Washington, D.C
Students at Southeast charter school outperformed 75% of DC on citywide math test – WTOP News
Two years ago, leaders at Center City Public Charter School’s Congress Heights campus made a decision to offer more advanced math classes to some of their oldest students.
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Students at Southeast charter school outperformed 75% of DC on citywide math test
Two years ago, leaders at Center City Public Charter School’s Congress Heights campus in D.C. decided to offer more advanced math classes to some of their oldest students.
The choice was complicated, and some educators wondered whether the kids would be ready.
To prepare for the possible change, Principal Niya White and her team visited high schools, both nearby and farther away, to see how algebra was being taught.
In some classrooms, White would see former students sleeping in the back. They were bored or had already finished their work.
For White, that made the choice clear — in order to set students up for success, they needed to expand their offerings so kids felt challenged and engaged by the time they reached high school.
“I’m born and raised here,” White said. “I was given the option of whether to leave Southeast D.C., leave D.C., go off to do things and come back. There are a lot of folks and a lot of students or a lot of families that don’t ever get that option. They’ve got to have it.”
Now, the Southeast D.C. campus is offering pre-algebra to seventh graders and algebra to eighth graders. In the 2024-25 school year, 70% of eighth graders at the school either met or exceeded expectations on the citywide standardized math test.
Education news outlet The 74 first reported that’s a stronger mark than the 64% of eighth graders who met or exceeded expectations in Ward 3. Only one-fourth of all D.C. students did the same.
Jessi Mericola, who teaches seventh and eighth grade math, was one of the educators who considered whether students were ready to make such a significant leap.
Initially, half of the rising eighth graders did an accelerated seventh grade curriculum, and then attended summer school to finish the curriculum so they could take algebra in eighth grade.
This year, for the first time, all of seventh grade is being accelerated so next year, “all of our students will be doing algebra,” Mericola said.
“We found that if we tell them they’re ready for it, they believe you, and they want to meet that expectation,” Mericola said.
Each class has about 20 students, with the largest in the school at 26, she said. Classes are divided into sections. There’s an individual review on a recently learned concept, a small group review on something from earlier in the year and then a full group lesson.
Mericola co-teaches with a colleague, and even if a student is struggling to grasp an idea, “we come back and reteach things from before that maybe you missed it the first time, but you catch it the second time; and if you miss it the second time, you catch it the third time.”
It’s an approach, White said, comes from avoiding the assumption that “we can’t move a child forward because of something or one of the things they haven’t mastered yet.”
Eighth grader Kennedy Morse said math was a struggle before she got to the Congress Heights campus, but now, it’s become one of her strongest subjects.
She’s gained confidence from tutoring help and being able to ask questions without judgment.
“It was really shocking for me to be on a higher level,” Morse said. “It was hard. It was hard at first.”
Leonard White had a similar experience.
“I’m actually glad that they can believe in me to do the harder work in these classes,” White said.
While getting access to more advanced math classes at a younger age could help students take more rigorous courses in high school and college, Principal White said with any change, the focus is helping “show them all the possibilities and help them make the choice for themselves, versus it being forced upon them.”
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Washington, D.C
DC Navy Yard shooting: What happened in Washington? ‘Targeted attack’ feared as scary visuals emerge
A shooting reportedly took place in Washington DC’s Navy Yard on Thursday, and visuals from the scene were shared online. Independent journalist Nick Sortor shared a clip saying “Heavily armed US Capitol Police officers are RACING to a reported shooting in the vicinity of a high-ranking US government official in Washington, DC’s Navy Yard.”
Sortor noted that US Capitol Police were rushing to the scene. He noted that the black SUV seen in the clip was an armored Chevrolet Suburban which was used by members of the Congress and members of the President’s cabinet. Sortor further reported that it was ‘unclear’ if the attack was targeted.
The alleged shooter is reportedly not in custody yet and police are searching the area. “I personally witnessed that official be EXTRACTED via undercover Capitol Police officers, protected by uniformed officers carrying long rifles. I will not name the official without their express permission, as I don’t want to dox their home. Other officers can be seen sweeping the area for evidence like shell casings,” Sortor further said.
Also Read | Towson University: Shooting reports on campus in Maryland spark fears; first details
The DC Police Department and the US Capitol Police are yet to comment on the matter.
Navy Yard shooting: Reactions and fears
Several people wondered about the politicians who live in the Navy Yard neighborhood. Grok, the AI chatbot, helped out, saying “Publicly reported ones include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—she’s been living in a Navy Yard apartment for years. The area’s also drawn younger congressional staffers and some Trump admin folks in the past for the modern housing near the river. Can’t list “all” though—most officials’ exact homes aren’t public for obvious security reasons.”
It added “No, no current Trump cabinet members are publicly reported as living in DC’s Navy Yard neighborhood. Several senior officials (SecState Marco Rubio, SecDef Pete Hegseth, AG Pam Bondi, ex-DHS Sec Kristi Noem) have moved into secure military housing at Fort McNair or Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling for safety. Noem previously rented in Navy Yard but relocated. Exact private residences aren’t public record.”
To be sure, the name of the official has not been released yet, so Grok’s answers are only guesses based on public record or past information. One wild claim was made on X that the shooting ‘targeted Donald Trump’. However, this came from an unverified profile and no corroboration was provided. President Trump is not publicly known to be in the Navy Yard area, rather remaining in the White House when he is in Washington.
The news of the DC Navy Yard shooting comes days after a takeover by a teen mob. The unruly incident saw four teenagers charged with disorderly conduct, reports on April 12 noted.
Washington, D.C
Federal agency approves concept for Trump’s plan for a Triumphal Arch in Washington
President Donald Trump’s design for the Triumphal Arch he wants built at an entrance to the nation’s capital moved a step forward Thursday after a key agency reviewed the proposal for the first time. One commissioner suggested changes, including losing the Lady Liberty-like statue and pair of eagles that would sit on top of the arch and add to its height.
The arch is one of several projects that the Republican president is pursuing alongside a White House ballroom to leave his lasting imprint on Washington.
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts voted to approve the concept design for the arch. Its members, all appointed by Trump, will review an updated design before taking a final vote at a future meeting.
Trump said last week on social media that the arch “will be the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World” and a “wonderful addition to the Washington D.C. area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!”
President Trump proposed the installation of a large arch near Arlington Memorial Bridge, on the D.C.-Virginia border. “Something’s supposed to be here,” he said he’s been told. News4’s Joseph Olmo reports.
The commission also approved design concepts for two other projects: Trump’s plan to paint the gray granite exterior of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is next to the White House, white, and construction of an underground center to conduct security screenings of tourists and other guests. It will review updated designs for both at a future meeting.
Triumphal Arch
The arch would stand 250 feet tall (76 meters) from its base to a torch held aloft by a Lady Liberty-like figure atop the structure. That figure would be flanked up top by two eagles and guarded at the base by four lions — all gilded. The phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” would be inscribed in gold lettering atop either side of the monument.
The commission’s vice chairman, architect James McCrery II, said he preferred the arch without the figure and eagles on top. McCrery also objected to the lions on the base.
The arch would be built on a human-made island managed by the National Park Service on the Virginia side of the Potomac River at the end of Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The arch would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99 feet (30 meters) tall, and be close to half the height of the Washington Monument, an obelisk that is about 555 feet (169 meters) tall.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that the arch’s 250-foot height will honor America’s 250 years of existence.
A group of veterans and a historian has sued in federal court to block construction on the grounds that the arch would disrupt the sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery, among other reasons.
Underground screening center for White House visitors
The U.S. Secret Service, Interior Department, National Park Service, and the Executive Office of the President want to start construction in August on a 33,000-square-foot (3,066-square-meter) center to screen tourists and other visitors to the White House.
It would be built beneath Sherman Park, federal land southwest of the White House, to provide a more secure place to screen those going on White House tours or attending events. The new facility would have seven lanes to ease processing and reduce wait times.
Officials want it operating by July 2028, six months before Trump’s term ends.
Eisenhower Executive Office Building paint job
Trump said the Executive Office Building is beautiful, but he does not like its gray exterior.
“It’s one of the most beautiful buildings anywhere in Washington,” Trump said in August. “I think it’s just incredible, but you have to get past the color because the stone they used was a really bad color.”
Two proposals were given to the commission: Cover the entire building in bright white or paint most of it white while leaving untouched the granite on the exposed basement and subbasement.
In written materials, the White House said the building has been largely neglected since its construction. It said the building’s color, design and massing do not “align visually with the surrounding architecture” and lack ”any symbolic cohesion with the White House.”
The paint job is also the subject of litigation in federal court.
The building sits across a driveway from the West Wing. It was completed in 1888 after 17 years of construction, and its granite, slate, and cast iron exterior makes it one of America’s best examples of the French Second Empire style of architecture.
It originally housed the departments of State, War and Navy. It currently houses offices for the vice president and the National Security Council, among others.
The building is a National Historic Landmark and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Washington, D.C
Person hit by 3 people on scooters at Washington Monument after discussion over marijuana
WASHINGTON (7News) — A person was struck by three others on scooters near the Washington Monument on Wednesday evening, according to the U.S. Park Police.
Officials said the person was on a walk when they confronted the trio for smoking marijuana near the monument. Shortly after, the three people struck the victim from behind with their scooters.
The victim received minor cuts but turned down medical treatment, officials said.
Officials said a search for the victims is ongoing. Smoking or possessing marijuana on federal land, like the National Mall, is not allowed according to federal law.
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