I 7 (High Tea Society)

1. 1Best of DC 109Best of DC
Ambassadors of Change
The High Tea Society (HTS) was launched in 1997 by Judge
Mary Terrell, as a vehicle to expose young girls to the rich
cultural offerings of the District of Columbia while providing
a tailored program designed to boost self esteem, inspire
academic achievement and create “Ambassadors of Change”
- poised, confidant, college bound young ladies willing to share
their HTS experiences and values with their family and friends.
Washington Women
T
he High Tea Society (HTS) was founded by the Honor-
able Judge Mary Terrell in 1997, as a vehicle to expose
young girls to the rich cultural offerings of the District of
Columbia, while also providing a tailored program designed
to boost self esteem, inspire academic achievement and cre-
ate “ambassadors of change.” HTS protégés who attend D.C.
Public Schools, are recruited in the 4th grade and remain
in the program until high school graduation and/or college
acceptance.
The High Tea Society offers a five-pronged educational
program that includes Academic Achievement, Cultural
Awareness, Community Service, Lifestyle Improvement &
International Awareness (ACCLI). HTS currently offers four
major programs to provide girls attending DC Public Schools
with tools to succeed academically, professionally, and
socially, including:
Teaching Through Tea program for 10 to 18 year old girls
emphasizing the importance of academic prowess and social
grace.
I am a STAR! (Sophisticated, Talented, Articulate and
Responsible) gang prevention program for 13 to 16 year old
girls attending Walker Jones elementary school.
CHARMS (Charming, Articulate, Responsible Moms)
program for teenage mothers 15 to 19 years old attending
Anacostia High School.
Charming by Design Fashion and Theater Arts Summer
Program for 112 14 and 15 year old girls enrolled in Mayor
Fenty’s Passport to Work Summer Youth Program.
The High Tea Society (HTS) was never just a dress up
and go to tea program. Rather, it was designed in response
to the urgent social and academic realities facing many girls
living in Washington, DC. Hats and gloves and the after-
noon tea backdrop of the program presented an interesting
dichotomy when juxtaposed against some of the every day
experiences of our youth. HTS uses afternoon tea” as a vehi-
cle to teach our girls that success in the 21st century requires
certain life skills, as “street skills” are not enough. Over the
years, HTS has observed the novelty of afternoon tea wear
away to become an everyday way of life among DC youth.
HTS is not confined to a tea box, we teach through tea!
Tel [phone]
www.TheHighTeaSociety.orgThe High Tea Society, wearing dresses by designer Jessica McClintock High Tea Society (image courtesy: Kiawah Island Golf Resort - www.kiahresort.com)
High Tea Society Board of Directors
Dr. Gloria Herndon, Chair and President, GB Herndon & Associates
Ms. Wilma Lewis, Esq., General Counsel, Fanni Mae
Ms. Jeanne Hubbard, Treasurer and President & CEO, Adams Natl. Bank
Ms. Fannie Allen. Secretary and CEO, The Allen Etiquette Institute
Ms. Lorna John, Esq. and General Counsel, High Tea Society
Ms. Berna Gunn Williams, Former President, Scrubbles Janitorial Services Co.
Ms. Marie Johns. Former President, Verizon Washington, DC
High Tea Society Advisory Board
Mr. Robert Goodwin, Executive Director, Points of Light Foundation
Ms. Dorthea Johnson, Founder, Protocol School of Washington
Mr. Edward Johnson and Associates,
P.C. Architecture Landscape Design Interiors Planning
Mr. John Harney, Founder, Harney & Sons Fine Teas
Ms. Barbara Lang, President, DC Chamber of Commerce
Ms. Beverly Perry, Senior Vice President
Government Affairs and Public Policy, Pepco Holdings Inc.
Mr. J. Norwood Pratt, International Tea Guru & Editor-in-chief,
Tea Trade--the Magazine of World Tea Business
Ms. Roberta Sims, Vice President Corporate Relations, Washington Gas
Rev. Dr. James E. Terrell, Pastor, Second Baptist Church
High Tea Society Founding Members
Ms. Joann Anderson, Powernomics Corp. of America
Ms. Tina Blanchard, President, La Moda, Inc.
Ms. Jeanne Clarke Harris, President, Details International, Inc.
Ms. Angela Heath, President, Grace Media, LLC.
Ms. Lorna John, Esq., General Counsel, High Tea Society
Ms. Kayte McLaughlin, President & CEO, Penguin Unity Enterprises, IncJudge Mary Terrell, Founder, High Tea Society
Judge Mary A. Gooden Terrell was appointed to the Superior Court of the
District of Columbia in 1997 by President William Jefferson Clinton. Judge
Terrell was born in Jacksonville, Florida and raised in Akron, Ohio. She
received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University, Masters of
Arts in Teaching from Antioch College and her law degree from Georgetown
University School of Law. Judge Terrell is a former Peace Corps volunteer,
having been stationed in India. Founder of the Dix Street Academy, an alter-
native high school for students who dropped out of the public schools, she
later went on to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney.