EDUCATION

BANNEKER from Page 1 maintenance administrator and an associate of Shukri's Goldsmiths, his father's Afrocentric jewelry business. He's also enjoying marital bliss with his Banneker classmate, Melonie Threatt.

"I have to give it to Banneker. When I got to the real world, it made my life easier. I had the knowledge to get my jobs and do well on them," said Threatt, a 1991 Banneker alumnus.

"I tell people going to Banneker to not let the school intimidate them.

Going there makes it easy to be motivated. I didn't have to do it by myself. They work with your parents and you work with your peers."

Banneker Alumni Celebrate, Organize and Reflect on 40 Years

Threatt counted among more than 300 alumni, students, current and former staff, administrators, family and community members who converged on the campus of Banneker Academic High School on July 1 to commemorate the school's 40 years of academic excellence.

Though 2021 marked 40 years of Banneker's existence, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed commemoration activities by a couple of years. During that time, students, faculty and staff moved into a new state-of-the-art campus at 1600 Ninth Street NW.

The Banneker 40th anniversary alumni celebration, which followed a gala in March, marked the launch of the Banneker Alumni Society, an effort to energize Banneker's alumni network around further supporting the school.

Throughout much of Saturday af- ternoon, people of various Banneker classes and generations spoke among one another, while Garvin Brooms of Banneker’s class of 1990 kept music emanating through the space. The Common Ground Band, a live band that includes saxophonist and 1989 Banneker alumnus Courtney Nero, played contemporary jazz and funk in the school cafeteria.

In the courtyard, a grill master cheffed up burgers and hot dogs, while alumni feasted on cookout delicacies. Children frolicked in a station set up just for them, while some Banneker alumni sold their wares and promoted their independent ventures in the vending area.

Meanwhile, several people participated in a tour of 1600 Ninth Street NW.

Prominent alumni who showed

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