Freshman seminar program aims to prepare ninth graders for high school
November 20, 2019
The ninth-grade counselor team is piloting a series of seminars this fall to guide students through their freshman year. The weekly meetings cover a number of topics to help facilitate a smooth transition to high school, but have yet to gain traction. Ninth-grade counselors Ramona Singletary-Robertson and Wanda Flo...
Small group of teachers continue to use Yondr bags
November 20, 2019
Last spring, Principal Kimberly Martin announced the end of the Yondr bag policy at Wilson. However, some teachers have decided to continue using the bags due to the positive impact they’ve seen in their classrooms. Many teachers have noticed fewer distractions and an easier time managing phone usag...
Wilson bans food from Tenley eateries
Max Karp and Nate Belman
November 20, 2019
Wilson administration reintroduced a policy in which students are not allowed to bring food from outside establishments into the school. Security officers started to enforce the policy strictly amid growing trash concerns and an intensifying rodent problem in the school. Administration noted that the p...
New DCPS food policy prohibits sale of Pizza Boli’s, Krispy Kreme
November 20, 2019
Wilson is no longer allowed to sell “unhealthy foods” during school hours, including pizza, Krispy Kreme fundraising doughnuts, and bake sale goods. The sale of pizza and donuts is in violation of the DCPS food contract signed with SodexoMAGIC and goes against the 2010 DC Healthy Schools Act tha...
Copier problems persist, frustrating staff members
Zoe Friedman
November 20, 2019
Teachers and staff are frustrated with copying and printing issues, which range from lack of toner to break downs from overuse. “This is a continuous problem; we have 177 staff members who use nine machines throughout the building, so the constant use of the machines can potentially, over time, wear t...
Principals, activists meet to discuss new vape shops
Shirah Lister and Sarah Morgan
November 20, 2019
Principals of Wilson, Deal, and Georgetown Day School (GDS) met on October 24 to discuss the proximity of Wawa and Smoke Island, which sell vaping devices. The meeting is partly in response to concerns from parents, who organized in opposition to the opening of Smoke Island. Matt Myers, President of the Campaign for To...
DC education budget grows by $70 million
November 20, 2019
DC increased education spending for fiscal year 2020 by $70 million. Public and charter schools will receive the same amount of funding per student, as mandated by federal law. Last year, DCPS faced a budget deficit of $25 million over its operating budget of almost $1 billion. DCPS was able to close...
Hall sweeps strictly enforced
November 20, 2019
Hall sweeps have been closely enforced in the last month in an effort to address problems with students being tardy for class and lingering in the hallways after the bell rings. As dictated by the policy, deans call any students in the halls after class begins into their office to record their name...
Wilson white population continues to increase
October 14, 2019
New enrollment data found that Wilson is getting more white and less Black, with a relatively constant proportion of Hispanics and students of other races. While the yearly change is small, it is part of a dramatic demographic shift from the 2013-14 school year, when Black students comprised about half t...
DCPS releases 2019-20 school calendar
Andrew Dong
October 14, 2019
For the 2019-2020 school year, DCPS has eliminated the extended school year plan and moved the parent-teacher conferences around to allow for more time before the end of the terms. With the previous model, 13 extended-year schools started their first term a week earlier and ended a week later than tr...
Administration orders seniors off-campus for free periods
October 14, 2019
Wilson is requiring seniors with free periods to go off campus if they are not engaged in school-related activities. If seniors need to work on anything they must go to either the new Writing Center in the College and Career Center, the library, or a classroom, instead of the atrium. The new rule ...
DCPS to allow Medical Marijuana
October 14, 2019
DCPS has always had a strenuous relationship with marijuana, medical or otherwise, and this month the tides may be shifting in favor of the green plant. As a result of a national news story, DCPS is making another push at allowing students with the necessary accommodations to receive inhale based, non TH...
