Burke.Word

American Heritage Dictionary (twisted version) defines “Edmundification” as: “Instruction especially so as to encourage intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement with respect to someone or something related to the Edmund Burke School.” (Quick!  Submit it to Urban Dictionary).

More specifically, Edmundification is Burke.Word‘s weekly look inside the heart and mind of one of the many celebrities of the Burke community.  Patterned on Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire, we ask residents of BurkeWorld — teachers, students, parents, alumni, pets — 15 semi-incriminating questions (or more if they exhibit some resistance to the idea) which they answer… or else.  Think of it as what you might get if you combined PBS’s Inside the Actor’s Studio with gossip rag TMZ.

Daniel Runs Through Our Questions (12/8/10) – Consider it a miracle of Chanukkah –  Daniel Running, English Dept. Chair, agreed to virtually sit down for a bit of Edmundification.  We were finishing work on Michelle’s Edmundification, when she secretly emailed to say that Daniel wouldn’t say no if asked to answer a few questions.  This felt somewhat similar to how Rolling Stone must feel when told that Bob Dylan is ready for another interview.  We immediately fired off the questions.  The answers came back almost instantaneously.  Seriously.  It was almost like he had been working on them ahead of time.  Nah, couldn’t be.

Michelle Solves Equations for Burke.Word (11/11/10) – Math whiz, Michelle Johncock, has said that, although she loves to run, she won’t do more than a half marathon.  Burke.Word finds this hard to believe, because Michelle does nothing half way.  If you are in battle, on the soccer field or against an algebraic equation, you want Michelle on your side.  No matter the size of the opponent or the odds, she comes armed and ready to “throw down” with the same clarity of purpose, energy and fearlessness (trust me, I’ve seen what she’s done to much larger, hairier soccer opponents). Want more proof, check out the slideshow of Michelle performing the alternate story of the 3 Little Pigs.  Or you can take a look at how easily she dispatched the following marathon of questions (in minutes, btw)!

The Organization Does a Self Edmundification (7/8/10) – Koaly subjects The Organization to the unblinking eye of Edmundification.

Check out all the strips here.

Edmundification Learns the Meaning of Jmawesome (6/30/10) – Burke.Word loves words.  So, it was with great interest that Burke.Word listened to the Graduation speech of Jmaw Moses (’10), who rose to define for gathered friends and family the meaning, application and etymology of a powerful, new word that has been added permanently to the Burke lexicon.  Take a look at his Edmundification below, and you’ll get a sense of what it means to be caring, authentic, willing, funny, and fully engaged… what it means to be “Jmawesome!”

James Angarola’s Sideburns Talk Out of Both Sides of His Mouth (6/16/10)- Burke.Word first met James Angarola (Burke ’10) along with Ms. Burke.Word 15 or so years ago.  We were watching the Burke.Word kidlets at Lincoln Park on Capitol Hill, when we first spied James and his 2 year-old twin, John, dressed in matching red liederhosen-like shorts with big white buttons, running around the park like they owned the joint.  After much water passed had under many bridges, James made his way to Burke – and over time he came to move around the school like he owned the joint.  With his sense of humor, his sense of caring,  his willingness to connect to others, and his uncanny ability to be a good friend (not to mention his possession of those big red furry caterpillars he calls sideburns on either side of his face) – he now walks away after his graduation 2 weeks ago owning the keys to the heart of Burke.

Kristin Wallace Takes the Stage (5/26/10) – A few weeks ago, Kristin took the stage and unleashed an uncompromising version of Santogold’s L.E.S. Artistes, lighting the chorus like a fuse:
I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up
If I could stand up mean for the things that I believe
And the audience believed it – ‘cause she meant it. On another stage, as Officer Lockstock in Urinetown, she captured a character that is, at once, dangerously funny, humorously viscous and sincerely cynical, wielding her joke lines like a scalpel that leaves the mark of a night stick. She’s alive with a 5000 volt smile.  She’s as authentic as a lightening bolt.  But best of all, we can “affirm” that “K-Wall” is an all-time Burke.Word family favorite.

Edmundification Has Words With Adam Johnson (4/26/10) – Something of a Prodigal (and prodigious) Student, Adam left Burke for a year in his 9th Grade.  Lucky for Burke, after this mysterious year in the educational wilderness, he returned in 10th Grade for the balance of his High School years.  Given that one of his many interests is linguistics, Burke.Word needed to have a word with Adam before he left again – this time for college.  In this way – we could preserve what is on his mind and the tip of his tongue to guide future Burke generations who, like Adam, want to define their own, independent meaning of “success” in high school.

Kathleen Poses for Edmundification (4/13/10) – Kathleen DiBello is yoga master to the 6th grade and the rest of the Burke community.  Our quiet yogi of the classroom, however assumes the ‘raging bull’ pose on the soccer field with Burke soccer team, Ceviche.  Kathleen found the time to ‘pose’ for Burke.Word – as she says, here ya go:

JHart Enters the Ring (3/18/10) – Edmundification takes Jesse Hart… to the mats.  Burke.Word doesn’t take this match “lightly” — Jesse, a Senior, led the Burke wrestling team and is a 2009 All DC grappler.  In fact, dear reader, Jesse, in true Hulk Hogan fashion, challenges Ramaz to a cage match below.  Never one to directly avoid a challenge, Ramaz prefers to subtly change the subject and note that JHart, one of 3 Burke boys, brings the same Hoganesque frenzy to his work in the Burke community and the classroom.

Nigel in Bronze (3/11/10) – Nigel Hinshelwood, Academic Dean, literature instructor & maven, storyteller, guitar player, author of Losing the Bronze, pool, darts & card shark (well, an all-around shark), mechanic of engines and ideas, and overall spiritual master of the EBS dōjō.