New Jobs at the White House
Three Friendship Students Chosen to Host the White House 2010 Easter Egg Roll

While many students across the country are busy planning their proms and other events, three Friendship students are also pondering their upcoming visit with President Obama and the First Family.
On Monday, April 05, 2010, Patrice Haney and Melanie McKie of the Friendship Academies at Anacostia, and I-Sha Davis of Friendship Collegiate Academy, will serve as emcees at the White House Easter Egg Roll.
The three student leaders, who each maintain grade-point averages above 3.5, were excited to learn that they were thought of as model students who would represent Friendship well. After the initial shock of this big opportunity, the young ladies, like ordinary teenagers, began to consider what they would wear on this most special Easter Monday.
Melanie, a member of Anacostia’s basketball team, admitted to being speechless when she first learned that she had been chosen to emcee. “I never thought I would get an opportunity like this,” she said with a tremble in her voice. “I’m about to cry.”
An annual tradition that dates back more than 150 years, the Easter Egg Roll is an event that crosses racial, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. I-Sha Davis, a Friendship Collegiate Academy senior who made a near perfect SAT score, is proud to have been chosen to represent “such a prestigious school.”
I-Sha, who has been a Friendship student since second grade, is most looking forward to being in the White House environment. “I feel like I am a part of history,” she said referring to the historical significance of sharing this event with the first African American First Family.
Once infamous for students hanging in hallways and unfavorable test scores, the Friendship Academies at Anacostia are the beginning of a cultural transformation. Patrice Haney says she now embraces the relationships she builds with her new teachers. “I think this year the change is that we are more like a family now. Last year we were individuals, but this year we work together,” she said. “It’s the staff. It’s the staff.”
All three students are excited to share their Friendship family with the nation’s First Family in an event that is sure to change their lives.