February 24, 2022

Dr. Beth Reaves – Head of School, Washington School for Girls (WSG)

Washington School for Girls is a co-sponsored ministry of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

November is Black Catholic History Month and this past November, we celebrated the vibrant history of the Black Catholic community during Morning Prayer and in Religion class.

DeMetria White is our Religion Teacher and Director of Campus Ministry, her ninth year at WSG and second year in her current role. Ms. White’s journey into the faith was a deeply personal one. Her late mother was baptized into the Roman Catholic church as an adult, shortly before her death. Driven by a desire to stay spiritually connected with her mother, Ms. White sought out the opportunity to regularly attend mass with an aunt, one of few in her family who actively practiced religion.

A deep and ever-evolving relationship between God and the Catholic Church was launched. As she grew older, Ms. White explored other Christian denominations by attending church with friends, ultimately finding her way back to the Catholic community when she enrolled at Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C.

For Ms. White, a personal relationship with God is the driving force in all she does. The “word” becomes the impetus for action, as do homilies and daily prayer. As she often tells her students, “you can still be a fun person, you can still have your free will, but you can do it in such a way that you are still amplifying and glorifying God. Those two things can coexist.”

Last year, Ms. White began studying for her Master’s in Theology from Xavier University’s Institute for Black Catholic Studies. The experience has been an enriching one. Being a student again is shaping how she teaches Religion at WSG. Informed by her experience as the only woman in her cohort, she has been thinking more intentionally about how to help our girls see themselves in Scripture and their inherent value as members of the Church. During this era of polarization, Ms. White encourages students to explore as fully as possible the complexities of religious teachings to better understand the context. She explains, “We tend to deconstruct the Bible, pulling out pieces to prove our point and ignoring the verses before and after that might give more depth and nuance to our understanding.” She hopes her students will learn to take a more holistic approach to their faith practice throughout their lives.