Lucía Driessen, a 19-year-old who grew up in Forest Hills, voted for the first time in the 2020 election. And then she traveled to Georgia with her father Karl to canvass for the Democrats running in the Senate runoff. They took two road trips down to Athens, Georgia in December ahead of the January special […]
Wilson teachers foster discussions to process Capitol insurgency
What was it like in DC-area virtual classrooms the day after the U.S. Capitol riot? The newspaper covering the happenings at Wilson High offers a window on the experiences of students, staff and faculty at the District’s largest school. Recent articles by The Beacon staff cover the return to in-person instruction, the waiving of community […]
School update: As teachers get second vaccine round, concerns about classroom safety remain; State Board of Ed rep calls on DCPS to fund outdoor classrooms
by Mark Moran Approximately 3,100 educators – teachers and staff – were given the first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine by the end of the first week of February, according to District of Columbia Public Schools officials who spoke to educators and parents at a February 8th virtual meeting of the Ward 3-Wilson Feeder Education […]
Virtual auctions, a Read-A-Thon and dining nights: How Hearst, Murch and Deal schools are raising money for their communities
As in-person gatherings shut down a year ago in an effort to slow the pandemic’s spread, the organizers of many a school auction and gala scrambled to move the spring events online. The in-person festivities remain on hold this year. Murch Elementary and Deal Middle Schools are holding virtual auctions. And the PTA at Hearst […]
Girls on the Run has kept girls running for fun and for their health throughout the pandemic
When we met our neighbor Amanda Marr in 2017, she told us about Girls on the Run-Washington DC, a nonprofit and afterschool program for girls in grades 3 through 5. Marr is still a board member and volunteer, and is still promoting girls running for physical and emotional health. She wrote to tell us that […]
School update: Mayor Bowser touts DCPS Feb. 1 reopening plan, teachers get vaccinated, and their union takes safety concerns to a mediator
by Mark Moran “We have the best [school] reopening plan in the country, that’s not an exaggeration,” declared DC Mayor Muriel Bowser during a January 11th virtual meeting hosted by the Ward 3 Democrats and teachers and parents from the Ward 3-Wilson Feeder Education Network. Bowser answered questions from attendees about a range of issues, […]
A local teen updates us on her November coat drive, and for January, requests soap and toilet paper donations
by Shivani Nelson I am 16 years old, and I live in Forest Hills. Prior to the COVID pandemic, I volunteered in the free preschool program at Martha’s Table and was looking forward to returning there last summer. With those plans derailed, I have been looking for other ways to help families hit hardest by […]
DCPS offering seats for a Feb. 1 return to in-person learning
This week, DC Public Schools will begin contacting parents and guardians with offers of in-person classroom seats for the next term, which begins February 1st. “[E]very school will offer a range of in-person learning options and services for students,” said DC Public Schools in a January 10th update. A mid-December agreement between DCPS and its […]
You have until Dec. 11th to weigh in on 7 names under consideration for Wilson High
A years-long push to rename Woodrow Wilson High School could be over by the end of this year, according to a report in The Wilson Beacon. The November 14th article is a thorough rundown of the renaming process, and the timing and people involved. The renaming is now at a public feedback stage. From 2,000 […]
School update: No Nov. 9 return to school but DCPS continues to plan for “CARE Classrooms”
by Mark Moran This was to have been the first day of in-school instruction for thousands of DC children. Instead, DC Public Schools (DCPS) has withdrawn plans for the November 9 partial reopening after outcry from parents, teachers, and school administrators. In a November 2 email to the DCPS community, Chancellor Lewis Ferebee wrote that […]