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The Student Newspaper of Jackson-Reed High School

The Beacon

The Student Newspaper of Jackson-Reed High School

The Beacon

The Student Newspaper of Jackson-Reed High School

The Beacon

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief

Anna is the Beacon’s resident grandmother who wakes up at the same time her friends go to sleep only to spend the entire day baking, doing puzzles, and watching Jeopardy. Anna also runs 50,000 miles every day so she’s basically like the grandma from Hoodwinked (which is basically the best movie ever [Wolf W. Wolf is her journalist idol and should be yours too]). Anna is tired of sharing her name with so many people so please address her only as *~CHIEF~* (JK LOLZ!!! Your Highness will also do)

 

All content by Anna Arnsberger
DCPS proposes August Wilson for new name

DCPS proposes August Wilson for new name

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief April 20, 2021

DCPS has proposed to rename Woodrow Wilson High School after August Wilson. Many support August Wilson, a distinguished Black playwright, as the new namesake because it allows for the school to still...

Our education erases Asian Americans

Our education erases Asian Americans

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief March 23, 2021

Though this year’s attacks on the Asian-American community have been particularly appalling, they are just another chapter in a long history of anti-Asian racism. Anyone with a DCPS education is likely...

Tenlea Radack to row for Naval Academy

Tenlea Radack to row for Naval Academy

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief March 21, 2021

Senior Tenlea Radack has committed to the US Naval Academy’s top-ranked D1 women’s crew program.  Radack began rowing in eighth grade and quickly became obsessed. In love with the team dynamics...

DCPS, mayor continue to delay release of new name

DCPS, mayor continue to delay release of new name

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief March 6, 2021

Over a month after the new name for Woodrow Wilson High School was chosen, there is still no plan for its announcement. Having promised a decision by 2021, Mayor Muriel Bowser and DCPS Chancellor Lewis...

It’s time to address racism in our school—beyond its name

It’s time to address racism in our school—beyond its name

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief January 17, 2021

After nearly a century of hindsight, it’s easy to label President Woodrow Wilson as a racist. The bygone president’s affinity for segregation and the KKK, among other offenses, is clearly problematic...

Faculty survey shows strong support for Edna Jackson

Faculty survey shows strong support for Edna Jackson

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief January 6, 2021

Over 70 percent of Wilson faculty support renaming Wilson High School after the school’s first Black teacher, Edna B. Jackson, according to a new survey.  The faculty survey was created by History...

Teacher mental health day halts DCPS reopening plan

Teacher mental health day halts DCPS reopening plan

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief November 7, 2020

DCPS chancellor Lewis Ferebee announced that DCPS will be cancelling plans to begin limited in-person learning for elementary schools on November 9. This decision follows teachers across the district opting...

Teachers’ union opposes prompt school reopenings

Teachers’ union opposes prompt school reopenings

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief October 9, 2020

As Mayor Muriel Bowser announced plans to begin reopening schools in early November, the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) has asserted that they are not yet ready for in-person learning. The union is...

DCPS announces plan for Wilson name change in Council hearing

DCPS announces plan for Wilson name change in Council hearing

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief September 17, 2020

In a DC Council hearing on September 15, a DCPS representative announced a plan to begin the process of renaming Wilson. The hearing was on a resolution in which the council expressed broad support for...

DCPS to be all virtual for beginning of 2020 school year

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief July 30, 2020

In a press conference held on Thursday, July 30, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that DCPS will be all online for the first term of the school year.  After hoping to release an arrangement for hybrid...

Intruders vandalize, steal from Wilson during building’s closure

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief June 23, 2020

Unknown suspects broke into the Wilson building three times while it has been closed. The break-ins each occurred between June 2 and June 7, when nobody was present in the school.  The Metropolitan...

Student-run clubs adapt to stay active

Student-run clubs adapt to stay active

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief April 21, 2020

On Friday, April 17, Wilson’s Common Ground Club was having another passionate discussion. Just like every other week, members were deep in conversation, deliberating DC slang, Sara Baartman, and hyper-tan...

Courtesy of The Equalizer

What a messy week for USSF proves about the organization’s misogyny

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief March 15, 2020

On the eve of International Women’s Day and in the midst of the SheBelieves cup, a tournament meant to empower girls in sport, Carlos Cordeiro released an open letter to the public. Cordeiro, former...

Students express lax reactions to coronavirus

Students express lax reactions to coronavirus

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief March 14, 2020

Over the past few weeks, the spread of the coronavirus has taken over the forefront of the public mind. Nearly all events and gatherings have been cancelled and no matter where you go, it seems that distressed...

DCPS changes Naviance login to Clever, with a glitch

DCPS changes Naviance login to Clever, with a glitch

Anna Arnsberger and March 10, 2020

DCPS is requiring students to use the website Clever for log-on access to the college and career readiness software, Naviance. Central Office’s College and Career Programs made the switch on January...

Graph of the month: subject GPA by grade

Graph of the month: subject GPA by grade

Anna Arnsberger and Amelia Bergeron March 7, 2020

Welcome back, statistics lovers! Bet you didn’t think we’d make it two consecutive months. Lucky for you, we’re too dedicated to the numbers to have given up that easily. And to prove our dedication,...

Elusive plants, tundra treks, and the quests that made Mr. Meyers

Elusive plants, tundra treks, and the quests that made Mr. Meyers

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief February 1, 2020

Hallucinating, with disheveled hair and scratches from head-to-toe, Zachary Meyers looked like he had been attacked by a bear. After days of hiking through the Alaskan wilderness, Meyers returned from...

Graph of the Month: AP enrollment by race

Graph of the Month: AP enrollment by race

Anna Arnsberger and Amelia Bergeron January 30, 2020

Hello loyal readers and data enthusiasts! If you’ve been keeping up with The Beacon lately, it’s likely that you, like us, have noticed a disappointing lack of graphs in our past few issues. We painfully...

Battle of the sections

Battle of the sections

There are eight sections of The Beacon, including visuals, that the average reader diligently scans through as they peruse the paper—and never throw on the atrium floor. For those who ask "ok... but...

Mouse population squeaks to a slow

Mouse population squeaks to a slow

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief December 20, 2019

Custodial foreman James Lewis had grown accustomed to murmurs of scratching on his early-morning walks through Wilson last year. An eerie skittering of nails often permeated the otherwise silent hallways...

November Albums of the Month

November Albums of the Month

"Cheap Queen" by King Princess Anna Arnsberger and Maren Dunn 9/10 The debut album of 20 year-old Mikaela Straus (better known as King Princess), “Cheap Queen,” has surpassed expectations. The...

Freshman seminar program aims to prepare ninth graders for high school

Freshman seminar program aims to prepare ninth graders for high school

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief 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...

Club sport athletes left vulnerable to injuries without on-site trainers

Club sport athletes left vulnerable to injuries without on-site trainers

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief November 19, 2019

During a home field hockey game this past season, junior Sabina Lordan received a ball to the face that resulted in a concussion. Since field hockey is a club sport, there was no on-site medical assistance...

Barry Morrato: Wilson’s authority on beer, paper, and chemical engineering

Barry Morrato: Wilson’s authority on beer, paper, and chemical engineering

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief November 19, 2019

Peanut butter, toilet paper, and Wilson—these three completely unrelated topics have one thing in common: Barry Morrato. Now one of the newest members of the science department, Morrato previously spent...

Wilson used to own a masterpiece. Now it’s lost.

Wilson used to own a masterpiece. Now it’s lost.

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief November 18, 2019

It’s the mid-1900s and a coveted 130 year-old painting worth a considerable amount of money is donated to a respected public institution. The massive portrait, much fancier than its surroundings, is...

Vocal virtuoso takes talents to choir program

Vocal virtuoso takes talents to choir program

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief October 11, 2019

On the first day of school this year, Anthony Pierce asked each student in his advanced choir class to sing a snippet of a song. Many students, used to a day of course overviews and expectations, were...

Graphic by Ayomi Wolff

Please, show some respect for spirit week

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief October 10, 2019

Each year, as fall rolls around, high schoolers are left with a seasonal feeling of dread. Already weeks into school, with course work being dumped on them by the tons, students come to realize that they...

Summer Book Reviews

Summer Book Reviews

Anna Arnsberger, Olivia Biggs, Alex Holmes, and Sophia Ibrahim September 10, 2019

Freshmen: "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding Sophia Ibrahim If William Golding’s novel “The Lord of the Flies” was a song from the early 2000s, it would be “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers....

Keep watching women’s soccer after the World Cup

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief September 6, 2019

With their World Cup win this summer in France, the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) has once again given the country a reason to love soccer. From Alyssa Naeher’s stone-cold tenacity to the eccentric...

Graphic by Shirah Lister

Abundance of APs normalizes student stress

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief June 9, 2019

It’s that time of year again: course selection. Whether you’ve already spent weeks meticulously planning or you’re choosing on the spot, deciding which classes to take can be difficult. Next year...

Graphic by Anna Arnsberger

Brown kids need brown books

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief June 9, 2019

Last summer, the film adaption of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han was released on Netflix and quickly rose to fame. While the movie was the talk of many, my sister’s excitement...

Courtesy of Margot Durfee

Sugar Fox brings ice cream and sweets near Wilson

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief May 28, 2019

As spring rolls around the corner with warm weather in tow, many find themselves craving their favorite frozen treat: ice cream. After long hours trapped in school or during a sunny day off, nothing beats...

I tried so you don’t have to: Instagram DIY life hacks

I tried so you don’t have to: Instagram DIY life hacks

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief May 5, 2019

Anyone who has spent a substantial amount of time mindlessly scrolling through the Instagram explore page is bound to have come across DIY life-hack videos. The short films are easily distinguished by...

Graphic by Masie Arlotto

Abundance of APs normalizes student stress

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief April 1, 2019

It’s that time of year again: course selection. Whether you’ve already spent weeks meticulously planning or you’re choosing on the spot, deciding which classes to take can be difficult. Next year...

Photo by Andrew Wiseman via Wikimedia commons

100 word rants

9:30 club blues   For club venue concerts, crowding is inevitable. But does that mean personal space is ignored entirely? It was Sunday night and the girl behind me really wanted to ruin the...

New year, new Nadira Ricks

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief March 4, 2019

When I met with Nadira Ricks, she had just returned from the DCIAA National Girls and Women in Sports Day luncheon. This is just one of the many opportunities she is able to be a part of in her new role...

Are you smarter than a naturalized citizen?

Are you smarter than a naturalized citizen?

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief March 3, 2019

In order to become naturalized in the United States, immigrants must pass a civics evaluation. The test comprises 10 government and history questions chosen randomly from a set of 100, and prospective...

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Levenson

Wilson mourns beloved custodian Byron Kelly

Custodian Byron Kelly, who had been working at Wilson for three years, died Saturday, January 5. He was the night foreman of the custodial staff, but he went beyond his role as a supervisor and co-worker—for...

Holiday festivities at the Wharf

Holiday festivities at the Wharf

Anna Arnsberger and Amelia Bergeron December 10, 2018

You may already know of the annual White House Christmas tree lighting or the Washington Ballet’s “Nutcracker” performances, but the District’s Holiday Boat Parade is a hidden gem to add to your...

Why, Wilson?

Why, Wilson?

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief November 13, 2018

The sun shines and birds chirp as you take a bite of your peanut butter and jelly sandwich, listening intently to your friend’s story about math class this morning. But before they can finish, they’re...

Keep it 100: why I’m all for mandatory community service

Keep it 100: why I’m all for mandatory community service

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief October 6, 2018

“Volunteering is a great way to get involved!” “It builds character!” “Give back to the community that raised you!” I’m sure you’ve heard it all before. The cliché reasons to complete...

Jon Bouker, Photo courtesy of Katherine Bouker

Wilson dad reflects on creation of DCTAG

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief June 10, 2018

Even before having children, Jon Bouker played a critical role in supporting DC students. Presently a Wilson parent and partner at the law firm Arent Fox, he looks back fondly at his work to help write...

Brandy Melville amplifies unrealistic body standards

Brandy Melville amplifies unrealistic body standards

Stella Schwartzman and Anna Arnsberger June 8, 2018

It’s almost impossible to go a day at Wilson without seeing a classic striped Brandy Melville t-shirt. And then another one. Then one more. How does one store sell so many striped shirts? Since its launch...

Ms. Harvey's plans for art at Wilson

Ms. Harvey’s plans for art at Wilson

Anna Arnsberger, Editor-in-Chief April 1, 2018

From owning a visual and performing arts studio to publishing a coloring book, everything in Ms. Harvey’s life is centered around art. Though she was fairly new to the art department at Wilson, Harvey...

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