As the school year concludes, eighth grade students at the Washington School for Girls are preparing to take the next step in their academic journeys. For Carleon Foma, Charli Petty, Demi Fletcher and Gabriella Poindexter, the transition marks the culmination of years spent growing together in a faith-based environment that emphasizes academic discipline and personal development.
The Washington School for Girls is an independent Catholic school serving students from third through eighth grade. Many, including Foma, Petty, Fletcher and Poindexter, began in third grade and have remained close friends. The school operates two campuses: one for elementary grades and one for middle school. The school was founded in 1997 by women from the Religious of Jesus and Mary, the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, and the National Council of Negro Women to provide an equitable education for girls in the city.
When asked to describe their school, students emphasized its strong sense of community. “I would describe it as a community where you can grow and learn about yourself,” Petty said. Poindexter called it a “caring, loving sisterhood.” The school fosters a spirit of unity through its house system, which includes Imani (faith in Swahili), Ausdauer (perseverance in German), and Confianza (confidence in Spanish).
Teachers played a key role in creating that environment, the students said. Whether guiding them through difficult coursework, helping them manage stress, or encouraging their goals, faculty members were a consistent source of support. “When I’m feeling overwhelmed with my schoolwork, I would go to my advisor to talk to me and help me plan for that,” Foma said.
The students reflected on how the all-girls environment shaped their academic and social experiences. “There are pros and cons,” Poindexter said. “It’s nice to be around girls who share your experiences, but I’m also looking forward to being in a coed setting and the diversity that will come with that.”
Petty plans to attend St. John’s College High School in Washington. Fletcher will attend Archbishop Carroll High School, which is also in Washington. Foma will enroll at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, Maryland.
Poindexter had hoped to attend a boarding school, but instead she will live with her aunt and attend Notre Dame High School in Fairfield, Connecticut, where she looks forward to joining the cheerleading team and pursuing strong academics there.
Each student expressed hopes for the future. Foma hopes to become a pediatric neurosurgeon. “My dad is a doctor, he’s an anesthesiologist, so I wanted to work in the medical field too,” she said. Fletcher is interested in engineering or cosmetology. Poindexter aspires to study aerospace engineering. “I want to design planes,” she said. Petty hopes to pursue interior decorating, especially kitchen design.
Faith is central to the school’s mission. Though students are not required to be Catholic, the environment fosters interreligious understanding and spiritual formation.
The students spoke about the impact of extracurricular programs there. Foma participated in a medical club and the Conservation Nation Club, which focused on environmental stewardship through creek cleanups and paper recycling. Petty learned to sew in the school’s sewing club. “I’ve sewed a pillow, I’ve sewed some jeans, and I’ve sewed a blanket,” she said.
All four students recently traveled to England as part of the Washington School for Girls’ first overseas trip. Coined “Girls Gone Global” on the school’s social media accounts, the experience took students from Southeast Washington to England for a week of cultural exchange, spiritual reflection and sightseeing. In preparation, they took etiquette classes and learned about cultural expectations.
The students visited London to meet with their sister school, St. Claudine’s Catholic School for Girls, which is sponsored by the Religious of Jesus and Mary. Together, both schools traveled to that religious community’s convent in the seaside town of Felixstowe in Suffolk for a shared retreat led by the religious sisters.
While in London, the group visited landmarks such as the Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus and neighborhoods throughout the city, including in the Brixton area, where they sampled Caribbean food and reflected on the diversity there. “A lot of people that live there weren’t born in England,” one student said. “It was very diverse, like how it is here.”
A highlight of the trip was attending a live performance of “Hamilton” in London’s West End. “It was really exciting,” Fletcher said. “We had studied it before, and then we got to see it in person.”
As these students prepare to graduate from the Washington School for Girls, they carry with them not only academic knowledge but also the confidence and values shaped in a community built on faith, friendship and encouragement.
High school placements for the Washington School for Girls Class of 2025 include:
- Archbishop Carroll High School, Washington – three students
- Bishop McNamara High School, Forestville, Maryland – five students
- Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, Connecticut – one student
- Cornerstone Schools of Washington, D.C. – one student
- Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School, Takoma Park, Maryland – two students
- Notre Dame High School of Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut – one student
- St. John’s College High School, Washington – one student
- Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, Bethesda, Maryland – one student
- Templeton Academy, Washington – one student
