Posted in Activism, Burke y El Mundo, Community, Performing Arts, Science on March 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Just saw the Falls Church premiere of I AM http://iamthedoc.com/ . Check it out. Will be at E Street starting Friday. Heart-centered it had all my favorites: Thomas Merton, Albert Einstein, Desmond Tutu, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, and new insights on how we are biologically and spiritually hard-wired for cooperation.
iamthedoc.com
Posted in Activism, Community, Education, journalism on February 10, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Reggie was interviewed by Teaching Tolerance Magazine, and he discussed Burke’s role in celebrating International Abolition Day last year in conjunction with the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation. He is quoted throughout the article and the reporter included details about the efforts of our students to recognize the plight of victims of slave trafficking.
This is what the author wrote, “At last year’s International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, students at Edmund Burke presented a range of co-curricular projects. In one math class, high school students conducted a statistical analysis of slavery today. One student recited a poem on the theme of human bondage. Another produced a DVD of digital images featuring women and children enslaved around the world. Others created pamphlets and handed them out on the streets of Washington, D.C., to educate passersby to the suffering of 21st century slaves.
Click Here to read the article.
Check out our blog post on Abolition Day at Burke.
Posted in Activism on October 25, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Make sure you check out Burke’s Facebook Page for great photos of today’s Homeless Walk by the entire school. If it’s your first visit to our Facebook page – make sure that you “Like” it – so that other cool updates show up in your newsfeed.
Posted in Activism, Community, History on October 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
For Human rights today is a HUGE day in history. U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips orders an immediate Injunction on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
You can read the full New York Times Article Here
The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy prohibits the military from asking about the sexual orientation of service members but bans those who are openly gay. Under the 1993 policy, service men and women who acknowledge being gay or are discovered engaging in homosexual activity, even in the privacy of their own homes off base, are subject to discharge.
lots of articles out there on this today. There is, of course the possibility this will be overturned, or something else will happen, but it’s an exciting step forward anyway!
Posted in Activism, Community, Culture on October 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Is today!Posted in Activism, Community, Community Service, David on October 7, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Recently in Assembly David S. showed the school this video that Ellen DeGeneres made about the recent rash of Gay suicides, and GLBT bullying in schools/colleges.
You can read more about these events and the political backlash here…(an associated press article)
I won’t preach about why this is happening, or comment on the sadness of all these events, but instead, I wanted to share a great resource for GLBT Youth, and a place you could donate time or money if you wanted a way to help, or to honor the memory of those we’ve lost in the recent weeks.
The Trevor Project (http://www.thetrevorproject.org/) is an amazing resource. They have a 24 hour / 7 day a week lifeline:
There’s also great resources for suicide prevention, warning signs, lots of local resource information, as well as educational tools, and ways that anyone can volunteer there time or donate money.
As these suicides are making front page news, think about ways, large or small, that you can help make this a safe and loving place for all GLBT youth to live and grow up in.
If these words weren’t convincing enough, here’s some celeb’s plugging the trevor project:
and finally, a video that tells you a little bit about what the trevor project is, and what they do:
Posted in Activism, Community Service on October 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Our 9th grade!
Last Friday, the whole 9th grade class got together to learn about one of DC’s coolest parks while helping clean it up. Working with Parks and People at their Riverside Center, students learned about DC history while putting in some focused work outside. The 9th grade Service Learning programs asks students to reflect on their environment and how they can impact their communities through green living and their carbon footprint. Thanks to the 9th grade team of advisors and parents for a great day of learning and service!
Check out the brick wall from Marvin Gaye’s house!
Click here to check the 100 great(!) photos at BurkePix or just click here to go right to the Slideshow!
Posted in Activism on September 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
When teaching my students about Activism, I often tell them to look beyond the statistics and find the stories-”Who are the people affected?” and “What’s the human cost of the issue?”. As I begin teaching Artivism-Moving Image this trimester, I will ask my students to create documentaries on social issues they care about.
Part of being a teacher is modeling for students what I expect, and so this summer I took a trip of my own to find stories about the human cost of war and nuclear weapons. There is no better example of the effects and dangers of nuclear war than Hiroshima, Japan.
With a grant from Fund for Teachers, I traveled to Japan for two weeks to meet with two Hibakusha (literally “explosion affected people”) and the footage I collected will be made into a movie with the help of my students in Artivism-Moving Image. I also spent two days in the Hiroshima Memorial Museum, learning more about Hiroshima through stories and artifacts. I learned that the issue of nuclear weapons is complex and difficult, but that the clear bottom line is that we can never again repeat Hiroshima. Witnessing the effects of the bombing, in terms of stories of pain and survival, have brought me to a new level of awareness with teaching Activism and helping students understand the realities and costs of war..
Posted in Activism, Community, Community Service, Senior Projects on May 25, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Our second senior is Lena Walker, who is doing amazing fieldwork/research exploring education and special needs. Here’s her update:
I’ve been meeting some (super) cool people. And I’ve been getting to know a lot about autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities by talking and meeting with parents and students and teachers, and by spending time with researchers.
I’ve spent most of my time at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, with my Great Aunt Martha Denckla (she’s a research scientist there, and a professor of Neurology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the nearby JHU medical school.) I’ve sat in on conferences full of (difficult!) scientific talk and (crazy-freaky) statistical language (hi Rachel!) But everything is really so fascinating once it starts to make sense (Oh, and there’s some good free food.)
Today, Martha was teaching JHU students how to test for executive functioning. She discussed an interesting case of a young boy who was initially diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, but was later diagnosed with minor ADHD and tourette’s (a VERY unusual case…) Anyway, I’ll have lots to talk about for my presentation. Missing Burke, and can’t wait to see everyone soon.
Posted in Activism, Community, Community Service, Senior Projects on May 24, 2010 | 1 Comment »
With graduation just days away, all the rites of passages begin…Senior Prank (see below), Senior Trip, Senior Send-off…and now, a new offering:
SENIOR PROJECTS!
For two weeks after AP’s, seniors can now choose to undertake their own self-designed adventures. In its pilot year, 5 brave seniors have decided to be the pioneers in what will hopefully become another Burke tradition.
All this week we’ll be highlighting each of the Senior Project Seniors and their amazing work.
First up: Michael Curcio working with F.O.R.C.E. (Friends of Rock Creek Environment)
In his own words:
“For my senior project, I am working for Friends of Rock Creek Environment (FORCE) in Chevy Chase D.C. I have been working on a video that discusses the groups construction of a Rain Garden at Chevy Chase Library. Rain gardens help absorb rain water so it does not go straight into Rock Creek, which carries trash and pollutants. During the project I have spent time filming in Rock Creek and have learned much about the environment and watershed there. When I complete the video, it will be posted to the blog.”
Here’s some more info about F.O.R.C.E.
Friends of Rock Creek’s Environment (FORCE) is a nonprofit organization working in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., to protect and restore Rock Creek. Since its founding in 2005, FORCE has become just that–a force for positive change in the Rock Creek watershed.
Posted in Activism, Community Service, Environment, History on March 26, 2010 | 1 Comment »
On our last night in New Orleans, the 19 students and 6 faculty of this year’s Service trip are taking some time to reflect on our experiences.
Seeing the lower 9th ward – with some new construction from Habitat for Humanity and the Make it Right Project, but also many houses still in a state of destruction, surrounded by empty lot after empty lot. Experiencing the current state of the bayou, and learning about the costal erosion and the danger the city of New Orleans faces because of it.
Dana Brozost-Kelleher and Iman Abdul-Ali playing in the school yard with students.
Remember playing at recess with students of Mcdonogh 42, a charter school in the Treme area who’s students were all affected by Katrina in one way or another, and building them a rooftop garden to enjoy.
As all of the students experienced through group work, it’s difficult to even think about losing your family, your most treasured possessions, and the house you grew up in. Looking around at the destruction and emptiness that still exists in the city is the reason we’re here, and the reason we need to keep coming back, and keep contributing as much time as we can, to help rebuild a city rich with culture, diversity, and history.
the BURKE 2010 NOLA team leaning up against a newly cemented levee wall in the Lower 9th Ward.
Posted in Activism, Community Service, Education, Environment on March 26, 2010 | 1 Comment »
I’m writing from the McKendrick-Breaux House, the B&B the 2010 NOLA trip is staying at in the beautiful Garden District. It’s been an amazing trip (i’ll be sure you all get to see some of the 100′s of photos we’ve taken along the way) but I wanted to highlight one event we had yesterday, that changed my context for this trip, and the events of Katrina and the Levees Breaking.
Yesterday we met with author and playwright John Biguenet. I know him from working on one of his plays two years ago, Rising Water. He, and his family, live in New Orleans, and although they left just before the storm, he came back about four weeks later when the NY Times invited him to be their first ever guest columnist and asked him to document the state of the city. He did so in a series of blogs and videos you can find HERE
Among the many great and informative things he had to say, he really put in context what actually happened. He diagrams where the storm actually hit, and how New Orleans was completely passed over and left with little damage until hours later when the levees broke. He explained how the levee’s should have been 60′ deep but instead they were anywhere between 4′ and 20′ deep, and that while the Army Core of Engineers admitted fault (hidden in a 6,000 page document several years later) they still have not done anything tangible to rectify the situation.
One of the most eye-opening things he had to say was how, as a writer, it was his job to help the american people find a context to understand what had happened. Paraphrasing what he said: America has no ability to really understand the almost-full destruction of a city, as it’s something we’ve never had to deal with. The area affected by the levees breaking is (5?) times the size of Manhattan, making this man-made disaster much larger than anything we’ve ever seen on our land before. Europeans understood because they’ve seen their cities destroyed many times in history. We’ve never rebuilt an entire major metropolitan city before, both culturally, and physically, so how can we understand what that takes?
It was a really inspiring two-hour discussion we had with him, and definitely a moment that changed the trip for me, and my context for what really happened.
Posted in Activism, Community, Performing Arts on March 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
On Friday, March 5th, Edmund Burke School hosted the D.C. premiere of the film, “Prep School Negro”, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center as part of its Intersections New America Arts Festival. Members of the Burke community as well as others from area independent schools attended the event.
The film focuses on the experiences of a young African-American boy, Andre Robert Lee, who was raised in a poor, inner-city neighborhood in Philadelphia, and gains admission to a prestigious, predominately-White prep school in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lee’s experience alienates him from his family and from his friends back in his old neighborhood. He struggles with his racial identity and social class issues throughout his time as a prep student. Lee returns to his alma mater many years later to discover that many of the African-American students who now attend this same school are still fighting the same battles that he once faced.
Our panel of seven African-American students from local independent schools explored the issues of: race, social class, family, friends, and social interactions during our post-film discussion. Representing Burke was Imani Poindexter, currently in her sophomore year, and Jonathan Goodell, who is completing his junior year. Although the students came from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, their stories were similar as they each spoke about life in their respective school communities. Among some of their concerns were: the small number of minority students and teachers in the schools, social acceptance by their friends outside of school, a curriculum and social environment that is more racially and culturally diverse and inclusive.
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