High Tea Society, Washington DC

The High Tea Society (HTS) was founded by the Honorable 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 create “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 afternoon 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 vehicle 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!

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 alternative high school for students who dropped out of the public schools, she later went on to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney.

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, Inc