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Following an exchange of communications, she was officially notified that:

You are hereby informed that the Board of Education at the meeting of December 3, took the following action: Appoint on a probationary tenure as teacher of class 1A Drawing Department, Divisions 10-13, effective on and after December 8, 1924, subject to fiscal examination within 6 months; pass competitive examination number 2 on list of eligibles...41

On February 2, 1925, Thomas began a life of teaching in the District of Columbia Public Schools by accepting a position as art instructer at Shaw Junior High School. She maintained the family tradition of her maternal aunts, by becoming a teacher. Dedicating her energies and commitment to the young art aspirants under her tutelage for the next 35 years until she retired in January 31, 1960, Thomas was an active force in the artistic life of the city.

After a decade of teaching, Thomas organized The School Arts League at Shaw Justice High School in 1936. Convening on Saturday mornings, its aim was to foster a keener appreciation of art among African American children in Washington D.C., and enrich their cultural lives. Organized visits were made to he Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Freer Art Gallery, the Phillips Collection, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Library of Congress. 42

The following academic year (1937-38), the children's art class met at the Howard University of Art which, founded in 192 and officially opened to the public April 7, 1930. Alonzo J. Aden (1906-1961), curator, provided a series of lectures, slide demonstrations and pictures of world art and artists.