Library Opening Celebration
Editor's Note: In January 2011 Critical Exposure initiated a program at the Washington Metropolitan High School, an alternative D.C. public high school located in Ward 1 of D.C. Students identified their school's lack of a library as a major obstacle to academic success. After a semester of documenting a disorganized storeroom and the consequences of illiteracy, the students presented their photographs and writing to their school's Superintendent and DCPS officials to eventually win more than $20,000 in funding and thousands of donated books. In February 2012, more than one year after they began their project, Critical Exposure students at D.C. Met celebrated their victory by hosting an opening celebration for students, faculty, and community partners. Their school now has a fully-equipped library, complete with relevant books, sturdy shelves, new computers, comfortable chairs for relaxing, and elegant glass tables for group work.