Reynauld Smith

Reynauld Smith teaches social studies and Advanced Placement (AP) American History at Eastern Senior High School in Washington, D.C. His interest in working in an inner city high school led him to Eastern in 1986. Previously, Smith taught in Montgomery County, Maryland, where he helped start a diversity club for U.S. and international students. Smith decided that while he could not control the many challenges facing his students at home and in their neighborhoods, he could expose them to the world. He embarked on a mission to incorporate global education into the Eastern High curriculum.

Smith became involved in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's "Bringing the Lessons Home" education program and regularly brought classes of students to the museum. In 1997, he was one of three area educators to attend a conference in Israel on reconciliation.

In 1999, Smith took over Eastern High School's fledgling Model United Nations program and wove it into his Advanced Placement American History class. Structured discussions of world events led to animated debates and gave way to simulated United Nations deliberations. Smith went beyond the Model U.N. curriculum and brought in officials from the U.S. Department of State at least once a week to talk about their work and lead discussions on world events. He has worked with 500 students in this Model UN program.

Smith has taken dozens of students to Ecuador, Portugal, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. His students are also frequent participants in international crisis simulation conferences at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, as well as citywide Model U.N. conferences. In 2006, Eastern High School's teams were picked as "best delegation" at each event.

Smith is also involved in LearnServe Ethiopia, a program sponsored by the Center for International Education at the Washington International School.

Smith grew up in Dallas, TX. He graduated from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1970, where he earned his B.A. and was a standout basketball player. He played for the American Basketball Association's Carolina Cougars before beginning a career in education that has spanned more than 30 years.