Ludacris, Carmelo Anthony, his wife, Lala Vasquez, and Sway Calloway from MTV surprised 1400 students at George Washington High School on Friday afternoon for the Get Schooled national challenge and tour, aimed at engaging students and their families to help improve high school graduation rates. GW was chosen because it met the criteria of increased attendance from the last year and boasts of over 500 students taking advanced placement courses this year.
The assembly included videos of GW students talking about their dreams and aspirations, along with "Stay in school" messages recorded by athletes like Shaq and recording artists like R&B star Monica, as well as a heartfelt pep talk from the principal, who declared the students of George Washington High "the shining stars of the future."
The students were entertained by the sounds of DJ Amen before Sway Calloway introduced Lala, who then brought out Carmelo Anthony for a session of question and answer that included tons of giggles and shy inquiries into his favorite subject.
Ludacris -- fresh off an exclusive performance at CSU the day before (see photos below) came out shortly after and rocked two songs combined with his message to "stay smart, stay in school, and make money." The students swarmed the front of the stage and hung on to his every word.
The gym at GW was filled to capacity, not just with teenagers screaming "how low can you go?" as a reward for beating the odds and making something out of nothing, there was also a notable undercurrent of hope and optimism.
Click through for more photos from GW and from Luda's CSU performance
Click through for highlights from Luda's CSU performance
