News Archive

At lunch in the library on March 12, 10th graders from Nate D.'s Modern World Literature class mounted a poetry showcase. Inspired by Unaccompanied (2024) by Javier Zamora, winner of the Whiting Award, students wrote poetry that either complicated the understanding of their identity or aimed to inspire change in the school community.

Cheers to the incredibly creative student performers who rocked the Atrium last week at Burke's Got Talent – ranging from 6th and 12th graders!

Spring sports are up and running! Today, we're checking in with Varsity track and field, which began the season at the Saints Early Bird meet, hosted by St. Stephen's and St. Agnes on March 11. 

Good Vibrations
Just one benefit of our close-knit campus? Cool planned (and impromptu) collaborations across disciplines! Last week, Physics with Kelly F. and Advanced Band with John met up in the Band Room for some sound wave exploration. Of course, Band started by serenading their guests, and then each class created waves visually and aurally – first with a large slinky on the floor, then with guitar and bass strings. (Pro tip: use the slow-mo camera function to capture this!) Using a mega tuning fork, they also listened to the modulation effect created by a small frequency gap.

In the last Beat, we reported on Burke's standout showing at the PVAC Championships – but there's more to come. That same week, Burke (represented by Elena M. '26, Jack J. '26, Miriam T. '26, Jasper S. '27, Odin G. '27, and Will K. '26) also placed 10th in the DC State Championships against schools many times our size. Odin took 10th individually in the 100 Y Back, and Jack recorded top 15 finishes in the 50 Y and 100 Y Free.

While not venturing as far as the 8th grade last month, other grades continue to hold their own on the travel front:

• French 3 with Mamadou headed to the National Gallery to present their expertise on 19th century Impressionist masterworks alongside the real pieces
• US History with Curtis headed the National Museum of American History to learn about lowriders and their connection to Mexican-American history and culture (pictured with "Gypsy Rose," a 1964 Chevy Impala handpainted by Jesse Valadez)
• Advanced Art History with Maureen visited Visions, selections from the permanent collection, and We are Here, an exhibit of contemporary LGBTQ artists exploring pride and belonging on the continent, at the Museum of African Art

Our Class of 2030 has returned from the annual 8th grade capstone trip to Alabama, where they experience historical and cultural sites in Birmingham, Selma and Lowndes County, and Montgomery, deepening their knowledge of the civil rights movement in the American South and building connections to the present day.

Boys varsity basketball has hit their stride at the right time. On Thursday, February 12, they won the post-season play-in game against Model and moved to the Division AA Semifinals on Tuesday. There, the Bengals dominated against Washington Christian, pulling ahead by double digits before the final quarter and moving to the championship finals.

This past February, the Constitutional Law class traveled downtown to the Innovation Center at the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Sharielle reports, "We celebrated our 3rd annual Culture Day with a great success! It was a day filled with cultural appreciation, wonderful presentations at our assembly, amazing food from around the world, and joy! We even started a new tradition of helping a cause in a different region of the world. Our school community raised money to help support students and rebuild schools in Jamaica devastated by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025."

Congratulations to Finley T. '23, on publishing for the first time, with a team from the Department of Neuroscience at Agnes Scott College in Georgia.

A small snippet of field trips and travel from January 2026.

Close Up on Leadership
"From January 27-30, Zora P. '27, Noa F. '27, Payton A. '27, Leyu F. '28, and Curtis (HS History) attended the NAIS Close Up Student Civic Leadership Summit in Arlington. At the conference, the Burke cohort networked with other students from around the United States and built knowledge, developed strategies, and honed leadership skills to make a positive impact in their community. At the end of the conference, the cohort presented a proposal to implement an improved peer-to-peer tutoring program at Burke. We are excited to see the action plan come to fruition!" – Kamilah (Director of Civic Engagement)

On January 22, we sampled techniques for mental wellness and reset. During the community period, students could try different activities, based on their preferences – peaceful or high-energy, athletic or artistic, and more.

Leading up to the back-to-back varsity games, we reveled in Burke's musical talents, thanks to performances from Band 9/10 and Intermediate Band at the Pep Rally.

First, a plot twist: UDC was closed on Friday, January 30, due to the snow side-effects! Burke's intrepid Athletic Department pivoted quickly and moved the games to the Gym. Given the much smaller seating area, we opened the Dance Studio for overflowing seating and the planned live-stream (effort led by Isaac S. '27) was projected into the Atrium.

Stacks of Possibility
In AP US History, research at a collegiate library is a requirement for the social justice paper in the winter trimester. This past Saturday, Maureen reports that 11th graders met up at the Georgetown University Library, assembling a wealth of scholarly and primary sources and enjoying the study spaces.

Framing the City
Digital Photography 9/10 and 11/12 are finding plenty to fill the frame – from the National Zoo to the Botanic Gardens to our neighborhood streets in Van Ness. Be sure to pause on the Hobbes stairs as the walls fill with new photography in the coming months.

Following last spring's gradewide Soapbox Speech competition, Burke's winners from the Class of 2027, Oscar A. '27 and Sasha F. '27, headed to the DC Citywide Project Soapbox on January 9. 

Our Advanced Band recently returned from a whirlwind musical adventure in New Orleans, LA. Burke musicians and faculty took part in the JENerations Jazz Festival and annual Jazz Education Network (JEN) conference, which spans "research, technology, jazz industry and music business, improvisation, composition," and more. Students explored the cultural and food scenes, performed and played onstage, and absorbed the city's vibrant jazz history.

Flat-Pack Sustainability
Before the break, Amy C.'s Life Science class headed to IKEA in College Park, where they are exploring small space design (and enjoying the meatballs) in preparation for the annual Tiny House Project. For this interdisciplinary opportunity in science and HVE (Health, Values & Ethics), 7th graders craft a small dwelling to scale, focusing on eco-friendly and sustainable features.

Did you know that Burke has a permanent art collection, including textiles, paintings, and sculptures? Our 2nd floor terrace is home to "Four Lines Diagonal Jointed" (1988) by George Rickey (1907-2002) donated to the school by Susan P. Willens. Often large-scale sculptures that move with the wind, Rickey's works can also be found at the National Gallery and the Hirshhorn Museum here in DC.