An undated postcard of Thomas Jefferson High School; the school was built in 1929. (Photo courtesy Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries)
In celebration of its 90th anniversary, Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High School will hold a March 4 fundraiser and conversation about equity in education, featuring University of Virginia President James Ryan and Susan T. Gooden, interim dean of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs.
A few years before Ryan took office as U.Va.’s ninth president in August, he wrote the book “Five Miles Away, A World Apart,” examining the differences between Thomas Jefferson, an economically challenged urban school, and the suburban, predominantly middle-class Freeman High School in Henrico County. After the talk, Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni will moderate a Q&A with the audience. There is no admission charge for the event, which begins at 6:30 p.m., but donations will be accepted to help buy 200 new desks and chairs for students, replacing 1970s furniture. (The school has also started a GoFundMe campaign with a $25,000 goal.)
Dina Weinstein, vice president of membership at Thomas Jefferson’s Parent-Teacher-Student Association (and a Richmond magazine contributor), hopes the event will raise awareness about the school’s needs as well as its potential. “It is a feather in the cap,” she says. “A lot of energy is being put into the school.”
