Lady Knights Soar

If you didn't know before, you must know now that the Lady Knights bring it! They exemplify the very best of Friendship's core values. First and foremost, our lovely female student athletes' team average GPA is a beautiful 3.2. That's enough to top my list. However, the Lady Knights also clearly are at the top of their basketball bracket having just won their 3rd consecutive WCSAA championship, by defeating Booker T. Washington 63-34. The Lady Knights avenged an earlier loss to Booker T. Washington. They also played without perhaps their best player, Junior Forward Courtney Lucas, who was out with a sprained ankle. Junior guards, Alaysia Washington and Valencia Sanders, and Senior center Claudette Cunningham, stepped up to the challenge and dominated the game from the opening tip.

Coach Tesha Nixon-Cunningham also deserves recognition as one of the best girls coaches in the DMV. Coach Nixon-Cunningham, who played her college basketball career at Georgetown University, the ABL for the Philadelphia Rage, and the United States Olympic Games in 1994, gave up her assistant coaching job at George Mason in 2004 to take over a struggling program at Friendship Collegiate (formerly known as Friendship Edison). She led them to their first WCSAA championship in her first season as head coach, and has won four WCSAA championships in the past 6 seasons. Coach Nixon-Cunningham has also assembled an AAU program, Get A.M.Ped! (Athletes Mentoring Program), which is compiled of mostly her players from Friendship Collegiate. She takes her team to play in all the major AAU tournaments, playing in front of hundreds of college basketball coaches. Several of her former players have gone on to play college basketball, Tiffany Clarke is the starting center for Virginia Union University; Jasmine Alston, Tonneka Broadnax and Monica Colter all play for undefeated 20-0 Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, VA. Patrick Herny CC who is ranked 6th in the nation, will play in the Women's NCJAA national tournament starting next week in Chicago. Jasmine Alston is currently being recruited by several MEAC and CIAA schools.
I wish to give an extra special thanks to assistant coach Miesha Thompson for providing all of the text of this blog and look forward to working with her to provide the recognition that our Lady's truly deserve.
Go Lady Knights!

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Friendship Public Charter School is the District of Columbia’s largest community of public charter schools, serving nearly 4,000 students in grades pre-k to 12. Friendship succeeds in preparing a cross-section of children as scholars, workers and citizens on five school campuses. The mission of Friendship Public Charter School is to provide a world-class education that motivates students to achieve academic standards, enjoy learning and develop as ethical, literate, well-rounded and self-sufficient citizens that contribute actively to their communities.

To learn more about Friendship Public Charter Schools go to:

http://www.friendshipschools.org/home/content.asp?section=our%20schools