On November 17, Mayor Gray officially broke ground on the site of what will become an all-new Paul Lawrence Dunbar Senior High School. The historic institution has the distinction of being the nation's first high school for African-American students.

“Today we celebrate the rich history of Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School, and the first step in building a bright, new future for Dunbar’s students, staff, and community,” Mayor Gray, a Dunbar alumnus, said. “The new Dunbar will be a model of 21st-century educational excellence in the District and beyond.”

The design for the new Dunbar has a central “armory,” reminiscent of the old Dunbar campus (replaced with the current campus in the early 1970s) in that it connects the academic, administrative, auditorium and gymnasium spaces. The new design weaves the sports fields of the school and recreation center together through the armory, fostering more frequent interaction between students and staff. Read more.

A virtual tour of the new Dunbar campus is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXypWDy0ano.

On November 14, Mayor Gray officially broke ground on the project site for the full modernization of Cardozo Senior High School, located at 11th and Clifton Streets NW.

“Today is the first step toward the District’s goal of turning Cardozo Senior High School into a 21st-century, high-tech facility,” Mayor Gray said.

The full modernization of Cardozo consists of a complete upgrade of the building and its systems, updating them to state-of-the-art technical and educational standards. The modernized school will include a new regulation-size gymnasium building for basketball, volleyball, and weightlifting activities, along with atrium spaces in the former courtyards to accommodate a cafeteria. Other features will include a central staircase, expanded band and choral rooms, expanded construction and electronic academies and an enhanced kitchen.

 Click to view modernization updates.

Don’t let the opportunity to satisfy your old debts to DMV slip away! The temporary ticket amnesty program ends on January 27, 2012. During amnesty, penalties on all open parking, moving violation and photo enforcement tickets issued before January 1, 2010 are waived.

The fastest and most efficient way to pay is online at  http://tinyurl.com/yvy7ne. Customers can also pay over the phone by calling 1-866-893-5023 or in person at Adjudication Services, 301 C Street NW, Room 1157, Monday-Friday from 8:15 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Amnesty tickets are eligible for a ticket payment plan for District residents that meet eligibility requirements. For more information visit www.dmv.dc.gov.

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, all DMV locations will be closed on Thursday, November 24. All locations will be open for business on Friday, November 25.

The first episode, “Preparing Our Youth,” is now airing on TV-16 and can be viewed online at Mayor Gray's YouTube channel -  www.youtube.com/dcmayorsoffice. Inside One City...Conversations with Mayor Vincent C. Gray is presented on TV-16 each Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 pm.

“I’m thrilled today to open this wonderful apartment complex that will provide a permanent home for some very deserving women,” Mayor Gray said. “Projects like this one are a huge win for our city. This building is proof that serving DC residents who are most in need while maintaining prudence with taxpayer dollars can go together hand-in-hand.”

In the fall of 2010, 11th Street Partners, LLC purchased the vacant property and entered into a master lease agreement with the District. The structure of the agreement resulted in no taxpayer dollars used to purchase, renovate, or develop the property. The full renovation of the building began in January 2011 and was completed two months ahead of schedule.

For more information on the District’s Department of General Services and the new DHS Permanent Supportive Housing units, please visit http://dgs.dc.gov.

In a new public-private partnership between the DC Department of Health (DOH), Department of Human Services (DHS) and Family and Medical Counseling Services, Inc. (FMCS), supported by Gilead Sciences, Inc., the DHS Anacostia Service Center will offer free HIV Testing. The center is located at 2100 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE, in Ward 8.

"This is the first project in the nation to offer free HIV testing at a government social services center,” said Mayor Gray. “While District residents are seeking income support, food stamps, Medicaid and other benefits, residents will now be able to learn their HIV status as a routine part of their health and wellness.” Read more.

The DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative is partnering with the DC Public Libraries and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities to present its first annual Student Essay Contest. The theme: “As A Citizen of DC, What Does Democracy Mean to Me?”

“This is a great opportunity for students to express themselves, tell what it means to be a citizen in our democracy, and call attention the city's quest for democracy,” Mayor Vincent C. Gray said. “I encourage all DC Public School and DC Public Charter School students to enter!”

Open to all DC Public and Public Charter school students in grades 5 – 12, the contest asks the students to use critical thinking and to express themselves in their entries. The question the theme poses asks the students to consider the broad concept of democracy as it applies to their own lives. The idea is to engage middle- and high-school students, teachers, principals, parents, the libraries and the DC community to celebrate students’ ideas, self-expression and writing skills and also to raise awareness of the important theme of self-determination.

The contest starts today. The winner in each age group will receive a $1,000 prize and the school will be rewarded with professional development opportunities for teachers.

For more information, visit the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative’s website at http://www.dcahec.com.