They are athletes, artists, scholars, musicians, engineers, and so much more. The class of 2025 has left its mark on Jackson-Reed and is ready to make their mark on the world.
This class was a historic one. They were the first class in the 90-year school history that never attended “Wilson” High School and the first class since 2019 to spend all four years in the building.
Ahead of graduation on June 14 at the CareFirst Arena in Southeast DC, celebrate the 492 grads with a look back at just some of the many accomplishments and stand out members of the class of 2025.
Varsity track and field star Indie Wallace-Persaud has broken countless records in indoor and outdoor track. She credits JR “for teaching me how to step outside my comfort zone and build my confidence.” Looking forward, she will run Division 1 track at Syracuse University. In 10 years, Wallace-Persaud said that, “I see myself continuing to enjoy life and giving back to my community.”
Varsity baseball player Jackson Loomis also plans to continue his athletic pursuits in college, having committed to Denison University to play Division 3 baseball. At JR, he helped the baseball team win the DCSAA Championship and was DCIAA player of the year in 2024. He said he plans to major in journalism “because of the Journalism Enrichment Program that I took at JR.”
Continuing the trend of high-level athletes at JR, Wilson Holman has committed to play Division 1 soccer at Temple University. Throughout high school, he played for the DC United U18 academy and believes that JR “taught me a lot about making friends with a diverse group of people and standing up for myself as a person.”
On top of incredible athletes, this class has produced future technological innovators. Lucy Getzinger will attend the University of Toronto and plans to major in computer science. She was involved in the Information Technology Academy and the varsity tennis team, and she said that “starting the Technology Student Association DC chapter helped spark my interest in technology and video game design.” Getzinger is grateful to physics teacher Christopher Martineau for “always holding me accountable and pushing me to succeed.”
Inspired by her time in the Engineering Academy, student body president Ava Serafino plans to attend the University of Michigan for architecture. The Engineering Academy was essential in helping “expose me to that type of work and made me realize that I enjoy project based learning.” Serafino noted that support from JR teachers like Student Government Association sponsor Simona Spicciani, engineering teacher Zachary Meyers, and social studies teacher Matthew Burgoyne has “helped me grow as a person and achieve my goals.”
Jackson-Reed Players member Henry Brylawski was inspired by Mr. Flack’s freshman biology class. Brylawski said “I have loved biology ever since Mr. Flack’s freshman biology class.” Brylawski plans to attend Vassar College and even though he plans to major in biology, JR has taught him about the importance of an interdisciplinary education and he said he wants to add on a minor in a humanities field.
Announcer extraordinaire Maly Westray, who has been doing the morning announcements the past two years, plans to run track at York University and major in communications. Her interest is thanks to her experience at JR doing the announcements that has “helped me to discover my passion for speaking.” She shouted out Assistant Principal Mark Minsker, Dean Minoso Rogers, and Athletic Director Patrice Arrington for their support.
Many seniors have mixed feelings about graduation. Sirona Mayes said that while she is “excited to graduate, I’m also kind of sad because [JR] has been my home for four years”.
The past four years, the class of 2025 has put in hours of hard-work and dedication. As they graduate, they will take with them the memories and lessons from JR. This class is full of changemakers, and we can’t wait to see all the places they’ll go. We wish you all the best and will be cheering you on as you venture into the world! •