Washington, D.C

DC students display art skills at special ‘Culture on the Corner’ showcase – WTOP News

Published

6 months ago

September 13, 2025

DC students display art skills at special ‘Culture on the Corner’ showcase – WTOP News

Students and alumni from D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts are preparing for a special showcase as part of D.C.’s Art All Night festival.

Layla Bunch may only be 17 years old, but she has already accomplished more than many her age could ever dream. She attends the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Northwest D.C. as an opera singer and music theater student.

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DC students bring together music, art and fashion to special art showcase

She recently returned from Europe, where she and other students performed opera in France and Italy, including at the 1,000th anniversary of Our Lady of Chartres Cathedral in France.

“While we were performing there, our voices just rang throughout the cathedral, and it was just so beautiful and so touching,” Bunch said. “While I was in Italy, we were studying at an opera school, and we were five out of six of the youngest people there.”

Bunch was one of several Duke students preparing to perform Saturday for the “Culture on the Corner” showcase, which is part of D.C.’s Art All Night festival. The showcase brings together students and alumni from the art school to perform music, visual art and spoken word.

This year’s edition features a special performance with Bunch, joined by Grammy-winning artists Headliner and Rasa Don, of the hip-hop band Arrested Development, as well as harmonica virtuoso Frédéric Yonnet.

‘Opera is the base’

“Ever since I was younger, I’ve loved performing, and I’ve loved watching performances,” Bunch said.

Her journey began in the sixth grade after a teacher asked her to sing an opera song for a good grade. The teacher then recommended that she apply to Duke.

“Opera is the base of all music, kind of like ballet is the base of all dances, and Shakespeare is the base of all theater,” Bunch said. “It’s one of the main things that you need to learn.”

While she is taking advantage of all the opportunities that Duke has helped her achieve, she still has more goals to pursue. Bunch said she still has objectives to complete unrelated to her music career.

“I really do want to go to college so I can again learn and gain new experiences, because you truly never stop learning,” she said, adding that the European trip gave her a “head start” to dorm life.

Exhibition life

Sasha Goecke, 16, loves being creative. She told WTOP that she can put together jewelry and clothing, as well as write, draw, paint and take photographs.

As part of the showcase, she created two fashion pieces that will be on display in “The Adolescent Perspective” exhibit. Goecke first created a ski mask, also known as a “Sheisty,” out of rubber bands. She also created a Met Gala-style gown made entirely of soda tabs she had been collecting since the fifth grade.

“I watched this movie about Joan of Arc, and she had chain mail on,” Goecke said. “I thought it was really interesting how the metal linked together, and I wanted to try and recreate that.”

Alum Cire Wilson discovered his love for photography while attending Duke. Now, alongside fellow Duke alumnus Locke Randall, they are the founders of photography company Elemental Studios.

Work created in collaboration with student muralist Benjamin “Benji” Rivera will be featured at D.C.’s “Culture on the Corner” showcase. (Courtesy Elemental Studios)

The duo first created at the Anacostia Arts Center before bringing it to the Saturday event. Now, they hope to build new relationships to continue living out their artistic dreams.

“(Photography) just became a passion where I can express myself and my views through a lens,” Wilson said, who added he hopes his art will keep him connected to his D.C. roots.

“It started from being in yearbook and just doing little shoots from here and there, doing events and doing just stuff around the school,” Randall said. “But I fell in love with it, so I wanted to pursue it. I knew in my heart that I was an artist at heart.”

Meanwhile, as Arrested Development and Yonnet finish their rehearsal on Friday night, Benjamin “Benji” Rivera, 16, strokes his paintbrush up against a wall where he is making his first mural.

Generally used to paint on canvases, Rivera said his goal was to show iconic events, such as the H Street Festival, in full color.

“I typically like to do stuff like this, where it’s leading heavy more into the color, and kind of bending more like the representational and making it playful and just more childlike,” he said.

The student hopes not only to build connections through his work but to find opportunities outside the norm. Instead of one canvas that a collector could purchase, Rivera wants to create art that “everybody could appreciate it.”

“My hope is to just like reach out and touch places that don’t really necessarily get recognized or get appreciated,” Rivera said. “Just have working spaces there to just brighten it up.”

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Washington, D.C

Storm Team4 forecast, Enjoy a pleasant start to the week with temperatures in the 70s

Published

3 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Storm Team4 forecast, Enjoy a pleasant start to the week with temperatures in the 70s

4 things to know about the weather:

“May” not “March” for now
Next rain late Wednesday, Thursday
Back to average by Friday
Much colder next Week

The warmer weather we’ve waited months for will be with us for only three more days before the March Lion starts to roar again.

Monday and Tuesday will be the best days of the week by far. Sunny skies and temperatures running 20-25° above average. Plan for highs reaching the low 70s Monday and near 80° on Tuesday.

A series of cold fronts later in the week will send temperatures back to average 54° by the end of the week and then well below average for most of next week.

Clouds will return by Wednesday morning and rain chances will arrive no later than sunset. Wednesday will still be close to 80° and have our first taste of humidity in a while. Rain is likely from Wednesday evening through noon on Thursday as our first cold front arrives.

Thursday’s highs, likely near 70°, will occur before sunrise but gusty northwest winds will have temperatures falling steadily throughout the day. Expect temperatures in the 50s, rain for the morning commute and 40s with rain ending for the ride home.

Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.

Warm streak won’t last long

The good news is that Friday and the upcoming weekend look dry. Highs will be back in the mid-50s for Friday and Saturday but Sunday should get back into the mid-60s.

Another cold front will arrive early next week leading to temperatures running 10-15° below average. It’s also not entirely out of the question that there could be a wet snowflake or two on St. Patrick’s Day.

The return of the cold air next week will keep the cherry trees at bay so the odds of peak bloom occurring in March, like it has the last five to six years in a row, are looking slim at best.

QuickCast

MONDAY:
Mostly Sunny
Nice And Warm
Light Breeze
Wind: Southwest 5-10 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 68° to 74°

MONDAY NIGHT:
Clear Skies
Remaining Mild
Patchy Areas Of Fog
Wind: Variable 5 mph
Chance Of Rain: 0%
LOWS: 46° to 52°

TUESDAY:
Mostly Sunny
Near Record Warmth
Light Breeze
Wind: Southwest 5-10 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 76° to 82°

WEDNESDAY:
Breezy, Warm And Humid
Increasing Clouds
Showers By Evening
Wind: Southwest 10-25mph
Chance of Rain: 40%
HIGHS: 75° to 80°

THURSDAY:
Cloudy, Windy, Much Colder
Rain Likely Before 2pm
Falling Temperatures
Wind: Northwest 20-35 mph
Chance of Rain: 80%
HIGHS: 65° to 45°

Sunrise: 7:29 Sunset: 7:09
Average High: 54° Average Low: 37°

Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.

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Washington, D.C

Storm Team4 Forecast: Warm weather on the way with rain later in week

Published

15 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

4 things to know about the weather:

Feeling more like spring and summer over the next 72 hours.
Monday and Tuesday will feature plenty of sunshine.
Almost humid and definitely warm with strong storms possible on Wednesday.
Rain with falling temperatures and windchill in the low 40s on Thursday.

Happy daylight saving! Today was this year’s first sunset after 7 p.m. — 7:08 p.m. to be exact.

For the rest of the evening, expect clear skies, although there could be an isolated shower, especially south and east of the D.C. area.

Monday will be a beautiful day with temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s with plenty of sunshine.

Tuesday will get to around 80°. That could break a record of 79° sit back in 2016. Expect sunshine and dry conditions

By Wednesday, there is a possibility for severe storms in the afternoon and evening, but temperatures will once again approach 80°. Heavy rain and winds are the main thing to watch out for.

A pretty strong cold front will push through the area Thursday morning. That will bring some steady moderate rain to our area on Thursday. Temperatures will only be in the 50s, but the average high temperature for this time of year is also in the 50s, so this is actually closer to normal.

Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.

QuickCast

SUNDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear skies
Temps: 60s and 50s

MONDAY
Sunny
HIGHS: Lower 70s

TUESDAY
Partly Sunny
HIGHS: Near 80°

WEDNESDAY
Afternoon and evening storms
HIGHS: Near 80°

THURSDAY
HIGHS: Near 50°

Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.

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Washington, D.C

Students at ease after judge blocks Trump cuts to Upward Bound

Published

2 days ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

Students at ease after judge blocks Trump cuts to Upward Bound

Four years ago, high school senior Aaron O’Brien wouldn’t believe he’d be studying chemistry now. Thanks to the Upward Bound program, that’s not hard to believe anymore.

“Before I came into the program, whew I don’t know who that man was,” O’Brien said.

Through free tutoring, test prep and college visits weekly, Upward Bound has helped millions of students like O’Brien, who attends McKinley Tech High School, pursue higher education.

The program is coordinated by colleges like George Washington University.

“The program has really expanded my vision for the future,” O’Brien said.

He joined Upward Bound as a freshman in high school.

“I never imagined I would be in these spaces and be able to network with so many different people,” he said.

“Upward Bound is basically a family,” said Layla Leiva, a senior at DC International School.

“A lot of us are first generation or low income. My parents do not know what the common app is, or standardized testing, and being able to have students that I can relate to meant the world for me,” she said.

Upward Bound falls under a series of federal TRIO programs funded by the Department of Education. Several programs in the series help veterans, students with disabilities, limited English and those facing foster care and homelessness.

Amid the Trump administration’s overhaul of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (D.E.I.), however, TRIO program funding was slashed because words related to the inclusionary policies were mentioned in its grant applications.

Last fall, a group that advocates for TRIO sued the Department for over $40 million in slashed grants.

Last June, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testified at a Senate budget hearing, saying that TRIO didn’t give her apartment enough oversight.

“I just think that we aren’t able to see the effectiveness across the board that we would normally look to see with our federal spending,” McMahon said at the hearing.

When funding froze, George Washington University paused most of its programing and cut nearly all its staff.

“It was a staff of just me, I was still working with my seniors,” said George Washington’s Upward Bound director, Darrell Thornton.

After growing up in a similar program, Thornton says he wanted to give back.

“I knew I wanted to be that educator that made a difference,” he said.

Earlier this year, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s cuts, restoring funding for the program.

“It kind of felt like I was cut off from my family for a little bit. When we got back, it was like thank God,” Kevin Williams, a junior at Ron Brown Preparatory College High School said.

The university was also able to bring its staff back.

“I’m so relieved to find out this program finally has funding and that this program will continue to support students in the way that it did for me,” Leiva said.

News4 reached out to the Department of Education, but have not heard back.

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