JR Graduation: unfortunate timing...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Um no, very, very few public offerings in NW -- just private. I've tried to sign my kid up for multiple activities with DPR and they are all center-city or East. Only swimming at Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's not be histronic. Graduation is at the ESA venue? Good. It should be used for more things! Do all graduations there!

Uh no. Might as well have it in Baltimore. Just because DC invested funds in it does not mean that it is a reasonable location for a high school located in NW.

Wait until you find out that the close-in MCPS graduations ARE in Baltimore!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I really haven't found that. I drive around the city often and it's never, not once taken me 1.5 hours to get across it. You should get out of NW more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Very true! I’m curious, though, to know if the PP sees it that way, or, more to the point, experiences it that way.

I grew up in NW, so I’m glad to see other areas of the city getting more resources, especially since, as you’ve rightly said, NW has easier access to resources in MoCo and some areas of Virginia. I think transportation, especially, really makes a difference. ( I very much miss the times when Metro had later hours.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's not be histronic. Graduation is at the ESA venue? Good. It should be used for more things! Do all graduations there!

Uh no. Might as well have it in Baltimore. Just because DC invested funds in it does not mean that it is a reasonable location for a high school located in NW.

Wait until you find out that the close-in MCPS graduations ARE in Baltimore!

Why? That's nuts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I really haven't found that. I drive around the city often and it's never, not once taken me 1.5 hours to get across it. You should get out of NW more.

I have driven from NW to SE four times in the past 2 weeks. In afternoon traffic, it takes ages. I know what I'm talking about.

[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.

You sound like my cousin who assumed a 5 mile drive in DC would take 5 minutes like it does for her back home. LoL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I really haven't found that. I drive around the city often and it's never, not once taken me 1.5 hours to get across it. You should get out of NW more.

I have driven from NW to SE four times in the past 2 weeks. In afternoon traffic, it takes ages. I know what I'm talking about.

Plus Google Map lets you plug in a time and date for arrival, so PP can see for herself.

[Anonymous]

This thread has gone off the rails. The issue is the safety and ability for students and their family/guests to safely get across town on 6/14 when there is an insane military parade which could easily end up being a dangerous scenario and with many closed roads .
On june 14 they have the following scheduled:
At UDC van ness they have anacostia High, Ronbrown and bard- which are all about 8 miles from Carefirst and in NE or SE so not needing to cross the city.
At Carefirst are 3 nw schools (Jackson Reed, Coolidge, and Columbia Heights) which could all get to UDC or AU without entering the downtown fray.
Then they have 3 schools at Lisner which is right in the thick of it all.
DC had time to make changes and they have not and it is just awful planning and logistics and communication.

[Anonymous]

Now my fear about JR graduation is that I’ll leave my house early to get my graduate there on time and then I’ll sit for ever waiting for the thing, and then they will delay it because so many people are stuck in traffic, meaning that I’ll end up spending many hours at Carefirst. Gonna need to pack snacks.

[Anonymous]

Talking about it here does nothing for you. Please contact the Chancellor and the Mayor. Ask your child's friends' families to do the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talking about it here does nothing for you. Please contact the Chancellor and the Mayor. Ask your child's friends' families to do the same.

yes please do! I’ve written 3 times and gotten no reply but please more people should write.

[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.

This is true for THEARC and Nats Academy…but the Mystics arena is completely different.

There is no programming for the local community and it is owned by a For Profit entity.

I guess they give DCPS a good deal, but it seems an odd choice in general.

[Anonymous]

How is this going to be dangerous/unsafe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is this going to be dangerous/unsafe?

The thought of having to take the metro thru the city is giving January 6 vibes.
Staying closer to home and staying out of downtown seems like a very wise plan.