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At Burke, you'll learn through challenging college prep academics – our progressive pedagogy values your individuality and places you at the center of your education.
Incorporating technology into our curriculum is essential to keep students engaged and to teach them how to navigate a world full of screens. We are committed to applying the latest research into how students learn and what helps them to succeed.
In our iPad program, each student has a tablet to use during the school day (and to bring home in High School) and teachers meet regularly to discuss creative ways to incorporate tablets into the learning environment.
Every year, Burke students experience a year-long, integrated civics, equity, and leadership curriculum, grounded in social justice pedagogy. We draw inspiration from our founders' vision: a learning environment in which students become active and socially responsible citizen-leaders, committed to advancing social justice in their communities. Learn more.
In the High School, the Independent Study option enables students to pursue interests and explore personal passions, with support from a faculty member. In recent years, students have delved into Chinese and Japanese language, American Sign Language, Advanced Drawing & Painting and 2-D art, computer science and web applications, and music theory.
Our Learning Support Department assists students in meeting the demands of Burke's challenging academic program. Full-time learning specialists provide support with organization, note and test-taking strategy, and self-advocacy. Learn more.
The Senior Project gives students an opportunity to pursue interests and passions beyond the classroom and allows them to contribute to communities and workplaces outside of Burke. Students work with their families, faculty and staff, and advisor to find and develop a meaningful internship or project that takes place during mid to late May of their senior spring.
High School students who are capable of independent work in a subject can also serve as Teaching Assistants at Burke: assisting the teacher, working with students during in-class exercises, or teaching short lessons. Other responsibilities might include peer tutoring or helping to organize field trips.
Field Trips in 2022-23
American Visionary Art Museum - Baltimore
9th & 10th Grade - Mixed Media
Anacostia Community Museum
7th Grade
Artechouse DC
6th Grade
Arthur Sherwood Environmental Education Center - Annapolis
6th Grade - Science
Belle Haven Marina - Alexandria
7th Grade - Life Science
Billy Goat Trail
8th Grade - Bonding Trip
Birmingham, Montgomery & Selma, AL
8th Grade - four-day trip for Topics in US History
Breton Woods
6th-9th Grade - Bonding Trips
Broadcasters' Child Development Center (BCDC)
12th Grade - Children's Literature elective
Capital Area Food Bank
9th Grade - Civic Engagement
Capital One Arena
7th-12th Grade - Vocal Music Classes
Contemporary Art Museum - Arlington
11th-12th Grade - Adv. Art History
Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center
6th Grade - Core
Dumbarton Oaks Museum
High School - Spanish 4
Hershey Park Choral Festival
7th & 8th Grade - Chorus
Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism
11th Grade - US History
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
MS - Drama; HS - Musical cast & crew
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
11th & 12th grade - Oral History in the DMV
National Gallery of Art
12th Grade - Adv. Art History
National Geographic Museum
9th Grade - Ancient History
National Museum of African American History & Culture
11th & 12th Grade - Women in US History
National Museum of African Art
10th Grade - Modern World History; 9th Grade - Ancient World
National Museum of American History
11th Grade - US History, AP US History
National Museum of Asian Art
11th-12th Grade - Adv. Art History; 10th Grade - Modern World History; 9th Grade - The Ancient World
National Museum of Natural History
10th grade - Advanced Earth Systems Science, 9th grade - Earth Systems Science
National Museum of the American Indian
12th Grade - Art History
New York City
11th Grade - Bonding Trip
Philadelphia
7th Grade - Philadelphia Zoo, Magic Gardens, Penn Landing / Spruce Street Park, Franklin Institute, Mütter Museum
Phillips Collection
11th-12th Grade - Art History
Rock Creek Park
6th & 9th Grade - Earth Science
Sant Ocean Hall
9th Grade - Earth Systems Science
Sportrock Climbing Center
7th Grade - field trip
Student Diversity Leadership Conference
10th-12th Grade - student leaders
Supreme Court of the United States
11th & 12th Grade - Constitutional Law
Un Je Ne Sais Quoi
7th-8th Grade - French
University of the District of Columbia
9th & 10th Grade - All-Day Leadership Retreats
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Field Trips in 2023-24 - in progress
Billy Goat Trail
8th Grade - full-grade hike
Bretton Woods
6th-8th grade community trip
Camp Letts
9th Grade - full-grade overnight
Capital Jewish Museum
11th Grade - US History
Dumbarton Oaks
12th Grade - Advanced Art History
Harpers Ferry
10th Grade - full-grade overnight
Hillwood Estate & Museum
6th Grade Core
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
12th Grade - Advanced Art History
Japanese American Memorial
11th Grade - US History
Mexican Cultural Institute of Washington DC
7th Grade - Spanish
National Gallery of Art
12th Grade - Advanced Art History
National Museum of African American History & Culture
10th Grade - Modern World History; 11th Grade - US History
National Museum of African Art
12th Grade - Advanced Art History
National Museum of Asian Art
10th Grade - Modern World History; 12th Grade - Advanced Art History
National Museum of Natural History
6th Grade - Core, Earth Science
National Museum of the American Indian
11th Grade - US History 6th Grade - Core, Earth Science
National Portrait Gallery
11th Grade - US History
New York City
11th Grade - full-grade overnight
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
Touring production of Romeo & Juliet at Burke's theatre
Phillips Collection
12th Grade - Advanced Art History
Planet Word
6th Grade - Core
Rock Creek Park
9th-10th Grade: Earth Systems Science & Adv. ESS
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
10th Grade - Modern World History
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Class & Club Spotlights
A Question of Taste Over the summer, Advanced Art History read Why a Painting Is Like a Pizza: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Modern Art by Nancy G. Heller, Professor of Art History at The University of the Arts (PA). Heller asserts, "though both can be judged by a set of established standards, pizzas and paintings must ultimately be evaluated in terms of individual taste." Drawing on the book's themes, students completed a contemporary art scavenger hunt at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden last week.
We are thrilled to announce that Williams College has awarded the George Olmsted Jr. Class of 1924 Prize for Excellence in Secondary School Teaching to our own Bob K.
Traditionally, Burke seniors wrap up classes three weeks prior to Graduation, dedicating two weeks to a full-time, independent (or collaborative!) senior project, before returning to school to present their work to the full community. On June 1, students and faculty from all grades gathered around campus to watch small groups of seniors present and take questions about their projects.
On Tuesday, May 30, the graduating class and members of the faculty gathered in the theatre to recognize students who achieved academic distinction in one or more departments. Awards are based on consistently high performance and advanced coursework in the subject.
(*) Department-selected student speaker for the ceremony
The week of May 22, Mustafa N.'s Ancient World class headed to the National Museum of Asian Art to view art from across the Islamic World, followed by the art of China from the Bronze Age to the modern period.
On Friday, April 21, each Middle School grade engaged in trips and excursions tied into a component of the curriculum – ranging from ecology to 3-D art to the Civil Right Movement.
Amy successfully applied to a US Fish and Wildlife Service program and received a Laysan Albatross bolus (indigestible material from the bird's gut) for the 7th grade to examine in Life Science class.
Each summer, the Professional Development Committee awards Combustion Engine Grants, which enable our faculty to enrich teaching and curricula in innovative ways.
On February 27, 2023, Mustafa N. (History) presented on his funded projects from Summer 2022.
In Addie H.'s Earth Systems Science, students are exploring the geosphere, including the rock cycle, geological timeline, and plate tectonics. As they wrapped up their unit, each student created an artifact to illustrate the elements of the geosphere.
Last school year, our students could once again travel and explore our region's resources – and those excursions have continued to proliferate in 2022-23:
Each summer, the Professional Development Committee awards Combustion Engine Grants, which enable our faculty to enrich teaching and curricula in innovative ways.
On January 9, 2023, Morgan G. (Science) and Matison H. D. '14 (English) presented on their funded projects from Summer 2022.
In the Winter trimester, 9th-11th graders in the Build Your Own Computer elective are discovering the ins-and-outs of computers from a physical perspective.
Earlier this month, 6th grade scientists began their geology unit with a rock-seeking excursion in the shallow waters of Rock Creek, west of Connecticut Avenue. After discussing the formation of the landscape, students found a comfy spot for a read-aloud of Byrd Baylor’s Everybody Needs a Rock.
Jenn C. reports that seventeen students (pictured) in Grades 9-12 competed in the national American Mathematics Competition (AMC). A 75-minute, 25-question exam, the AMC is designed to challenge students, strengthen creative problem-solving skills, and foster a love of mathematics. Congratulations to Burke's top AMC12 participant Dante L '24 and top AMC10 participant Hana Y. '25.
At the conclusion of the Fall Trimester, the Advanced Research in Molecular Biology, Social Psychology, and Advanced Psychology electives presented their work to family and peers – with biology students discussing their research posters in the Commons and psychology students offering a listening party for their newly-recorded podcasts.