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Humanities Spotlight - June 2025
Inspecting the InsectsRead More"When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin," reads the opening line of Franz Kafka's 1915 seminal novella The Metamorphosis. The protagonist's exact form remains ambiguous, especially when translated from the original German, so 10th graders Nathan's Modern World Literature class headed to the O. Orkin Insect Zoo at the Museum of Natural History to explore the possibilities. -
Science Spotlight - June 2025
First Responder Field TripRead More7th graders in Life Science recently combined their study of anatomy and physiology with an exploration of First Aid and CPR. To practice those skills in a real world context, they headed up the street to DCFD Station 31 and met with the firefighters. As a bonus, they came back with some stylish helmets! -
Bengal Baseball Recognized
Earlier in May, two Burke athletes received All-Conference awards in Baseball:Read More
Cassius F. '26 was named 2nd Team All-Conference and Max G. 25 was not only named 1st Team, but took home the prestigious Player of the Year honor! Congratulations to Max on concluding seven years of Burke athletics with this well-deserved recognition. -
Vivid & Varied Vocals
Our vocal music courses wrapped up the trimester (or the year!) at the spring showcase on May 22. Divided into two acts, the packed evening began with Diving In 6 (the 6th grade's performing arts survey course) and the 7th & 8th Chorus; the second act featured the spring HS Chorus and Singing in the Spotlight, performing ensemble and solo work. Musicians from Advanced Band provided live accompaniment.Read More -
Life is the Bubbles!
Congratulations to the cast and crew of the middle school's The Little Mermaid Jr. on a heart-warming, uplifting performance weekend. With 27 actors and 10 crew members, plus production support from the high school, our final show of the year was a community-wide (under the sea) experience. Special shout-out to the 8th graders taking their final bows as middle schoolers and we look forward to your future performances.Read More -
Seniors on the Road
For the last two weeks, seniors have been scattered around the region (and even around the country) for their Senior Projects, focused on an interest or cause outside the classroom. Each senior project must include clear learning objectives, 5-7 hours of work each day, and guidance or coaching from an expert in the field. 50 different sites have hosted our seniors, including Arlington Food Assistance Center (VA), Brookland Middle School (DC), Children's National Hospital (DC), German Historical Institute (DC), and Traveling Players Ensemble (VA), among others. Today, seniors returned to campus to present their work and learnings to the full community.Read More -
Environmental Immersion
Read MoreIn 11th grade, the civic engagement framework is environmental justice, culminating in a couple significant projects.Poster CompetitionIn collaboration with our partners at the Ocean Conservancy, small groups of 11th graders participated in a poster competition to highlight the negative impact of microplastic pollution on people, animals, and the environment and ways to address pollution in marginalized communities. The top three groups will have their posters displayed at Ocean Conservancy and in their online gallery: 1st - Water Pollution in the Chesapeake Watershed, 2nd - Watch Out for Our Bay, 3rd - Plastics in Our Waters. -
Academic Distinction - Class of 2025
On Wednesday, May 28, the 61 members of the Class of 2025 gathered in the Theater to recognize students who have achieved Academic Distinction in one or more departments. Awards are based on consistently high performance and advanced coursework in the subject.Read More
(*) department-selected student speaker for the ceremony -
Announcing: 2025-26 Theater Season
Read MoreFall Repertory: Flashpoints for Activism | Grades 9-12November 7-8 and 14-15Dear Harvey
By Patricia LoughreyMusic by Thomas Hodges -
Bengal Beat: Race to the Finish
HS Track & FieldRead More
Skies were finally clear on Monday, May 12, and the Bengals closed out their seasons in fine fashion at the PVAC Championships at Gallaudet University. Men's Varsity earned a 2nd place finish as a team (just 8 points out of 1st), and Women's Varsity took 5th overall. -
Jewish Stories & Heritage
On May 7, the Jewish Affinity Group (led by Elena M. '26, Zoe N. '25, and Aaron H. '25) mounted a celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month.Read More -
Class Spotlight - May 2025
Read MoreAu Sujet de la Belle Époque
Maureen's Advanced Art History class welcomed Juliet Bellow P'25, professor of Art History at American University, who discussed her book Rodin's Dancers: Art & Performance in Belle Époque Paris (Yale University Press, 2025). Interested in the intersection of sculpture and dance? Professor Bellow will be in conversation with Mary Morton from the National Gallery at Politics & Prose on June 12. -
Wicked for the Win (a Founders' Day Fairy Tale)
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.Read More -
On Their Soapboxes
For the 10th grade civic engagement framework (Action Civics in the DMV), each student identified a social issue that spoke to them and volunteered at an organization addressing that issue – ranging from clean rivers to affordable housing. This spring, each student researched their issue in depth and wrote a "soapbox speech," based on Mikva Challenge's Project Soapbox public speaking program.Read More -
Culture Day Returns
On May 8, we celebrated our 2nd Annual Culture Day with vibrance, creativity, music, dance, and (of course) fantastic food.Read More -
Burke on the Road: VA & GA
Hampton, VARead More
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. -
Bengal Beat: Golf Glory
Five athletes represented the Golf Team at the PVAC Championships on May 1 and recorded the Bengals' best finish in recent memory, tying for 2nd in the conference.Read More -
Alumni Spotlight: Nik Alexander '16
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.Read More -
On Stage Around Town
Our Intermediate 9/10 and Advanced 11/12 Bands will perform at Pearl Street Warehouse at The Wharf DC on Monday May 5 at 6 PM. This debut continues more than 20 years of Burke bands performing in the community at local clubs, which have included Blues Alley and The Carlyle Room.Read More -
Bengal Beat: Mid and Late April News
Read MoreSoftballEarly last week, softball was 1-1-1 in the PVAC, including a narrow loss (17-18) to McLean School and a decisive win over Spencerville (17-8). Coach Amy reported, "despite injuries, this team is learning a lot and playing hard. These players have base running down to a science! Amy T. '28, Brooklyn M. '26, Charlie L. '25, Emily R. U. '25, Feli M. F. '30, Lailah B. '25, Matilda P. '26, Miriam K. G. '25, and Yanet G. '28. have all stolen bases this season. Alara R. '28, Aspen C. '27, Brooklyn, Charlie, Emily, Lailah, Matilda, and Miriam have all had solid contact with the ball and driven in runs. Aspen is working hard behind the plate, with more than 10 strikeouts this season."
Co-ed, progressive, college prep school in Washington, DC featuring a challenging curriculum in an inclusive environment for grades 6-12.
4101 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20008 | Phone: 202-362-8882 | Fax: 202-362-1914