The Beacon

History made: JR alum Maisie Derlega wins national Doodle for Google competition

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor • June 28, 2024

With thousands of applicants from around the nation, only one for Google’s prestigious Doodle for Google comes out on top. The winner for this year's competition was none other than recently graduated...

Wilson Aquatic Center repairs remain at a stalemate

Cole Zich, Written Content Editor • June 11, 2024

The Wilson Aquatic Center has been closed indefinitely since August 2023, due to necessary repairs to the HVAC and cooling systems. However, a lack of communication with staff and students from the Department...

Mental health fair raises awareness

Edith Corrigan Conaty, Managing Editor • June 11, 2024

On May 29, the Jackson-Reed School Wellness team hosted a fair in the atrium at lunch in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. There were information tables, posters, activities, and resources available...

Honors precalculus eliminated from DCPS curriculum

Edith Corrigan Conaty, Managing Editor • June 11, 2024

This spring, DCPS announced their decision to eliminate the honors precalculus course. This has left individual high schools with the decision to offer either on-level or AP Precalculus (APPC) — a new...

ASU shows Palestine film after court settlement

Isadora Groves, Devan Mehta, and Gil Leifman • June 11, 2024

After months of controversy, the Arab Student Union and the Jackson-Reed administration reached an agreement in federal court last month allowing the student group to screen a documentary about Palestine...

Changes in school budget force 30 staff cuts

Rohini Kieffer, Dani Wallace, and Edith Corrigan Conaty • June 11, 2024

Despite a budget increase, Jackson-Reed is cutting more than 30 staff positions next school year. Reductions include eight full-time teachers, social-emotional and classroom support, administrative officers,...

Students strike for Gaza

Josephine Caplan and Eva Solomon • June 11, 2024

On Friday, May 24, the DMV School Strike For Gaza held a student-led march during the school day that started at McPherson Square and ended at the White House. Students protested for two main demands at...

Pro-Palestine protests upend culture night

Isadora Groves, Norah Caplan, and Isabelle-Posner Brown • June 7, 2024

Jackson-Reed’s culture night ended in turmoil after a small group of pro-Palestine protesters disrupted the annual event, which was meant to highlight student cultural diversity. The protesters—including...

Maisie Derlega’s artwork wins regional Doodle for Google competition

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor • May 22, 2024

On Monday, May 20, senior Maisie Derlega and her respective artwork entered in the national Doodle for Google competition were celebrated for winning Washington DC’s regional contest in the matrium....

Several schools reinstate the SAT/ACT requirement

Clara Doyle, Web Technical Editor • May 3, 2024

This February, Dartmouth announced it would begin requiring SAT or ACT scores for the school year (SY) 24-25 admissions cycle. Dartmouth was the first of several colleges to announce that they would reinstate...

Students reflect on COVID’s impacts four years later

Nicole Dickinson, Written Content Editor • May 3, 2024

This March marks four years since the beginning of COVID and the transition of many schools to online learning. The graduating class of 2024 is the last class to have endured the pandemic during high...

Two AP exams to be digital at Jackson-Reed

Maya Roskes, Spread Editor • May 3, 2024

This May at Jackson-Reed, two Advanced Placement (AP) exams will be held online: AP Computer Science Principles, which was held digitally last year as well, and for the first time, AP African American...