14 Fourteen years ago this past September, an anxious little boy walked into Two Rivers Public Charter School for his first day of school. Over the next 10 years, he would come to love learning and find some of his closest friendships, even discovering new ions through clubs, like Dr. Meniculosis, the school’s rock band.
That little boy was me, Theo Weller. I am now a senior at School Without Walls High School (SWW HS), deep into my college application process. In researching this article, I have come to realize that aspects of Two Rivers and its approach to learning made it an optimal setting for me to grow and learn.
When you’re young, you think everything inside your school’s brick building has been there since history began. But, as amazing as the school has become, Two Rivers has humble beginnings.
The Beginning
The scene: Capitol Hill resident Jen DeMayo’s living room. It is 2002. The tiny rowhouse is packed—people are stacked two deep in her living room, flowing into the dining room and kitchen. On the floor above is the thunder of children, playing together as the parents meet below. This is the first meeting of the community that will become Two Rivers Public Charter School.
“I asked people to close their eyes and imagine the school that they hoped for their own child,” said Jessica Wodatch, who would go on to become founding executive director and first principal, “and then we opened our eyes and starting talking about what we had seen.” These visions became the four pillars of Two Rivers.
In the early aughts there was an explosion of babies born on the Hill but not enough spots in nearby schools for them. Moms on the Hill (MoTH) had created an education committee, which looked at ways to DC Public Schools and learn about education options. Gradually, the idea of creating another school that they could take a hand in, creating it from the ground up, took root. Out of these discussions on Moms on the Hill (MoTH), Becky Skinner became Two Rivers’ Founding Board President.
“It was a daunting task for a group of volunteers,” said Wodatch.
She and other founding parents pulled their first all-nighters since college and received conditional approval from the DC Public Charter Board in 2003. They began hiring the 20-25 initial staff and recruiting students even before they had a building.
“There was a little bit of anxiety,” said Jeff Heyck-Williams, who became the Director of Curriculum and Instruction, “but there was a lot of energy.” They believed in the school mission, Heyck-Williams added.
DS allowed Two Rivers to co-locate in the underenrolled Eliot Junior High in 2004. Two years later, Two Rivers had a student body of 200 and a wait list twice that long. In 2007, the school found a permanent location at 1227 Fourth St. NE, later expanding to a middle school campus across the street. By 2015, the school had added a new preschool and elementary school in the historic Charles E. Young building (820 26th St NE). This school quickly expanded, as well, opening a new middle school (830 26th St NE) —also at the Young campus—in 2020. The school has served more than 3,400 students since 2004.
Currently a PhD student in Clinical Child Psychology at the University of Kansas, Calissa Jo Leslie-Miller was one of the founding students. She says that Two Rivers shaped her academic trajectory and ignited a lifelong ion for learning.
“I discovered a love for reading and critical thinking that has carried me through my academic and professional journey,” Calissa Jo said. She also participated in the middle school musicals. “[Performing] helped me transform from a shy child into a confident public speaker, preparing me to present research at national and international conferences,” she said. “Two Rivers taught me to value relationships, community, and curiosity, all of which continue to influence my personal and professional growth.”
Core Ideas Hold Strong
The school has held the same beliefs since its founding. DeMayo said it offered an alternative education option, offering Spanish classes and a pre-K3 program. The latter was a significant benefit for the community and inspired other schools to add similar programs.
Riveros-Ruenes, Cody Encarnacion, Tarik Cranston. Courtesy: Two Rivers
To this day, the curriculum places a high value on expeditionary and project-based learning, arts integration, social-emotional learning and diversity.
DeMayo re when the physical education curriculum was temporarily structured to replicate an astronaut training program to align with the space-themed academic “expedition” the students were working on. DeMayo said watching expeditionary learning done well was “just so fun.”
“Incorporating that kind of stuff, I think, is the thrill of it,” she said. “It doesn’t always happen, but when it works, it really clicks.”
Arts integration is also key to the program. Two Rivers has put on 15 years of musicals. After a temporary move to the Young campus stage, students resumed performing at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, giving students the opportunity to bring their performances to the community as well as work alongside professionals to stage the show. This year, the middle school will perform Moana Junior at Atlas.
Alice Wodatch, daughter of the former executive director is now a Senior in the theatre department of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. “I grew up inside those buildings and so there are so many great memories,” she said. In addition to the musicals, she re activities like a vocabulary fashion show, in which students walked the runway in costumes they created based on a word.” Getting to play and let my imagination run free as an elementary student introduced me to my love for acting, which I’m pursuing now,” she said.
Community is key within and outside of the school walls. In 2016, as the nation watched an explosion of political and racial violence, parents at Two Rivers drew on the idea of being a diverse community of learners and expeditionary learning to form Share Your DC.
“It was their own expedition that connected them across lines of difference, whatever those are,” said Khizer Husain, Two Rivers’ Director of External Relations., “to be able to see that level of humanity and essentially strengthen the community so that we are a beacon in our city.”
The Future
In the summer of 2024, the staff and parents of Two Rivers came up with a strategic plan. First on the list is an increased focus on accelerating individual student academic performance.
The school has always been committed to what they call a “culture of crew,” the idea that everyone is steering the ship and nobody is a mere enger. The community wants to refocus on this concept to ensure that everyone entering the space feels their needs are being met together with a sense of belonging and joy.
Finally, there is a focus on sustainable growth. With more than 230 students on the waiting list for 2021-22, the last year for which data is available, Two Rivers wants to ensure they have the financial and physical space to a growing student body.
Two Rivers has shaped my own life, past present and future. Over the past few months, I’ve had to think about what kind of college I want to go to. I’ve landed on a vision of a liberal arts college where I am encouraged to explore topics in depth. While writing this article, I’ve realized that the university I’m describing is essentially the college version of Two Rivers. Diving deep on subjects is what expeditionary learning is at its core. I am very thankful for Two Rivers—the school that made me fall in love with learning.
With a focus on the future, there is much to celebrate for Two Rivers as well. On Sept. 7. 2024, Council Charles Allen (Ward 6-D) and Zachary Parker (Ward 5-D) read a ceremonial resolution at the school’s 20th Anniversary Festival, recognizing and celebrating the school’s milestone. There was also a gala at the school on Oct. 19, emceed by students and alumni. . And alumni from the class of 2022 and earlier will gather for an alumni night at Middle School on Friday, Jan. 10, 6-8pm. The school also has several open houses in December and January where you can see the schools in action for yourself.
Learn more about open houses and Two Rivers PCS by visiting tworiverspcs.org. a sustainable future by visiting https://www.tworiverspcs.org/tr20beyond/
