staff and teachers really want to be there and have such a passion and love for their scholars!

Tell us about life outside of TR. What kind of work do you? 

I currently serve as Community Engagement Associate at The Washington Ballet where I have the privilege of helping oversee our Dance DC residencies in the public schools and our Dance For All events where we partner with the local libraries, museums, etc to bring free high quality dance events to the public. I also teach dance at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop and perform with several local project-based companies. I recently had the honor of premiering my first full evening length dance work, title “Devotions” at The Atlas Performing Arts Center as part of Intersections Festival.

You are the President of the 4th St Family School Association (formerly, Parent School Association). Thanks for all the work you put into building the community! How can folks get involved with Two Rivers? What if they don't have a lot of time?  

Thank you, it’s truly an honor to be a part and has been so much fun! My encouragement to folks is to not be afraid to pave their own way of involvement. Everyone has different roles to fill and we all fit the big picture of crew. Never minimize anything you are able to do in the community- whether that is volunteer for one day only of book fair or donate a package of sparkling waters at an event- it truly all does make a difference and reminds us none of us can do it all on our own!

Is there anything else that you would like to share about yourself or your contributions to Two Rivers?

Thanks for everyone’s patience this year as I have slowly but surely tried to learn the art of Parent Square communication and perfecting pre-sale pizza orders for events ;) You all truly make showing up as crew so fun and easy!

Ahna Smith - Board Spotlight

You knew about Two Rivers long before you enrolled your child here. When did you join the Two Rivers community? What attracted you to it? 



I first visited Two Rivers when I organized a visit for then Deputy Mayor for Education De'Shawn Wright in 2011. I knew of the great work of the school and the vibrant community that had been built, and brought him on a visit as part of his introduction to the DC public education community. I remember the visit well, as we had organized our trip to coincide with the Vocabulary Fashion Show. Families, educators, and students were gathered in what is now the 4th St Upper School gym for a celebration of student learning. The energy and excitement and welcoming community made for a wonderful introduction for the Deputy Mayor to not only Two Rivers but to DC families.

You are currently serving as Vice Chair for the Board. What attracted you to the role? What impact do you think that Board has on the school?

In my role as Vice Chair I support our Board Chair and the Executive Committee, along with the full Board of Trustees, as we fulfill our oversight role and provide support to the Two Rivers Executive Director and her team. As a member of the Executive Committee, and also in my role as co-chair of the Academic Excellence Committee, we serve as a critical friend, sounding board, and thought partner for school leadership, as they manage the incredibly important work of ensuring the day-to-day operations and instructional activities serve our students and the school community at the highest levels. I was attracted to serving on the Board and in these leadership roles because as a former elementary school teacher, former citywide educational leader here in DC, and as a parent, I am happy to offer my skills and experience to do whatever I can to support our hardworking staff and contribute to a thriving community that lifts up all our students.

What about Two Rivers in this SY23-24 makes you incredibly proud?

Having worked in and around public education throughout my career, I know that one of the biggest challenges within a school community can be to engage and empower the incredibly diverse constituencies within a school community, while also trying to meet everyone where they're at--from students, to families, to educators and staff. Our network leadership, school leadership, and Board are often navigating complex considerations from within and beyond the school as we make difficult decisions and as we seek to ensure every member of the community receives the right information in the right way and at the right time. We haven't always gotten this right, and have stumbled at times. But I'm so proud of the generosity of spirit I have seen from staff, families, and even students, as we reflect on what we can do better, and then lean in to help lead the change we hope to see.

Tell us about your day job. What kind of work do you? 

I support education, workforce, and economic development leaders, and philanthropic organizations and businesses to expand access to pathways to good jobs and careers.

Share a fun fact about yourself.

I love sports and have coached my daughter's soccer team and in a local lacrosse league. I currently play on a coed basketball team that last season was the league champs!

Esther Espinosa Dilone - Alum Spotlight

Your mom works at Two Rivers. (We love the fact that so many of our staff send their children to Two Rivers!) Were you a TR lifer? In which grade did you start at Two Rivers? Do you have any fond memories of those early days?

I began my Two Rivers career in kindergarten. Some of my earliest memories are playing in dramatic play with my best friend Erin and our class "mascot," a stuffed jaguar we took turns taking home.

From community meetings to crew meetings, we spend a lot of time trying to help build "responsible and compassionate members of society." How did you develop as a human being at Two Rivers? Who helped you along the way? Are there any stories you'd like to share?

I think that Two Rivers helped me find my sense of self. Going to a school where your grade had 50 people forces you to not be reliant on others to develop as a human being. You have to be distinct because no one wants two of one person. Studying at Two Rivers taught me that my competitiveness, loudness, and confidence are things that have value- though not everyone was happy when I would be a sore winner during uno games at lunch. Being at Two Rivers also taught me to value the people around me. My best friend Erin and I met in Ms. Ann's kindergarten class and have been friends ever since. Developing strong connections like the one I have with Erin is something that I learned at Two Rivers. Being such a small school, I learned the importance of getting to know people beyond the superficial and that strong relationships matter.

EL Education schools pride ourselves in unleashing student potential to create high quality work - not just bubble sheets and book reports. Are there expedition or art products (including performance) about which you are incredibly proud, even after so many years?  

My first experience with science was in grade during my expedition in Mr. Ben's class. My friends and I made a chemistry lesson plan that we would present during showcase. I remember how long I worked to ensure every detail was perfect and how much I went over the logistics of the project. As someone who wants to major in a Chemistry related field and now understands the science behind acids and bases, I will always be proud of that expedition and how my teammates and I were able to not only learn about things like the production of carbon dioxide but teach and show what we learned to our families.

You are currently at Washington Latin. Why did you decide to attend this school? What energizes you about Latin? What are your proudest moments as you draw to an end of your career there?

In all honesty, the reason I attend Latin is because of my mom. She had heard the good reviews about the school and decided to make it my first choice for high school. Though I was originally reluctant, I am happy I ended up where I did. I think some of my proudest moments this year are stepping up into more serious leadership roles throughout the school. Whether it be hosting the first pep rally since the pandemic, peer mentoring, or helping plan and host senior events, it feels good to give back to my community.

Congratulations on being awarded a George Washington University Trachtenberg Scholarship, which covers your costs for college! What do you plan to study?

Though GWU was not originally at the top of my list, I feel very lucky to have been awarded such a huge scholarship, especially at a school like GWU.

Do you have any pearls of wisdom from middle school or high school that you would like to share? 

Something that I would share is that not only is it important to push yourself to succeed, but it is also important to learn how to fail. Many times, especially as high school students looking to go to college, we focus on getting perfect grades and doing one hundred extracurriculars and internships. This means that when something goes wrong, like failing a test, missing a meeting, or not having enough personal time, we break down. Learning how to fail and accepting that not everything will be perfect all the time is something that took me a long time to do. However, I realized that when I finally learned to fail and not just completely stop at the first sign of imperfection, I began to take a lot more risk and learn things beyond the extent of acing the class.

Our Kindergarten students embarked on an exciting journey into the world of extreme weather at Politics and Prose.

They were thrilled to meet Matthew Cappucci, the author of Extreme Weather for Kids and a former weather reporter for DC's FOX5. Matthew's expertise shines through in daily articles for The Washington Post, forecasts on WAMU radio, and video forecasts on the MyRadar app.

Our young learners explored the wonders of meteorology, diving into firsthand accounts of nature's most dramatic moments and even gearing up for the upcoming solar eclipse!

Check out our post here.

Our First Fantastic Voyage - Jay Frost Jazz Trio hosted by Erin Sheehy was a huge success!

Erin Sheehy, a beloved community member for over eighteen years, generously hosted this incredible event at her home. The event was a fantastic opportunity to come together and support our music, drama, dance, and visual arts programs. Our goal is to raise $40,000, and thanks to everyone's generosity and enthusiasm, we're off to a great start!

Some of you may be wondering which events are kid-friendly. We're happy to announce a lineup of fun activities for the whole family! Here are some upcoming events to mark on your calendars:

Baila con Sr. Cody! - Saturday, April 27, 2 PM

Union Market Mural Tour - Sunday, April 28, 11-2 PM

Biryani Blowout - Saturday, May 4, 12-3 PM [SOLD OUT]

Ms. Carolina's Chilean Once - Saturday, May 4, 4-7 PM

Brazilian Zouk. Do You? - Saturday, May 11, 10-12 PM

Fiesta Filipinyana - Saturday, May 11, 5-8 PM

Join us as we continue to celebrate our community, support our programs, and create memorable experiences. Sign up today by visiting our website:

www.tworiverspcs.org/fantasticvoyage/

Here's a glimpse into the fun-filled moments made at our "Out of This World" Literacy Night!

From engaging games to inspiring reading and writing activities, our families and students had a blast.

Special shout out to our FSA for running the concession table!

Check out our post here.