Some Ballou High School students received unexpected graduation gifts this year.
“When I told my friends, they were like, 'Ballou?'” said Ballou High School graduate Royelle Jones. “That school you gonna get jumped or you gonna get this and that, and I was just like, 'No.' I knew it was something different.”
When Jones moved with her family from Maryland to southeast D.C., she believed in something many others didn’t. Her high school. Now, three years later, Jones and the rest of the graduates of Ballou's class of 2010 are proof that with a little faith, improved test scores and higher graduation rates can be achieved.
Because of their years of hard work, on Thursday night 21 of the recent grads were awarded scholarships to college thanks to a $600,000 gift from an anonymous donor. Donald Thomas was one of the lucky five to receive the biggest checks of the night for $5,000.
“It feels great," he said. "It shows the amount of opportunity that’s been given to the people of Southeast to overcome the stereotype."
It's a gradual turnaround that's taken the school years to achieve, but thanks to local partnerships with companies like Alston and Bird Law Firm, students are gaining access to worlds they never knew existed. This summer, before Jones heads off to Penn State University, she will be at the law firm as an intern.
"I was working at McDonald's before, so this is a step all the way up,” said Jones. “The people here are so loving and so caring, and you can tell they really care."
Jonathan Parrott went to three other D.C. public high schools before finally settling at Ballou, and he doesn't regret his decision. Now, with this scholarship, he'll be able to attend Glenville State University.
"I'm overwhelmed,” said Parrott. “Thank you very much, whoever you are.”
What we do know about the donor is that he grew up in southeast D.C. and had nine children whoattend Ballou. But school administrators said his identity isn't as important as his gift back. They’re hoping these recent grads can soon do the same.
Scholarships totalling $45,000 were awarded Thursday night. The remainder of the $600,000 donation will be invested to help future Ballou grads.
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