Student Activities

From our "no cut" policy to our extracurricular schedule, we foster an environment where students can explore, collaborate, and try new things – be that in 6th, 9th, or 12th grade. Whether you are brand-new to cross country or well-versed in technical theater, Burke will be your space to grow.

We design our schedule to: 1) enable students to try a wide variety of extracurriculars and discover what they most enjoy and 2) build time for arts, clubs, and affinity spaces into the school day, both to affirm their significant value and to lessen the constraints on after school hours.

- Dance Team | Fall 2025
  
  photo credit: EC R. '29

Student Organizations

List of 4 items.

Affinity Spaces

Asian Student Association
Black Girls Meet
Black Student Union
Boys Leading Boys
Faith in Focus
Feminist Cooperative
Fusion (multiracial students)
Latine/Hispanic Student Union
Jewish Affinity Group
Queer Student Association
Self Advocacy for Neurodivergent & Disabled Youth
White Allies for Values of Equity
Young Black Men

"Affinity groups help create a “brave space” in which people can explore issues of shared identities and experiences; they can affirm their emotional and intellectual responses to being part of a distinct subset of the larger school community." - Ashley Greene, The Churchill School and Center in New York City
Additional Programs

It's Academic! Team
10th-12th Grade Leadership Program
Student Government Association
Publications

The Cageliner (newspaper) - meets during lunch once per "cycle" and monthly after school; enables participation in other clubs
Yearbook - meets during Friday clubs period
Student-Led Clubs

These clubs meet on Fridays during the morning community period.

Updated: January 2026

Animation Club
Art Club
Baking Club
Basketball Club
Chess Club
Dance Team
Drama Club
Dungeons & Dragons HS
George Orwell Consortium
Magic the Gathering
Make a Wish Club
Math Team
Sandwich Club
Service Club
Skateboarding Club
Stock Market Club
Stop Motion Club
Strategy Games Club
Sustainability Club

Meet Our Students

Extracurricular Overview

Sports teams, theatre	practice and rehearse after school with occasional weekend commitments
Bands, choruses	are classes and meet during the school day with some evening and off-campus performances
Affinity Groups	meet during the morning community period on a rotating basis
Clubs, Yearbook	meet during the Friday clubs period
It's Academic, Leadership Program, Newspaper, Student Government	meet on their own schedule, which may include after school and lunch

Televised Triumph
11/21/2025
The Bengals impressed in their debut appearance on It's Academic!, the long-running quiz show, now airing on WETA in the DC region
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The Might of Music
11/15/2025
In late October, our Thursday assembly featured Sounds of Saving, a New York-based music and mental health nonprofit co-founded by Charlie Gross '88. Highlights included live music by Bartees Strange and Nicknames (Max Streitwieser '20, NYU '24) and a panel discussion with the artists, facilitated Lelo M. '28 and Liam B. '28. Both Bartees and Max visited music classes and hosted a discussion in the Library at lunch.
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Holiday Helpings
11/5/2025
Cheers to the Burke Service Club, helmed by Charlie W. '26, Jack J. '26, Maya D. '26, and Taylor S. '26 and advised by Kamilah, on their first project of 2025-26.
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Bound for Bonding
9/22/2025
Each fall, students in 6th-11th grade disperse across the DC region (or well beyond, in the case of our juniors), enabling them to build cohesion within their grade and form some new connections.
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Burke on the Road: VA & GA
5/24/2025
Hampton, VA
More than twenty Burke students from 9th-11th grade traveled to Hampton University's 45th Annual High School Day in April, where they could tour campus, visit residence halls, browse academic and student activities fairs, and experience the HU Marching FORCE. Founded in 1868, Hampton is an historically black research university and home to Hampton University Museum, "the nation's oldest African-American museum." Shout-out to Dennis H. for leading and making possible this HBCU campus trip.
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Wicked for the Win (a Founders' Day Fairy Tale)
5/22/2025
With benevolent weather on our side, the Founders' Day student leaders ran a joyous and highly efficient Founders' Day on May 1, with a villainous theme. Named for Captain Hook, Cruella, and Gaston (among others), the inter-grade teams competed in a range of relays at Howard Field in the morning, including bobbing for non-poisoned apples and scaling a giant inflatable castle. They then moved indoors for collaborative games and competitions before the grand finale: the Lip Sync Battle in the Atrium, wherein teams danced to famous villain songs mixed with contemporary hits.
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Culture Day Returns
5/15/2025
On May 8, we celebrated our 2nd Annual Culture Day with vibrance, creativity, music, dance, and (of course) fantastic food.
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Alumni Spotlight: Nik Alexander '16
5/1/2025
At our April 17 assembly, we welcomed back Nik Alexander '16, now a graduate student at the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, focusing on "deconfliction and management of systems on other celestial bodies," and a 2024-25 Axiom Space fellowship winner. Nik is also Managing Editor of Space Scout, a volunteer-run news organization focused on the space industry.
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Shabbat Shalom!
4/16/2025
On Friday, April 11, the Jewish Affinity Group (JAG) hosted their first "Shabbat-Luck" (Shabbat + Potluck) for more than 50 students, faculty, staff, and Burke families in the Atrium.
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Music, Math & Mavens
4/2/2025
Never let it be said that Burke celebrates Pi Day in anything short of fine fashion. In this case, we combined three celebrations into one extensive assembly on March 14 (aka: 3.14).
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Celebrate and Commemorate
3/12/2025
Led by Lailah B. '25 and Troy T. '25, the Black Student Union hosted an ambitious and memorable assembly for Black History Month, centered on historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Black Greek-letter organizations.
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Founders' Day Underway
3/2/2025
Managed by 10th-12th grade Leadership Program students, Founders' Day takes place each April, featuring lip sync battles, relay races, and whimsical competitions. Most crucially, each team includes students from every grade plus faculty and staff members – enabling bonds to form across the school.
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Pep In Our Step
2/20/2025
An impressive array of talent was on display at the pre-Blackout Pep Rally, which opened with varsity basketball player and stand-out instrumentalist Hilliard N. '26, performing the national anthem on violin. Next, the Dance Team (captained by Camilla T. '25 and Nora S. '25) elevated the energy with "Toxic" by Britney Spears, followed by performances from Band 8 and Intermediate Band 9/10.
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Rising Leaders
2/12/2025
Friday, February 7 marked the annual 9th Grade Leadership Retreat, managed by select juniors and seniors in the Leadership Program.
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Community and Artistry
1/30/2025
Community engagement and artistic exploration are both core to the Burke experience – and not infrequently, the two beautifully intersect.
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Forming Bonds
10/4/2024
From September 19-20, our 6th-11th graders traveled around and beyond the DC region, enjoying quality time with classmates and advisors. Our middle schoolers, who all have overnight trips coming up this winter and spring, spent a day lakeside in Edgewater, MD, followed by an active day at The St. James for 6th-7th grade and a serious hike on the Billy Goat Trail for the 8th grade.
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Student Spotlights
9/25/2024
Highlighting students' creative and athletic pursuits outside the classroom.
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Let's Go Clubbing
9/18/2024
At the Club Expo, that is. On Friday, September 13, student leaders set up tables and displays from the Commons to the Library, encouraging fellow students to sign up for their organization – and often enticing them with treats (or "elements" in the Science Club's case).
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All Together Now
9/7/2024
On the second day of school, we gathered in the Bengal Den for Opening Assembly, led by this year's Student Government Association Co-Presidents Taylor S. '26 and Jack J. '26.

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Sustainability in Philly
5/22/2024
The 7th grade has returned from their annual overnight in Philadelphia, centered around sustainability and conservation. Following an early departure, they spent the morning at the Philadelphia Zoo, explored Bartram’s Garden and searched for microplastics in the Schuylkill River, and visited the Magic Gardens before spending the night at Temple University.
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