Showcasing the musical, artistic, and production talents of 60 students in 8th-12th grade, Mean Girls: The Musical opened on the final day of February and played to sold-out houses through March 9. Download the program here.
Morgan's Medical Microbiology elective delves into the immune system, structure of viruses, viral replication and transmission, and epidemiology. To close out the winter trimester, small groups studied a group of pathogenic bacteria with similar transmission patterns, with each group member specializing in a specific bacterium.
Do you have a sneaking suspicion that someone is watching? Has adulation of the 10th grade English teachers reached disconcerting levels? And why are sophomores suddenly referring to everyone as "comrade?"
As the spring approaches, the walls and display cases around campus grow fuller and more vibrant. Be sure to peruse work from Héctor's Drawing & Painting 9/10 elective, displayed along the 2nd and 3rd floor stairwell in Hobbes.
On February 22, our Black Student Union, Black Girls Meet, and Young Black Men affinity groups mounted a powerful celebration of Black History Month at assembly, encompassing poetry, film, trivia, and performance. The assembly concluded with a performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," bringing together singers from across all grades.
In celebration of Black History Month, the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, MD, showcased young artistic talents in Seeds to Roots. Featured at the event was "Whoa, I'm Glowing: a Celebration of Black Girl Joy and Ancestral Harmony" by Ella B. '30. Watch the animated short right here.
On February 12, the 8th grade embarked on their annual, four-day civil rights tour through Alabama, as part of their social justice framework. The trip begins in Birmingham, then moves among Montgomery, Selma, and Lowndes County.
Each winter, students from all grades gather to showcase their musical and artistic talents in the Atrium (while enjoying snacks and a chill atmosphere). As hosts of the event, Student Government Association bestows a unique awards on each act, plus names their top three picks.
On February 20, Burke welcomed renowned investigative journalist Bob Woodward for a conversation on media and journalism. With Carl Bernstein, Woodward conducted the initial reporting on the Watergate scandal, which ultimately led to President Nixon's resignation in 1974. He has worked for the Washington Post for more than 50 years, where he currently holds an associate editor title and has contributed to two Pulitzer Prizes.
The Bengals had a fabulous run this winter, going 10-1 in the regular season, securing the top seed in the conference, and making it all the way to the PVAC Championships, hosted in a packed Burke Gym on February 9. (Seriously, seats were at a premium!)
On February 8, high school swim teams from across the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference (PVAC) competed at the University of Maryland's Eppley Recreation Center. At the meet's conclusion, the Girls Swim Team was victorious, taking the conference championship over rival Field School (301-282). The Bengals just missed a sweep of both PVAC titles, with the Boys Team taking 2nd behind St. Anselm's (331-305).
On February 6, 11th and 12th graders in Ginger's Constitutional Law class observed oral arguments in a 6th amendment case before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Judge Catharine F. Easterly P'24 and her law clerks met with the class before proceedings to share their journeys to the DCCA and explain the nature of the case.
According to Judge Easterly, "the legal questions on appeal are constitutional (6th Amendment right to confrontation) and evidentiary (hearsay): they revolve around whether the complainant's call to 911 reporting the crime could be admitted into evidence at trial when she didn't appear as a witness." Students found the oral argument fascinating: is a 911 call by a now-deceased individual "admissible" as evidence? What is an "excited utterance?" Was this an "ongoing emergency?" A judgment in Austin v. U.S. is expected sometime in summer 2024.
Reacting in Science Club Bob K. reports that the Science Club recently did a version of the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction, an oscillating chemical reaction, where the indicator colors appear to flip from yellow to blue as the mixture moves toward equilibrium.
From January 23-25, 6th graders took their first civic engagement trip to New York City, part of their social justice framework on migration. Over three days in the city, they delved into the history behind their literature curriculum – including the 19th and 20th century European immigrant experience, the Great Migration from the Jim Crow South, and the legacies of September 11, 2001.
Epic cheers to the Bengals, who closed out the regular season with a stellar 10-1 record and headed into the postseason as the #1 seed in the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference. In the conference quarter-finals, they faced Washington Waldorf at home on February 6, winning 34-12 and moving on to the semifinals.
Max Streitwieser '20 recently visited Advanced Band to discuss his experiences in the NYU music business program, where he is now a senior. He also shared his own music, which he composes and performs under the artist name Nicknames. His music can be found on all streaming platforms.
Mixed Media 9/10 recently designed and printed their own reusable grocery bags, all using nature-inspired repeat patterns – now on display in the Atrium. This past fall, Digital Media 11/12 designed 3-D models of a living space and then used Google Earth to place their designs around the globe.
Earlier in January, Advanced Art History (with a guest / chaperone appearance by our Head of School) delved into the Renaissance collection at the National Gallery of Art, home to works by Giotto, Leonardo, Raphael, and Titian.
Each fall, 10th graders research and write a "Soapbox Speech," addressing the question, "What is one issue that I care about in my community?" This past December, students delivered their final speeches in advisory and to the full grade. Ten student speakers, chosen by their peers, represented Burke at Mikva Challenge DC's Project Soapbox: Ayla M. '26, Carson A. '26, Elena M. '26, Ethan F. '26, Johnny V. '26, Matilda P. '26, Maya D. '26, Sydney J. '26, Taylor S. '26, and Tony C. '26.
From November 29 to December 2, six students represented Burke at the annual NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. Participants learned about different strategies to catalyze change, while engaging in self-reflection and forming connections with students from all over the country.
On Wednesday, the 6th grade spent a day at the Natural History Museum, highlighted by Q?rius (pronounced "curious") at The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, where students can experience the museum from behind the scenes.
Kelly W. reports that this Q?rius program, Dig Deep, used geologic maps and (pretend) core drill samples to predict the location of iron ore underground. The 6th grade then paid a visit to the Hall of Fossils - Deep Time, aka: where the dinosaurs dwell.
Civil engineer Bassirou Gaye (brother to Fatou, World Language Department Chair) visited DC for a professional conference this past December – and joined Fatou's classes!