JR Graduation: unfortunate timing...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some JR kids live closer to Congress Heights than Friendship Heights. It's probably cheaper to get Carefirst than other locations closer to JR, and it's climate-controlled (which is nice because I almost fainted at a sibling's graduation outdoors in late June!). Many of the MoCo schools still have graduation at Constitution Hall, right? Carefirst is closer to the metro than that and probably a shorter drive minus the street closures. This is one more reason the parade is dumb but DCPS planned this well before the parade.

ZERO kids who are in-bounds for JR live closer to Congress Heights than Friendship Heights. But I guess it isn't "equitable" to take into account the interests of the in-bound kids and their families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some JR kids live closer to Congress Heights than Friendship Heights. It's probably cheaper to get Carefirst than other locations closer to JR, and it's climate-controlled (which is nice because I almost fainted at a sibling's graduation outdoors in late June!). Many of the MoCo schools still have graduation at Constitution Hall, right? Carefirst is closer to the metro than that and probably a shorter drive minus the street closures. This is one more reason the parade is dumb but DCPS planned this well before the parade.

The parade is the problem- no one had an issue about where the graduation is. But having to navigate through or around town when this mess is happening is not smart and not safe. DCPS should be able to plan and pivot now that this parade is happening and the closures and the crowds. It’s just terrible “crisis management” because there is time to make a change and they are not addressing it at all

FWIW, folks did have an issue with the graduation location before this. One of my kids graduated from JR last year; graduation was at 10 on a Tuesday, and because the graduates had to arrive at 8, which is the middle of rush hour, we left at 7 to ensure we could get across town in time. It wasn’t the end of the world, of course, but it did add a lot of time and stress. I assumed DCPS wasn’t using Bender Arena anymore, but since it is, and since it’s the same size as ESA, it’s hard to understand why DCPS would put JR at ESA instead of Bender.

All of that said, the Trump parade is disrupting the lives of DC residents in a million ways this weekend, and it really sucks for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently, the city's approach to revitalizing Wards 7 & 8 is to build nice facilities there and then force everyone across the city to go there, no matter how inconvenient.

Thearc, Carefirst, Nats Youth Baseball Academy, etc etc.

The facilities don't really add to the time or money I spend in surrounding neighborhoods. But they do add A LOT to the amount of time I spend on 695.

... yes your graduation is there this weekend. And sure, you are welcome and encouraged to go to Mystics game or take a dance class at THEARC. But the reason they built these facilities where they did was NOT to force you and your neighbors across the city. I would think it is obvious, but the resources and out of school time options for kids and families are NOT spread evenly across the city. The city is investing in Wards 7 & 8 because the residents that live in those wards deserve to have state of the art facilities near their houses just like you do.

Driving there once/year may inconvenience you, but I am sure you sometimes go to Old Town Alexandria, or other places that are equally time consuming to get to. The stupid parade is the issue - the graduations should have been moved to Sunday at the same locations, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Three graduations at Lisner auditorium on Saturday is a failure by DCPS. They must have thought that this parade would never happen and by the time the parade took shape a few weeks ago they didn't make any effort for plan b? Walls was originally at 6 and after many complaints they moved it to noon but Roosevelt is at 3PM. So no help for anyone. I don't understand why they didn't make an attempt to move them to even Sunday or Monday

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

... yes your graduation is there this weekend. And sure, you are welcome and encouraged to go to Mystics game or take a dance class at THEARC. But the reason they built these facilities where they did was NOT to force you and your neighbors across the city. I would think it is obvious, but the resources and out of school time options for kids and families are NOT spread evenly across the city. The city is investing in Wards 7 & 8 because the residents that live in those wards deserve to have state of the art facilities near their houses just like you do.

Driving there once/year may inconvenience you, but I am sure you sometimes go to Old Town Alexandria, or other places that are equally time consuming to get to. The stupid parade is the issue - the graduations should have been moved to Sunday at the same locations, IMO.

^^THIS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...and location.

So unfortunate that the Trump Jong Un military parade is stepping on JRs graduation, and that the location is *very* far from most JR families, tucked between Joint Base Andrews and Congress Heights.

How are JR families planning to make this work? Beltway? Green line? Get a nearby motel Friday night?

Also -- is it being live-streamed? Not for me, but I don't think the GPs are up for the in-person hassle.

To answer OP, we are taking the Beltway and allowing extra time, given the unfortunate timing of the Ego Parade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently, the city's approach to revitalizing Wards 7 & 8 is to build nice facilities there and then force everyone across the city to go there, no matter how inconvenient.

Thearc, Carefirst, Nats Youth Baseball Academy, etc etc.

The facilities don't really add to the time or money I spend in surrounding neighborhoods. But they do add A LOT to the amount of time I spend on 695.

... yes your graduation is there this weekend. And sure, you are welcome and encouraged to go to Mystics game or take a dance class at THEARC. But the reason they built these facilities where they did was NOT to force you and your neighbors across the city. I would think it is obvious, but the resources and out of school time options for kids and families are NOT spread evenly across the city. The city is investing in Wards 7 & 8 because the residents that live in those wards deserve to have state of the art facilities near their houses just like you do.

Driving there once/year may inconvenience you, but I am sure you sometimes go to Old Town Alexandria, or other places that are equally time consuming to get to. The stupid parade is the issue - the graduations should have been moved to Sunday at the same locations, IMO.

I would love to live in this universe where the city invested in anything WOTP, instead of leaving all the rec centers to rot, and Deal to nearly collapse every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some JR kids live closer to Congress Heights than Friendship Heights. It's probably cheaper to get Carefirst than other locations closer to JR, and it's climate-controlled (which is nice because I almost fainted at a sibling's graduation outdoors in late June!). Many of the MoCo schools still have graduation at Constitution Hall, right? Carefirst is closer to the metro than that and probably a shorter drive minus the street closures. This is one more reason the parade is dumb but DCPS planned this well before the parade.

The parade is the problem- no one had an issue about where the graduation is. But having to navigate through or around town when this mess is happening is not smart and not safe. DCPS should be able to plan and pivot now that this parade is happening and the closures and the crowds. It’s just terrible “crisis management” because there is time to make a change and they are not addressing it at all

Not true - Most of JR hates traveling across the city for high school graduation. It turns a 2 hour event into a 5-6 hour (minimum) outing. We want to celebrate our graduates but really, the trek to the Carefirst Arena really sucks. I did it 2 years ago and it took over an hour in rush our traffic to get there, plus time to park, plus time to get into the arene and then literally was stuck in the garage for 30+ minutes after the ceremony trying to leave. The painful logistics really to take away from the joy of the event. Since I know how painful the day is we have refrained from inviting any elderly family members who would not be able to hack it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently, the city's approach to revitalizing Wards 7 & 8 is to build nice facilities there and then force everyone across the city to go there, no matter how inconvenient.

Thearc, Carefirst, Nats Youth Baseball Academy, etc etc.

The facilities don't really add to the time or money I spend in surrounding neighborhoods. But they do add A LOT to the amount of time I spend on 695.

... yes your graduation is there this weekend. And sure, you are welcome and encouraged to go to Mystics game or take a dance class at THEARC. But the reason they built these facilities where they did was NOT to force you and your neighbors across the city. I would think it is obvious, but the resources and out of school time options for kids and families are NOT spread evenly across the city. The city is investing in Wards 7 & 8 because the residents that live in those wards deserve to have state of the art facilities near their houses just like you do.

Driving there once/year may inconvenience you, but I am sure you sometimes go to Old Town Alexandria, or other places that are equally time consuming to get to. The stupid parade is the issue - the graduations should have been moved to Sunday at the same locations, IMO.

That has its share of problems too. People often have to schedule time off from work far in advance. Others may be coming from out of town. While I’m sure many people with families who are mostly local, jobs that are flexible and don’t include weekend work, and who don’t have transportation issues might be fine with changes, others — including the graduation staff and even speakers — might not be able to pivot to accommodate “the stupid parade”. It’s also unclear how — or if — said parade and it’s aftermath might inconvenience people on Sunday as well. Too bad the stupid parade wasn’t scheduled on Independence Day instead. What stands out here is that the current presidential administration doesn’t give a flying flick about any inconveniences to people who actually live here. Actually, major disruption— especially if it gets blamed on local leaders — might even be viewed as a bonus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently, the city's approach to revitalizing Wards 7 & 8 is to build nice facilities there and then force everyone across the city to go there, no matter how inconvenient.

Thearc, Carefirst, Nats Youth Baseball Academy, etc etc.

The facilities don't really add to the time or money I spend in surrounding neighborhoods. But they do add A LOT to the amount of time I spend on 695.

Land is cheaper there and often publicly owned. Carefirst is on the St. Es property. Buying similar land WOTP like the Intelsat property would cost the District millions. And most kids live in Wards 7 and 8 so it makes sense for most kid-focused stuff to be there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently, the city's approach to revitalizing Wards 7 & 8 is to build nice facilities there and then force everyone across the city to go there, no matter how inconvenient.

Thearc, Carefirst, Nats Youth Baseball Academy, etc etc.

The facilities don't really add to the time or money I spend in surrounding neighborhoods. But they do add A LOT to the amount of time I spend on 695.

... yes your graduation is there this weekend. And sure, you are welcome and encouraged to go to Mystics game or take a dance class at THEARC. But the reason they built these facilities where they did was NOT to force you and your neighbors across the city. I would think it is obvious, but the resources and out of school time options for kids and families are NOT spread evenly across the city. The city is investing in Wards 7 & 8 because the residents that live in those wards deserve to have state of the art facilities near their houses just like you do.

Driving there once/year may inconvenience you, but I am sure you sometimes go to Old Town Alexandria, or other places that are equally time consuming to get to. The stupid parade is the issue - the graduations should have been moved to Sunday at the same locations, IMO.

I would love to live in this universe where the city invested in anything WOTP, instead of leaving all the rec centers to rot, and Deal to nearly collapse every year.

Really? So, have you considered moving to Congress Heights?
Which well-resourced areas EOTP or not anywhere near TP would you prefer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently, the city's approach to revitalizing Wards 7 & 8 is to build nice facilities there and then force everyone across the city to go there, no matter how inconvenient.

Thearc, Carefirst, Nats Youth Baseball Academy, etc etc.

The facilities don't really add to the time or money I spend in surrounding neighborhoods. But they do add A LOT to the amount of time I spend on 695.

... yes your graduation is there this weekend. And sure, you are welcome and encouraged to go to Mystics game or take a dance class at THEARC. But the reason they built these facilities where they did was NOT to force you and your neighbors across the city. I would think it is obvious, but the resources and out of school time options for kids and families are NOT spread evenly across the city. The city is investing in Wards 7 & 8 because the residents that live in those wards deserve to have state of the art facilities near their houses just like you do.

Driving there once/year may inconvenience you, but I am sure you sometimes go to Old Town Alexandria, or other places that are equally time consuming to get to. The stupid parade is the issue - the graduations should have been moved to Sunday at the same locations, IMO.

I would love to live in this universe where the city invested in anything WOTP, instead of leaving all the rec centers to rot, and Deal to nearly collapse every year.

The city loves to build things but not to maintain them. The Rec Centers are rotting everywhere in the city, not just in NW. Come see for yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My high school graduation was in a large city auditorium downtown. It's pretty normal to have to travel a few miles for graduation if it means every graduate can invite ten people if they care to.

Now, the President could have scheduled the Military Parade on a different day since all of the graduations were scheduled long before his offensive and anti-democratic (not to mention destructive) parade.

It is what it is, but to be precise, it's more than a few miles.

Well, the whole city is ten miles wide at its widest point, so it can't be that huge a number of miles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently, the city's approach to revitalizing Wards 7 & 8 is to build nice facilities there and then force everyone across the city to go there, no matter how inconvenient.

Thearc, Carefirst, Nats Youth Baseball Academy, etc etc.

The facilities don't really add to the time or money I spend in surrounding neighborhoods. But they do add A LOT to the amount of time I spend on 695.

... yes your graduation is there this weekend. And sure, you are welcome and encouraged to go to Mystics game or take a dance class at THEARC. But the reason they built these facilities where they did was NOT to force you and your neighbors across the city. I would think it is obvious, but the resources and out of school time options for kids and families are NOT spread evenly across the city. The city is investing in Wards 7 & 8 because the residents that live in those wards deserve to have state of the art facilities near their houses just like you do.

Driving there once/year may inconvenience you, but I am sure you sometimes go to Old Town Alexandria, or other places that are equally time consuming to get to. The stupid parade is the issue - the graduations should have been moved to Sunday at the same locations, IMO.

I would love to live in this universe where the city invested in anything WOTP, instead of leaving all the rec centers to rot, and Deal to nearly collapse every year.

Really? So, have you considered moving to Congress Heights?
Which well-resourced areas EOTP or not anywhere near TP would you prefer?

It is also more than just what the district can and does provide. If you have tried to sign your kid up for an activity, be it sports, dance, arts, STEM,etc - the number of providers, both public AND private is very heavily skewed west. Even if you have the time, money, and vehicle to get your kid across town, it is hard to juggle - and families without the disposable income or transportation across town in the evenings are shut out of the activities. Montgomery County and Arlington also have a lot more locations for certain sports and activities, which add more options to families living in NW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My high school graduation was in a large city auditorium downtown. It's pretty normal to have to travel a few miles for graduation if it means every graduate can invite ten people if they care to.

Now, the President could have scheduled the Military Parade on a different day since all of the graduations were scheduled long before his offensive and anti-democratic (not to mention destructive) parade.

It is what it is, but to be precise, it's more than a few miles.

Well, the whole city is ten miles wide at its widest point, so it can't be that huge a number of miles.

As you well know, it can easily take 1.5 hours to get across the city on a weekday afternoon.