The thing that stays with alumni the most is almost always their school’s culture: the seasoning to a school’s basic education that connects the student body and creates lasting memories of the place they’ve spent four years.
Many elements make up a school’s culture, which can vary from the teachers at the time to yearly traditions and sports events. School culture also shifts and reflects the world at the time, especially at a school that was once an all-white school named after the 28th president of the US, Woodrow Wilson.
In September 1955, following the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, Wilson was integrated for the first time. In the early 1950s, 99% of Wilson students were white, but, following a successful campaign for racial integration led by the district, the school’s demographics changed vastly, with 17% of the student body being white by 1980. Today, the student body is roughly 36% white, but the culture roughly remains unchanged. It’s hard to imagine a version of Jackson-Reed that doesn’t hold immense pride in its diversity. This sentiment was marked by the school’s name change in 2022, in which students rallied to memorialize black voices in Vincent Reed and Edna Jackson (the first African American principal and teacher), rather than a racist former president who did not fit the school’s culture or values.
Other changes include our school’s culture surrounding sports. 1970 graduate Joan Dyer recalled attending football games on Friday afternoons in the school’s stadium. Peter Clendenin, who graduated in 1963, had the opportunity to attend more than just a football game at Wilson, citing the DC Schoolboy Football Championship in 1962 as his favorite sports memory from his time at Wilson. That year, DC hosted the city championships at RFK Memorial Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, drawing an estimated 50,000 fans to watch as Eastern took on St John’s. While Wilson wasn’t in the championships, it’s safe to say that there was a different level of commitment and investment to DCIAA football than was displayed by high school classes of the past.
Despite several huge changes in the past, Jackson-Reed culture at its core has continued throughout the decades. The Beacon surveyed student memories of Wilson alumni, and every class of students enjoyed similar past times: attending sports events, hanging out in Tenley, and listening to music. Each grade has had its go-to pizza place for lunch. In 1979, according to Donna Harris, “Starving Steves” was the best option for a lunch-time slice. Now most source their pizza from Whole Foods (or Dominos if they’re extra hungry); either way, JR pizza appreciation remains strong. 1983 graduate, Marcia Green, also shared lunchtime memories with us, mentioning the fun had in Uno Tournaments held in the cafeteria. These Uno tournaments were the equivalent of intramural basketball and soccer games currently popular at JR. Nevertheless, both tournaments mark a culture of friendly competition at Wilson and JR as a way to have fun and bring students closer. Both alumni also shouted out “The Horseshoe,” which was widely accepted as the best spot to enjoy lunch.
Teachers and students’ appreciation for their work continues to be a large part of JR culture. Teacher Edna Burke Jackson has been memorialized by Wilson students forever through the school’s renaming. Alumnus Tim Hannapel, class of 1977, still sees Jackson as the best teacher he ever had, and Jackson was where he got his love of history from.
JR is no longer the same school it was when it was founded in 1935. Two world wars and 14 presidents later, JR has had multiple identities and cultures; at the heart of JR culture, though, remains the student body and their dedication to the community. Whether it is participation in sporting events, student-organized tournaments, or simply an investment in their education fostered by our teachers, JR’s culture has forever been fondly remembered by the student body. •