From clock thieves to fist fights at protests to painting the roof of the school, Jackson-Reed, then Woodrow Wilson, has had its fair share of scandals and wild rumors.

One Monday morning in 1964, former principal James W. Suber looked up on his way into school and realized something was missing: the clock. The very same clock tower that still graces our building today was, for a short period, completely devoid of a clock. Two Woodrow Wilson seniors had broken in around 1 a.m. to take the clock. It took the students six hours to bring the clock down 60 feet from the top of the tower to the third floor. They took the clock’s face, hands, and motor, which totaled around 60 pounds. Suber involved the police in a hunt around DC for the clock and an investigation of two student-suspects. The suspects had hidden the clock in some nearby woods, where a Q Street resident, Clinton Ward, later found the motor. After reading about the clock theft in the Washington Post, he notified the police. Before Ward’s discovery, Wilson students swamped the police with calls, some suggesting that the thief was from Western High School, Wilson’s rival, or the fraternities that Wilson had. Others just called the police to ask for the time. Eventually, the two seniors admitted to the police and Principal Suber to stealing the clock. 

Another Wilson prank, albeit a more common occurrence, was a senior class painting their graduation year on the roof of the school. Donna Harris, a Wilson alumna from 1979, recalled the event, mentioning, “I know who painted ‘1979’ on the roof of the school weeks before graduation! Precisely, the roof facing the football field and Nebraska Ave for the world to see! I know – I married them in 2023.” The roof was painted again in the 90s, and it was an annual tradition until about 2009. While this was a sweet class tradition, it may be for the better that it ended, as climbing to the roof isn’t the safest idea. 

Practical jokes aside, JR has a rich history in student activism and has experienced some conflicts because of it. In 1971, students were divided over the Vietnam War. Of the 1,570 students Wilson enrolled, 600 were involved in confrontations with one another. There were protests with hundreds of students who opposed the war, rallying with posters that had peace and anti-draft slogans written on them. Students tore up posters and burned pamphlets of the students who had opposing ideas. Supporters of the war even broke a table that held anti-war literature. Numerous smoke bombs were detonated, eventually leading to police intervention. It took around an hour for the crowd to dissipate. Before the protests began, school officers had confiscated numerous eggs and tomatoes to prevent their use during the protest. 

These protests represent a dedication to uplifting student voices that has continued into our community today, as shown in our recent ICE walkout and the 2014 protest against Hillsboro Baptist Church. However, our protests have turned more peaceful and lack the police presence that previous decades featured. 

It’s important to remember the colorful background that Jackson-Reed is part of. By searching through stories of past alumni and old news, it’s possible to gather information about our area, school, and fellow graduates who passed through the same halls that we do today. As a community, we must continue the traditions and legacy of students of past classes, including senior pranks and standing up for what students of JR believe in, no matter the controversy that might follow. •