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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

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor

  • 2022-23: Section Copy Editor
  • 2023-24: Features Editor
  • 2024-25: Managing Editor
All content by Dani Wallace
Hispanic heritage at JR

Hispanic heritage at JR

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor October 15, 2024

Jackson-Reed celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with halls adorned with decor. Across the city, festivals, live musical performances, and traditional folk dance filled out the event calendar. Hispanic...

The value of extracurriculars

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor October 15, 2024

As high schoolers, we are constantly pulled in many different directions. Whether that be athletically, academically, or otherwise, the way people spend their time matters so much with only a handful of...

Plus one: teachers return to school after parental leave

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor October 15, 2024

Being able to take an extended break from school is something most students dream for. Staff have this ability, most commonly for parental leave.  Since 2014, DCPS has allowed teachers to take eight...

JR celebra el Mes de la Herencia Hispana

Dani Wallace and Arden Luckett October 15, 2024

Jackson-Reed esta celebrando el Mes de la Herencia Hispana a través de varios eventos y decoraciones alrededor de la escuela. En DC, el mes marca cuatro semanas llenas de festivales, actuaciones musicales...

UNITED FRONT - Jackson-Reed teachers pose in their WTU shirts.

Washington Teachers’ Union to vote on five-year contract

Dani Wallace and Gil Leifman October 15, 2024

After operating under an expired contract for a year, the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) reached a tentative agreement for a five-year contract with DCPS. “We had to go through the whole contract...

JR BOWLING STRIKES AGAIN- Head bowling coach Rebecca Bradshaw-Smith and the team pose at the bowling lanes. This is the 12th year a bowling team has been hosted at JR.

Girls bowling: an underground success

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor October 15, 2024

Fact: one of the most successful sports teams at Jackson-Reed each year is girls bowling. Being held at JR for the past 11 years, bowling has continually been leaps and bounds above their competition,...

History made: JR alum Maisie Derlega wins national Doodle for Google competition

History made: JR alum Maisie Derlega wins national Doodle for Google competition

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor June 28, 2024

With thousands of applicants from around the nation, only one for Google’s prestigious Doodle for Google comes out on top. The winner for this year's competition was none other than recently graduated...

Class of 2024 leaves their mark with senior assassin

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor June 11, 2024

No, we’re not trying to start a new trend and no, we’re not joining the swim team. Once you are at our grown age, you will understand the art of the senior assassin and the vital use of swimming goggles....

Changes in school budget force 30 staff cuts

Despite a budget increase, Jackson-Reed is cutting more than 30 staff positions next school year. Reductions include eight full-time teachers, social-emotional and classroom support, administrative officers,...

Top three girls sports moments this year

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor June 11, 2024

1. Volleyball finishes dominant season as DCIAA champions and DCSAA runner-up: Entering both the DCIAA and DCSAA tournaments as the number one seeded team, the varsity volleyball team did not disappoint....

Maisie Derlega’s artwork wins regional Doodle for Google competition

Maisie Derlega’s artwork wins regional Doodle for Google competition

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor May 22, 2024

On Monday, May 20, senior Maisie Derlega and her respective artwork entered in the national Doodle for Google competition were celebrated for winning Washington DC’s regional contest in the matrium....

How I got recruited to Elon University

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor May 3, 2024

When I first touched a volleyball seven years ago, I immediately knew I wanted to play the sport in college. This past March, I committed to Elon University to continue my academic career and play D1 volleyball. The...

The Young Woman’s Project: empowering and educating DC youth

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor April 15, 2024

During Women’s History Month, it remains crucial to recognize that young women are the future of womanhood. One of Jackson-Reed’s Community Based Organization connections, the Young Women’s Project...

Changes in school budget will impact students and staff

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor March 29, 2024

Jackson-Reed’s initial budget allocation for the 2024-25 school year increased 3 percent to $29.5 million but falls over $2 million short of supporting the current school arrangement.  According...

In-school fighting down 60 percent

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor February 13, 2024

The number of physical altercations at Jackson-Reed has significantly decreased this school year.  One of the most frequent causes of fights is disagreements between students. Ranging from simple difference...

Jackson-Reed se enfoca en manejar peleas a través del personal de Cultura y Clima

Dani Wallace and Clara Durante February 13, 2024

  Comparativamente al año escolar anterior, el número de altercados físicos en Jackson-Reed ha disminuido significativamente. Una de las causas más frecuentes de peleas son desacuerdos entre...

OPENING REMARKS - Athletic Director Patrice Arrington opened the fall  sports award banquet on November 16. Each coach gave four awards to athletes on their respective teams.

Seasonal endings: fall sports award banquet

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor December 18, 2023

On November 16, student-athletes and coaching staff from all ten fall sports teams gathered in the auditorium to celebrate and commemorate the dedication of their athletes throughout the fall season. As...

Blast from the past Library of Congress photos display student life

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor December 18, 2023

In 1943, a little-known photographer Esther Bubley entered Woodrow Wilson High School and captured exactly what life was like at the time. In the collection, which can be found on the Library of Congress...

100 word rants: Froyo, steps, tummy

Devan Mehta, Adler Amolsch, and Dani Wallace November 21, 2023

Froyo If you are an insanely cool person like myself, there is one truth about the world that you cannot deny: froyo is better than ice cream. It just is. But that is not what I am here to rant about...

Walking in: office or closet?

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor November 21, 2023

Walking into school from the pool entrance, out of the corner of your eye, you see a door labeled “Mary’s Office.” “How can that be an office?” you wonder.  Its inhabitant is school-based...

JR adds new College Board AP Precalculus course

JR adds new College Board AP Precalculus course

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor November 21, 2023

Jackson-Reed High School is offering AP Precalculus for the first time this year along with other schools throughout the country. The course has been in development since 2021. According to CollegeBoard,...

Patrice Arrington returns to JR as Athletic Director

Patrice Arrington returns to JR as Athletic Director

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor October 11, 2023

Once a Tiger, always a Tiger. This year, the Jackson-Reed community welcomed back Patrice Arrington as she stepped into the position of Athletic Director. A highly decorated recruit out of local Oxon...

Students face pressure to perform rather than relax over their summers

Students face pressure to perform rather than relax over their summers

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor July 19, 2023

With the end of the school year in sight, it is hard to ignore the freedom of impending summer. Nice weather, time off from school, and a few dollars in your pocket are surely enough to coax you out of...

Jackson-Reed dean gives insight to graduating senior attending her alma mater

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor July 19, 2023

Taking a much needed sigh of relief as the college season rolls to a halt, seniors around the country are taking the opportunity before graduation to reflect on their high school experience. After all,...

A blast from the past: corporal punishment at Jackson-Reed

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor March 25, 2023

When students stepped out of line, how were they punished? Back in the day, spanking was a popular choice for students of all ages.  To look into past punitive approaches, we are jumping back to March...

Beacon throwback: eclectic electives

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor March 10, 2023

In 1963, being a Wilsonite was the pride and joy of the city. Nowadays, it’s fair to say that that assessment hasn’t changed. The school still has a wide range of things to be proud of, namely academics,...

Jackson-Reed’s academies aim even higher

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor March 10, 2023

In such a large learning environment, it’s difficult to meet people who have similar aspirations. To combat this, Jackson-Reed offers a great number of academies, which aim to provide students with more...

Sporting events need to be pushed to out of school hours

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor March 10, 2023

You’re sitting in third period, but your mind is on the court, envisioning the final score of the upcoming game. You already told your teacher that you’re leaving an hour before dismissal, but as you...

January Spread

January Spread

Click here to read!

Beacon Throwback: Overcrowding Edition

Dani Wallace and Eli Schwartz January 30, 2023

In 1935, the Beacon began as a passion project of news and gossip relating to Woodrow Wilson High School. Since then, the community has seen 87 years of culture and history written down onto a detailed...

From Boston to DC: Ms. Bryant brings her positive perspective to Jackson-Reed 

Dani Wallace  and Angelina Payz-Peña  January 24, 2023

  The 2022-23 school year marks social studies teach Ashley Bryant’s first year in DC’s public school system. Travel all the way to the B wing and her bright personality will be hard to miss. Bryant...

College commitments: A Beacon Throwback

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor January 24, 2023

The Beacon was established by students of then Woodrow Wilson High School in 1935, headlining news and gossip relating to the school community. 87 years later, the past papers serve as a time-machine,...

Former Saint Johns athlete allegedly verbally abused at BYU volleyball game

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor October 17, 2022

Duke University sophomore volleyball player Rachel Richardson was allegedly called racial slurs while participating in a game at and against Brigham Young University on August 26th. Richardson graduated...

Editorial: MaxPreps ranking system harms student-athletes

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor March 30, 2022

MaxPreps is the system that most states use to rank and compare high school sports teams. The flaws within its ranking system have significant consequences for student athletes and their teams.  Locally,...

Sha’carri Richardson scandal highlights racism in Olympic Games

Dani Wallace, Managing Editor March 30, 2022

15-year-old Olympic Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva competed under accusations of using banned substances. The circumstances of the case raised several accusations from American sprinter Sha'carri...

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