Questions Remain After District Council Votes to Move Ward 6 Homeless Shelter to Mount Vernon Triangle — Mount Vernon Triangle residents are questioning the process of selecting sites for homeless shelters after the District Council voted to move the proposed Ward 6 shelter location from Southwest to 2nd and K streets NW. [Washington City Paper]
Jefferson Middle School, Capitol Hill Montessori to Receive Improvement Funds — As part of the proposed 2017 education budget, Jefferson Middle School at 801 7th St. SW could receive $1 million to upgrade its science labs while Capitol Hill Montessori at 215 G St. NE is slated to receive $4 million to pay for a new heating and cooling system. [Hill Rag]
Interviewing the Owner Behind Capitol Hill’s Most Unique Bookstore — Jim Toole, the owner of Capitol Hill Books, spoke to Washingtonian magazine about his unorthodox organization and his handwritten rules posted throughout the store. [Washingtonian]
Navy Yard Eatery Due South Eyeing Satellite Location on Yards Park Boardwalk — Navy Yard restaurant Due South is in the early stages of planning “Due South Dockside,” along the Yards Park boardwalk to serve drinks and a limited food menu. [JDLand]
Monthly Capitol Hill Area ANC Meeting Roundup — Hill Rag takes a look at what happened last month with Capitol Hill area ANCs, including 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D. [Hill Rag]
Department of Energy and Environment Plans to Test Ward 6 Students for Lead Exposure — The D.C. Department of Energy and Environment is planning to send mobile units to test Ward 6 elementary students for lead exposure today and May 4 in response to reports last week of elevated lead levels in the water at several schools. [Hill Rag]
NoMa Bank Robbery Suspect Allegedly Hit Same Bank Twice on Consecutive Days — The FBI said that Tyrone Edward Wright, who allegedly robbed three banks in two days in NoMa last week, got the same teller during two hold-ups of the Premier Bank on the 1100 block of 1st Street NE. [Washington Post]
Tunnel Connecting Eastern NoMa to Metro Could Cost up to $23 Million — The proposed pedestrian tunnel beneath the railroad tracks that sit between the east side of NoMa and the NoMa-Gallaudet University Metro station could cost between $16 million and $23 million. The project will likely be funded by a partnership between NoMa businesses and the D.C. government, not WMATA. [Washington Business Journal]
Developer Files Application to Demolish Navy Yard McDonald’s — RCP Development, the complany planning a 380-unit apartment building at South Capitol and I streets SE has filed an application to raze the McDonald’s currently on the corner. [JDLand]
We’ve made it through Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, but the post-Thanksgiving holidays aren’t over yet. Today is Giving Tuesday, a day started in 2012 to give those who spent the past four days shopping a chance to give some of the money they saved to causes and charities they care about. And this year is shaping up to be the biggest Giving Tuesday ever, with NPR declaring this year that the quasi-holiday has officially become ‘a thing.’
For those looking to support causes in their own neighborhoods, there are plenty of options in the Capitol Hill area. The Greater Washington Catalogue for Philanthropy has a full, vetted list of area charities raising money this month on their website. Here are some local charities and organizations raising money today:
The Anacostia Watershed Society organizes cleanup and conservation efforts with the goal of making the Anacostia River swimmable and fishable. Funds raised go toward supplies to remove trash and tours of the river given to local students.
Reach for College! helps disadvantaged high school students across the district apply and prepare for higher education. In the Capitol Hill area, Reach for College! works with students at Eastern High School and Cesar Chavez PCS.
The Shaw-based STRIVE DC works with hard-to-employ adults in Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8 to give them the education, skills and confidence they need to find a job. Funds raised will go toward three-week job-training programs for adults and two-year follow-up services for those who have secured a job.
Open Arms Housing operates a home in NoMa where formerly homeless women live together in apartments where they can feel a sense of security and community. The organization also offers voluntary mental health and substance abuse services to its residents.
Homeless Children’s Playtime Project
The Homeless Children’s Playtime Project makes sure that homeless children still have a chance to be kids by offering safe places where they can play, interact and work on homework. The project works within D.C. General Homeless shelter and other shelters across the city.
Based in Navy Yard, the Family and Youth Initiative pairs teens in foster care with caring adult role models and mentors. Donations provide anything from birthday cards for teens in foster care who otherwise would not receive anything to events where teens can meet families considering adoption.
Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop
Free Minds runs the literary journal The Untold Story of the Real Me: Young Voices from Prison. The group works with incarcerated youth, including those at the DC Jail in Hill East, to help them express themselves and connect with others through writing. The group also provides copies of inmates’ writing to local schools.
Everybody Wins! operates literacy and mentoring programs in low-income public elementary schools throughout the District including Amidon-Bowen, Ludlow-Taylor, Tyler, J.O. Wilson, Maury and Miner elementary schools in the Capitol Hill area.
CHAW offers arts education and opportunities for children and adults around the Capitol Hill area. Donations will be used to cover art class tuition for those who otherwise would not be able to afford it and supplies for arts classes.
BEST Kids offers mentorship and peer bonding events for foster children in the District. Mentors are helped by experts in psychiatry, education, legal advocacy and behavior management and help children set and reach goals for themselves.
Barracks Row Main Street is a nonprofit organization that supports businesses along 8th Street SE and hosts events in the area. The money raised during Giving Tuesday will go toward planting spring flowers, other seasonal decorations and other public space improvements along the street.
Photo via givingtuesday.org
Students at 10 Capitol Hill-area Elementary and Middle schools scored above the District average in math and English according to test results from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers released today.
Students across the District took the PARCC tests to determine how well schools are preparing students for college and careers. Earlier today, Mayor Muriel Bowser released the results of test scores for grades 3-8. On average, 25 percent of students between grades 3 and 8 scored at “On track for college and career readiness” in math and 24 percent were on track in English.
However, multiple elementary and middle schools in the Capitol Hill area scored above the District average. Brent Elementary led area schools in both math and English, with 57 percent of students considered on track in math and 68 percent in English.
The other local schools that exceeded the District average in both math and English are:
- School Within School
- Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School
- Maury Elementary School
- Watkins Elementary School
- Two Rivers Public Charter School
The following schools scored above average in math only:
- Tyler Elementary School
- J.O. Wilson Elementary School
- Chamberlain Middle School (Friendship PCS)
Capitol Hill Montessori School at Logan scored above average in English but not math.
Catharine Bellinger, the Director of the D.C. chapter of Democrats for Education Reform touted Ludlow-Taylor and Tyler elementary schools as schools that performed well despite having a high number of economically disadvantaged students in a statement about the scores.
Bellinger said that students at these schools are “beating the odds” and said DFER “commend the teachers and leaders working every day in these schools to prepare their students to succeed, not just on tests, but as life-long learners and critical thinkers.”
Starting at a new school can be hard for kids and parents. As parents start gearing up for school enrollment season in the Spring, several Capitol Hill area schools are holding open houses. These open houses will give parents a chance to check out their kids’ prospective new schools and meet some of the teachers and other parents.
Here is a rundown of all the school open houses happening later this week and in the next couple months:
Watkins Elementary School
420 12th St. SE
Open: Nov. 18, 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Stuart-Hobson Middle School
410 E St. NE
Open: Nov. 19, 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Van Ness Elementary School
1150 5th St. SE
Open: Nov. 19, 9-10 a.m.
Miner Elementary School
601 15th St. NE
Open: Nov. 19, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Dec. 8, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Jan. 14, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Feb. 18, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Jefferson Academy Middle School
801 7th St. SW
Open: Nov. 20, 9:30-11 a.m.
Brent Elementary School
301 North Carolina Ave. SE
Open: Nov. 23, 9-10:30 a.m.
Maury Elementary School
1250 Constitution Ave. NE
Open: Nov. 30, 9-10:30 a.m.
Capitol Hill Day School (PreK-8th grade)
210 South Carolina Ave. SE
Open: Dec. 8, 9-11 a.m.
Tours also available on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Schedule a morning tour by emailing [email protected]
Ludlow Taylor Elementary School
659 G St. NE
Open: Dec. 10, 9:30 a.m.
Jan. 14, 9:30 a.m.
Feb 11, 9:30 a.m.
School Within School
920 F St. NE
Open: Jan. 14, 6-7:30 p.m.
Feb. 20, 9-10:30 a.m.
Eastern High School
1700 East Capitol St. NE
There are currently no open houses scheduled, but families can make appointments to tour the school at [email protected]
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.
Wednesday
Capitol Hill Walk to School Day
Lincoln Park
Time: 7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Join the Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization for an early morning party to kickoff Walk to School Day. The event is set to have snacks, school performances, transportation and education supporters, as well as parkour and yoga, which are new for this year. The party will end with students from each school walking to school together. Schools can register online for materials and giveaways from the District Department of Transportation’s safe routes program.
Friday
Drinky Events Cider and Popcorn Pairing
Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE)
Time: 6:30 – 8 p.m.
The first event from Drinky Events will teach locals, who are at least 21 years old, how to enjoy ciders and certain flavors of popcorn at the same time. A tasting will include five ciders and different popcorn flavors to go with each. Mike Stein of Lost Lagers will also shed some of his knowledge about ciders. Tickets are $35 and available online.
Friday and Saturday
D.C. Armory (2001 East Capitol St. SE)
Time: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (8:30 – 10 a.m. for U.S. military and Defense Department workers)
D.C. residents don’t have to have run in Sunday’s Army Ten-Miler to stop by the race’s expo, held all day Friday and Saturday. Vendors inside the D.C. Armory will have sales on running clothing, shoes and accessories. Old Guard Drill Team and Fife and Drum Corps performances will happen throughout the day inside the armory, while Army special operations soldiers will host interactive exhibits outside the expo. The displays may include helicopters, trucks and a tank. The expo is free.
Saturday
Southwest DC Waterfront Boat-Home Tours
Gangplank Marina (600 Water St. SW)
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Meet the “liveaboard” community at Gangplank Marina as they open their doors to the public in the name of charity. The tour is self-guided with the opportunity to see up to 18 boat homes and learn about the residents’ lifestyles. Tickets are available for $20 online, and proceeds will benefit local southwest charities. The tours will happen as scheduled rain or shine.
Capitol Hill residents and visitors can get free ice cream — with a side of children’s art — near Eastern Market tomorrow.
Stanton-EastBanc and Clark Construction are scheduled to dish out complimentary scoops of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream from 5 to 6:30 p.m. near the Hine redevelopment project at 7th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE. The companies, which are working on the redevelopment, are celebrating new artwork students from 27 area schools made for a construction fence.
The artwork will be on display for the next 20 months.
The transformation of the former Hine Junior High School property at 700 Pennsylvania Ave. SE is expected to bring residential, retail and office space by the end of 2017. A Trader Joe’s is slated to be among the complex’s tenants.
ART OPENING TOMORROW 5-6:30PM @ 7th/Penn SE Construction Fence #icecream #capitolhill #art @CHAWinDC @CapitolHillBID pic.twitter.com/ypNRcMF0Om
— Stanton Development (@Stanton_Dev) September 28, 2015
and they are up! Capitol Hill students art on hine construction fence. @PoPville @HillNowNEWS @washingtonpost #art pic.twitter.com/UagKisZD59
— Stanton Development (@Stanton_Dev) September 28, 2015
Photo via Flickr/Qfamily
The cost of admission into some the city’s better ranked elementary schools may require the purchase of a Capitol Hill-area house that is about $550,000 or more, according to a new report.
District, Measured released a series of interactive maps today that compare public elementary schools’ testing scores to sale prices of three-bedroom homes in the schools’ boundaries during the past year.
Children of homeowners within a D.C. public school’s boundary lines are guaranteed admission in the school.
Amidon-Bowen in Southwest and Walker Jones on the Hill cost the least to attend, with median home prices near both school sitting at $550,000. They also are among some of the lower ranking schools in the District, although not as low as less expensive schools in the far eastern and southern parts of the District.
Capitol Hill’s most expensive school is also the most-sought public elementary school in the District. Brent Elementary has a wait list 880 names long and holds a median home price of $922,500.
Ludlow-Taylor is the highest ranked Capitol Hill school and the only one on the Hill to be receive a top-tier rating. Median home prices of $797,500 make it the least expensive top-tier elementary school in the city. Other top-tier schools lie in the far northwestern part of D.C. with homes that cost between $819,000 and $1.4 million.
Most Hill elementary are either second-ranked or second-to-last ranked. It costs at least $690,000 to live near a second-rank school. Hill residents need to spend more than $700,000 to avoid lower-tier schools.
Van Ness and Peabody elementary schools were not included in the provided data.
Image via District, Measured
