The Student Newspaper of Jackson-Reed High School

The Beacon

The Student Newspaper of Jackson-Reed High School

The Beacon

The Student Newspaper of Jackson-Reed High School

The Beacon

Kavita OMalley

Kavita O'Malley, Social Media Manager

Kavita is the older and wiser opinions editor here at Jackson-Reed. She loves chocolate (it is her most important personality trait), and every once in a while she writes a really snappy article.

  • 2021-22: Social Media Editor
  • 2022-23: Opinions Editor

 

 

All content by Kavita O'Malley

Navigating college toxicity

Albert Malhotra and Kavita O’Malley July 19, 2023

Today, we come to you as two seniors who have freshly emerged from the college admissions process and all we can say is, what on earth was that? The past two years of our lives have been dominated by...

A four year review of JR

Kavita O’Malley and Rebecca Khoury June 21, 2023

Hello, dear readers. Today we come to you, not as the esteemed Beacon editors that we once were, but as fellow students on the cusp of graduation. By the time this article is published, our time at Jackson-Reed...

JR swim team gears up for this year

Kavita O'Malley and Addison Childre May 22, 2023

The tiger sharks made a splash in their 2022-2023 swim season.  Although the team faced obstacles early on, with practices being relocated to Takoma Aquatic Center throughout December, they had an...

The dilemma of tech in school: problems with post-pandemic instruction

The dilemma of tech in school: problems with post-pandemic instruction

Kavita O’Malley, Opinions Editor November 12, 2022

Technology is melting my brain and it feels like there is nothing I can do about it.  Prior to quarantine, organizations like the Boone Center had done research on the negative effects of technology...

Schedule change system lacks cohesion

Kavita O'Malley, Social Media Manager October 16, 2022

  Schedule changes aren’t new or special. But once again, it seems they weren’t anticipated.  Before I begin, I will admit that working as a high school counselor at a large public school...

September Spread

September Spread

Click here to read! Graphics by Ollie Braden, Mariel-Ayen Caldona, and Maisie Derlega

It’s time to be angry: our apathy with gun violence must end

Kavita O'Malley, Social Media Manager June 27, 2022

   America is a country full of contradictions and those contradictions are costing lives. If I had to use one word to describe America it would be hypocrisy. Every day, Americans open their phones...

Community service hours are a vital high school learning experience

Rebecca Khoury and Kavita O'Malley June 25, 2022

  This year, the administration once again waived the 100 hour community service requirement for Jackson-Reed’s senior class. Although we all know the complications of living in quarantine and...

Class rank reduces student to a number

Kavita O'Malley, Social Media Manager May 26, 2022

Every student at Jackson-Reed, and many other high schools nationwide, has a number corresponding to their “rank” within their grade. This number is based on each student’s weighted GPA in every...

Jackson-Reed will return to eight-block schedule next year

Jackson-Reed will return to eight-block schedule next year

Kavita O’Malley March 30, 2022

Earlier this month, Interim Principal Gregory Bargeman announced the new school schedule for school year 2022-23. Jackson-Reed will return to the full year course schedule, with eight periods rotating...

El agotamiento mental que viene al vivir en una pandemia

Kavita O'Malley, Social Media Manager February 27, 2022

Hemos estado viviendo con la pandemia por casi dos años, pero aún la situación sigue cambiando. Justo antes de salir de la escuela para las vacaciones de invierno, entramos en un periodo de altos niveles...

LSAT survey finds 4x4 schedule unpopular

LSAT survey finds 4×4 schedule unpopular

Kavita O’Malley February 23, 2022

In a survey conducted in early December, 70 percent of the Wilson community voted against the 4x4 schedule. The Wilson High School Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) introduced a survey about the semester...

Black History Month

Black History Month

Nacala Williams and Kavita O’Malley February 17, 2022

To honor Black History Month, Wilson’s Black Student Union (BSU) and the SGA are working together to create a full schedule of activities to acknowledge the contributions of Black people in American...

The anniversary effect: my experience with COVID and mental health

Kavita O’Malley December 17, 2021

On a lovely afternoon in spring of 2021, I was struck by an overwhelming sense of panic. As I walked the short distance to the pool, I felt a cool breeze on my skin and smelled the lovely air accompanied...

Cómo la recesión se robó la Navidad

Kavita O'Malley, Social Media Manager December 17, 2021

  Las Navidades siempre han sido mi fiesta favorita de todo el año. Mi familia lo decora todo, desde los cuartos hasta la cocina, y también el exterior de la casa. Pero la gran decoración siempre...

DC marches against Texas’s abortion law

DC marches against Texas’s abortion law

Kavita O’Malley November 6, 2021

Along with thousands of other Americans, I attended the “Rally for Abortion Justice” in Washington, DC on October 2. The crowd, which initially gathered in Freedom Plaza, was buzzing with energy and...

Wilson should provide free menstrual products

Wilson should provide free menstrual products

Kavita O'Malley, Social Media Manager October 3, 2021

Having a period is totally normal. In fact, if you’re born with a uterus, it’s pretty much inevitable. Getting your period is uncomfortable and often unpredictable. Wilson needs to accommodate its...

New BLM mural honors victims of police brutality

New BLM mural honors victims of police brutality

Kavita O’Malley May 29, 2021

The Black History Month Committee is designing a mural to honor victims of police brutality through a partnership with art teacher Abram Walters. This project is a direct response to the recent widespread...

A glimpse into in-person school

A glimpse into in-person school

Kavita O’Malley March 6, 2021

I went back to school on February 4 for the first time in seven months and let me tell you...it was weird. Classes are very small, with only a max of 10 students and one teacher per classroom who are wearing...

Open-note tests better reflect reality

Open-note tests better reflect reality

Kavita O’Malley February 2, 2021

The way we are evaluated in school is very test dependent, but are these types of assessments truly representative of our knowledge? I don’t believe they are.   Quite honestly, I feel that open-note...

The audacity of men

The audacity of men

Kavita O’Malley December 1, 2020

The world is an awful, unjust, atrocious place where unless you are a white, straight, cis-gender, able-bodied, Christian man, you have likely felt unsafe in your skin and out of place in your body. It...

Election day: the fight against inadequacy in our democracy

Election day: the fight against inadequacy in our democracy

Kavita O’Malley November 1, 2020

"Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time." -RBG What is the meaning of democracy if the people elected to represent the voices of the general public are deaf to those they were elected...

Painting Canvas in a better light— why the virtual learning platform isn’t all that bad

Painting Canvas in a better light— why the virtual learning platform isn’t all that bad

Kavita O’Malley October 25, 2020

In an attempt to improve virtual learning, DCPS has now made it mandatory that all teachers use only two platforms to conduct their classes. I strongly agree with this choice as I think that Canvas is...

How we should go back to school safely

How we should go back to school safely

Kavita O’Malley October 21, 2020

So, online school. It sucks. The classes are long, the teachers are boring, and your airpods keep dying. But is going back to school really a safer alternative?  Making a plan to go back to school...

Zoom is the supreme video software

Zoom is the supreme video software

Kavita O’Malley September 18, 2020

This school year started off completely virtual, with teachers being asked to use Microsoft Teams and Canvas as the two main platforms for school work. However, I strongly prefer Zoom to Teams. The majority...

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