Press, Recognition September 30, 2019
BDS Teacher Valencia Clay Named One of The Baltimore Sun’s 25 Women to Watch in 2019
We are so excited to announce that BDS ELA teacher Ms. Valencia Clay has been named one of the Baltimore Sun’s 25 Women to Watch in 2019. Ms. Clay has been a leading changemaker in literacy initiatives at our school. You can browse more articles about Ms. Clay on the BDS website. Here’s what the Baltimore Sun has to say…
From www.baltimoresun.com:
Meet the Baltimore area’s leading voices in business, activism, research and more.
Look for the 25 Women to Watch in a special magazine supplement in some editions of The Sun on Sunday, Oct. 13. The women will be honored at a celebration at the Baltimore Museum of Art on Oct. 10.
Valencia Clay
When Valencia Clay read the late Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” she said it healed her. Now, as an English teacher at Baltimore Design School, she uses books to bring healing and exposure to her students, and “to help them plan for their futures.” Clay is receiving national attention for her teaching style, which she documents for her 160,000 Instagram followers. In one viral video, she talks to her students about using their pain to uplift them. Clay, who was recently selected for a Johns Hopkins doctoral program and a National Geographic education fellowship, wants to help other teachers “have their students thinking like explorers.” Click to read article in full.