Menu
WOODLAWN, Md. — When school’s out at Woodlawn High School, some students hang out here, at the Meadows Shopping Center, right across the street from the school.
“Really, the whole shopping center would get pretty much get overwhelmed with students after school,” says Danitra Bell, McDonald’s owner-operator.
Bell owns the McDonald’s here, one of the businesses where the students go after school. She and other businesses here have been meeting with school officials, police, and community leaders to find solutions.
“So, we were really just trying to figure out, like, what is the way that we can continue to service our customers, continue to make sure that our employees are safe and able to perform their job function without interruption?”
Bell has taken the lead, offering the youth more than a burger and a fry. She’s providing jobs. She’s hired her own resource officer, who’s developed relationships with the students who frequent the restaurant.
“He identified the different students that we would hire,” Bell says, “that we felt set good examples and exemplified appropriate behavior when they’re in the restaurant, and we wanted to make sure that they were afforded an opportunity if they wanted one.”
Camauri Yates is one of five Woodlawn students recently hired here. He’s in tenth grade, and this is his first job.
“I thought I wasn’t going to be able to find a job around here because nowadays it’s really hard to find jobs,” Yates says. “So having someone in the community that’s important, that’s someone that can make changes in our community, all we need is that pathway and that bridge there. That’s what Miss Bell is.”
Bell’s is also starting a scholarship program, administered by the Randallstown NAACP.
Ryan Coleman with the NAACP says this is just the start.
“We wanna try to support the school as much as we can,” Coleman says. “We wanna try to support the students as much as we can. More involvement by the school, more involvement by the community, more mentorships, more involvement by the business community.”
Eligible students must be a 2025 graduating senior at Woodlawn High School accepted into an accredited college. They also have to write an essay and complete an application form.
The application deadline is April 11. For more information and to apply, go here.
News
