(Updated at 7:24 a.m. Thursday) Thousands of runners are expected to race down the streets around Stanton Park next weekend for the Capitol Hill Classic.
The annual 10K, 3K and fun run benefitting the Capitol Hill Cluster School will kick off on Sunday, May 15 at 8:30 a.m., according to the event’s website.
The race courses this year will be similar to last year’s courses, with the 10K starting at Peabody Elementary School, passing the U.S. Capitol and then heading east on East Capitol Street to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. It will then loop back to finish at Peabody. The 3K will start at Peabody, do a loop near Stanton Park and return to the school. And during the fun run, kids will race once around Stanton Park.
Prospective runners will be able to register for the race at a five percent discount until May 13. Additionally, the school still needs a few extra hands to pass out packets and set up. Click here to sign up to volunteer.
First Lady Michelle Obama surprised some Capitol Hill students with a visit to their school last week.
Obama met with fifth grade students at Watkins Elementary School (420 12th St. SE) to talk about gardening and healthy eating as part of her “Let’s Move” campaign to fight childhood obesity.
“We snuck a whole team in here. No one knows we’re supposed to be here,” Obama said in a video released today. “We’re going to go up and check in on a fifth grade class. They’re doing a little cooking, and I’m going to surprise them.”
She then entered a classroom, drawing gasps and applause from the children inside.
After greeting the students, the first lady got to work making tortillas and mixing a salad with the kids.
“You guys have this amazing garden, and I’m so proud of you,” Obama said. “And I want the world to see all the great things you’re doing and how you’re learning so much about good eating from your garden and your school.”
Watkins fifth graders at FoodPrints had one heck of a volunteer helper last week – @FLOTUS! https://t.co/BadclQds5G pic.twitter.com/86KY6el5RF
— CapHillClusterSchool (@CHCSPTA) March 3, 2016
Video via YouTube/Let’s Move
Capitol Hill Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Capitol Hill area. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out our event submission form.
For more events, be sure to check out our event calendar.
Tuesday
Start at TD Burger (3rd and K streets NE)
Time: 6 – 7 p.m.
Locals who live near the H Street corridor are slated to have an opportunity to walk and talk with District police and government officials about safety in their neighborhood this week.
Friday and Saturday
In Their Own Words: Soul Strolls at Congressional Cemetery
Historic Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St. SE)
Time: 6 – 9 p.m.
The Congressional Cemetery is replacing its Halloween gala with four nights of tours. The tours will tell the stories of some of the 65,000 “residents” there, as interpreted by cemetery staff. The event is planned for the twilight hours of Friday and Saturday for the next two weeks, with a cash bar and music each night. Tickets are available online and cost $20 for adults and $10 for children who are 12 years old or younger.
Saturday
13th Street Community Park & Garden Yard Sale
13th and C streets SE
Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
This community-wide yard sale of donated items will benefit the 13th Street Community Park & Garden. Residents can donate items for the sale throughout the week by contacting [email protected] and arranging a drop-off. Accepted items include small furniture, clothing, toys, books, electronics and baby items.
15th Annual Renovator’s House Tour
Stuart-Hobson Middle School (410 E St. NE)
Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Ten homeowners throughout Capitol Hill are opening their doors to showcase their home decor and renovation style. The tour is hosted by the Capitol Hill Cluster School as one of its primary yearly fundraisers. Guests can start at any of the homes or at the recently renovated Stuart-Hobson Midle School, which is part of the tour. Tickets are $25 in advance and can be purchased online or in person at Schnieder’s, Hill’s Kitchen and Frager’s Hardware.
REI Thingamajig Used Gear Swap & Beer Garden Bluegrass
150 M St. NE
Time: 12 – 5 p.m.
Retailer REI will host a community gear swap where residents can buy, sell, barter or trade their used outdoor accessories with fellow lovers of the outdoors. Anyone bringing gear to sell will get table space to do so. Proceeds from each ticket will go toward Living Classrooms, which provides educational opportunities to young people. In addition to the gear swap, visitors can listen to live music from Kingman Island Blues & Bluegrass Folk Festival bands performing at Wunder Garten. Tickets are available for $7 available online or at the door.
Photo via Congressional Cemetery
The community at the Capitol Hill Cluster School is coming together to help a staffer whose teenage son has died.
An online donation page has been established to assist the family of Watkins Elementary School academic officer Olutayo Ayodeji with funeral costs for his son. The Capitol Hill Cluster School includes Stuart-Hobson Middle School and Peabody Elementary School, in addition to Watkins.
Oludumare “Sule” Ayodeji, 16, was reported missing on July 1 and was found dead in a river in D.C., NBC Washington reported. He was identified Monday.
Authorities have yet to release the cause of his death.
Dawn Clemens, principal of Stuart-Hobson, wrote in a letter to Capitol Hill Cluster School parents and staff that Olutayo Ayodeji has worked with the Cluster for the past eight years.
“We are a Cluster family and Mr. Ayodeji and his family could now use our assistance,” Clemens wrote. “Anything you could do to help would be appreciated.”
So far, more than $5,950 has been donated to assist with the family’s funeral expenses.
Olutayo Ayodeji didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Photo via Flickr/curiouskiwi
Children on Capitol Hill will celebrate their last day of school this year with a burial.
Students tomorrow will bury homework, photos and other items in a time capsule at Stuart-Hobson Middle School, said outgoing Capitol Hill Cluster School Parent Teacher Association president Vincent Morris. The Capitol Hill Cluster School includes Stuart-Hobson, along with Peabody and Watkins elementary schools.
The capsule, which students are slated to dig up in 2035, commemorates the completion of Stuart-Hobson’s new art wing this school year, in addition to the last day of school.
Besides homework and class photos, the capsule has tickets, playbills, pottery, posters and an old BlackBerry, too, Morris said.
“From what I’ve seen, it’s very common to do time capsules with new construction projects,” Morris said in an email. “In addition, time capsules are just cool as heck and so much fun for future generations to open.”
Photo via Facebook/Capitol Hill Cluster School
(Updated at 8:35 a.m. Friday) Peabody and Watkins elementary schools on Capitol Hill will have a new principal for the 2015-2016 school year.
Elena Bell, the principal of a Chicago elementary school, will take the helm of Peabody and Watkins of the Capitol Hill Cluster School June 29, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced yesterday. The Capitol Hill Cluster School includes the two elementary schools and Stuart-Hobson Middle School.
She will succeed Dawn Clemens, who became principal of all three schools in 2011. Clemens will continue to serve as principal of the middle school.
“Ms. Bell is excited to meet all of you, and I hope you will give her your warm welcome and support as she leads your children toward success,” Henderson wrote in a letter to parents.
Bell has led John H. Vanderpoel Elementary School in Chicago since 2012. She also served as the resident principal of E. Dunne Technology Academy in Chicago and the Edward Devotion School in Brookline, Mass. She began her career in education as a second grade teacher in Atlanta.
Photo via John H. Vanderpoel Elementary School
More than 4,000 runners hit the streets around Stanton Park this weekend for the Capitol Hill Classic.
Rain held off for the most part for the annual 10K, 3K and fun run Sunday, with only a little drizzle. The runners started outside of Peabody Elementary School across from Stanton Park, with the longest race stretching to RFK Stadium.
Carlos Jamieson, a 27-year-old Rockville resident, won the 10K with a time of 31 minutes and 42 seconds and the 3K with a time of 9 minutes and 7 seconds, according to results posted online.
Shauneen Werlinger, a 30-year-old Springfield, Va., resident, was the first woman to finish the 10K, running it in 37 minutes and 18 seconds.
Debbie Gutfreund, a 39-year-old Waterbury, Conn., resident was the first woman to complete the 3K, posting a time of 11 minutes and 58 seconds.
Roberta Stewart, outreach chairwoman of the Capitol Hill Classic, said she expects the races to raise about $90,000 for Capitol Hill Cluster School, which includes Peabody, Watkins Elementary School and Stuart-Hobson Middle School.
“The best feeling is to see the street in front of Peabody filled with runners,” she said.
Photo of Charles Allen via Twitter/CM_CharlesAllen
(Updated at 5:35 p.m.) A case of viral meningitis has been reported at a C Street NE elementary school, NBC Washington reports.
Parents at the Peabody Primary Campus of the Capitol Hill Cluster School received a letter from the D.C. Department of Health on Monday informing them that someone in the school community had recently been diagnosed with the infection.
Viral meningitis inflames the tissues around the brain and spinal cord. It differs from bacterial meningitis, which can be life-threatening, but the two share symptoms including fever, a stiff neck and nausea, the Health Department told parents.
The letter did not specify whether the infected person at the 425 C St. NE school was a student, teacher or faculty member.
Custodians performed a “deep-dive cleaning” on the preschool Monday, a Health Department spokeswoman told The Washington Post. The school remained open during the disinfection.
School families were instructed to call their doctors or the school nurse with any questions.
