The Beacon

JR expects to remove portable trailers next year

Grace Harscheid, Contributor • November 25, 2024

Jackson-Reed’s portable trailers are expected to leave next year, three years after their installation in September 2022. The portables were originally introduced to reduce overcrowding, an issue that...

New security policy causes delays

Edith Corrigan Conaty, Managing Editor • November 25, 2024

On the morning of November 12, as school started, a long line of students formed at Jackson-Reed’s main entrance due to a new security policy. For the time being, students must take their laptops out...

Ranked-choice voting passes in the District

Cole Zich, Written Content Editor • November 25, 2024

In the 2024 election, DC passed Initiative 83, a ballot measure establishing ranked choice voting and open primaries, both of which will take effect in June 2026. With over 70% of the vote, the initiative...

Pandas return to National Zoo

Brookelyn Lee, Contributor • November 25, 2024

On October 15, after an 8,000-mile journey from China, two giant pandas arrived at Dulles International Airport on a FedEx cargo plane. The pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, will make their public debut at...

SGA holds drives and fundraisers for charity

Devan Mehta, News Editor • November 25, 2024

At Jackson-Reed, the holiday season is all about giving back! Throughout November and December, there will be numerous opportunities for JR students to give back to their community through school-affiliated...

Dispensary to open in Tenleytown

Gil Leifman and Arden Luckett • November 25, 2024

A medical cannabis dispensary is set to open on Wisconsin Avenue by December 1. The shop will take the place of the National Diving Center Scuba store at 4932 Wisconsin Avenue. This will be the first licensed...

Federal aid application delayed for second year

Sofija Petronyte, Contributor • November 25, 2024

The release of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form used by seniors and college students across the nation is delayed from October 1 until December 1 for the second year in a row....

Portables breached on Halloween

Isadora Groves and Gil Leifman • November 25, 2024

On Halloween night, two unidentified costumed individuals broke into Jackson-Reed’s portable trailers. They left after a few minutes of tampering with school property, and nothing of significant value...

Class size disparities impact staff and students

Henry Brylawski, Contributor • November 25, 2024

During the first six weeks of this school year, extreme under- and over-enrollment in core classes impacted both Jackson-Reed students and teachers, leaving many students in courses they didn’t select,...

“We Won’t Go Back”: JR senior Edie Young speaks at the Women’s March

Edith Corrigan Conaty, Managing Editor • November 11, 2024

A crowd roared with cheers and applause after senior Edie Young said “We aren’t just here to be controlled like objects—we are human and we are here to make a difference” at the Women’s March...

Jackson-Reed test scores improve, District scores continue to suffer post-pandemic

Cole Zich, Written Content Editor • October 21, 2024

Last school year, DCPS introduced Comprehensive Assessments of Progress in Education (CAPE) testing, replacing the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers as the city-wide standardized...

Students banned from “senior steps” during the school day

Landon Green, Contributor • October 21, 2024

During the first senior town hall of the 2024-25 school year, administration announced that sitting on the “senior steps” in the atrium is banned. Principal Sah Brown said that the biggest factors...