Banneker interviews

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know what type of homework is given in those 3 hours? Is it like reading a book and answering questions for a couple of hours, busy math worksheets, or creative projects where the students use their imagination to build something new?

Just wondering what this 3 hours of homework looks like?

My freshman kid does a good portion of HW in advisory at the end of the day plus maybe an 1 hour at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our interview, we were told that Banneker would let us know about admissions outside of my school dc. Has anyone had experience with this? Our student ambassador mentioned he got into walls, but chose Banneker, which didn’t make sense until they told us we would be informed either way. Can someone confirm?

Hmmm. At the end of the interview, the panel told us we would find out through myschooldc. The teacher emphasized it was the only way to find out "unfortunately."

It could be that the essay and interview weren't strong enough, so the rejections will all come through myschooldc. As far as your ambassador, it's possible he was placed on a waiting list for Banneker, got into Walls as his second choice, and then made the choice to go to Banneker once he came off the waitlist.

All notifications come through MySchoolDC including for accepted folks. If a student ambassador said that, they were incorrect. I know an interview panel wouldn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP listing

AP –Art History, Biology, Calculus AB, English Language & Composition, English Literature & Composition, Environmental Science, Statistics, US Government, US History and World History, African American Studies, Pre-Calculus, Computer Science, Microeconomics
Honors – Pre-AP Algebra I, Honors Algebra II, Pre-AP Algebra II, Pre-AP Biology, Pre- Pre-AP English I, Pre-AP English II, Pre-AP Geometry with Statistics, Pre-AP Music, Pre-AP World History, Pre-AP Chemistry

Thanks. That is not a very big list for a high school. They don’t offer AP Calculus BC or AP Physics or AP Chemistry? No AP Psychology? What about foreign language APs. Perhaps this is an incomplete list

No, the list is correct. For Calc BC, AP Chem, and AP Physics (and I think AP Psych, too), you should look at McKinley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP listing

AP –Art History, Biology, Calculus AB, English Language & Composition, English Literature & Composition, Environmental Science, Statistics, US Government, US History and World History, African American Studies, Pre-Calculus, Computer Science, Microeconomics
Honors – Pre-AP Algebra I, Honors Algebra II, Pre-AP Algebra II, Pre-AP Biology, Pre- Pre-AP English I, Pre-AP English II, Pre-AP Geometry with Statistics, Pre-AP Music, Pre-AP World History, Pre-AP Chemistry

Thanks. That is not a very big list for a high school. They don’t offer AP Calculus BC or AP Physics or AP Chemistry? No AP Psychology? What about foreign language APs. Perhaps this is an incomplete list

No, the list is correct. For Calc BC, AP Chem, and AP Physics (and I think AP Psych, too), you should look at McKinley.

What about AP Spanish and AP French? Does Banneker offer these or perhaps a different AP foreign language?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP listing

AP –Art History, Biology, Calculus AB, English Language & Composition, English Literature & Composition, Environmental Science, Statistics, US Government, US History and World History, African American Studies, Pre-Calculus, Computer Science, Microeconomics
Honors – Pre-AP Algebra I, Honors Algebra II, Pre-AP Algebra II, Pre-AP Biology, Pre- Pre-AP English I, Pre-AP English II, Pre-AP Geometry with Statistics, Pre-AP Music, Pre-AP World History, Pre-AP Chemistry

Thanks. That is not a very big list for a high school. They don’t offer AP Calculus BC or AP Physics or AP Chemistry? No AP Psychology? What about foreign language APs. Perhaps this is an incomplete list

Unfortunately, not an incomplete list. Banneker's STEM curriculum hasn't kept up with the times. That's right, no AP BC Calc (but they're talking about offering it), Chemistry or Psychology. There have been high SES Banneker students who prepped for these APs independently though, through on-line programs, Johns Hopkins CTY or pre-college residential programs on college campuses. It's easy to sign up for AP exams at nearby schools via the College Board web site ($200/exam). With more high SES families coming in, independent AP prep is creeping in.

The worst of it is, they don't teach any AP Physics, no prep for any of the four physics exams, not the algebra-based Physics 1 or Physics 2, or the calculus-based Physics C: Mechanics or Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. Again, there have been Banneker students who prepped for and took AP Physics exams independently.

The only AP foreign languages they offer are French and Spanish. But there have been cases where families successfully lobbied Banneker admins to opt out of those languages to self-prep for a different AP/IBD language if a 9th grader arrived with advanced proficiency in (e.g. German, Italian, Chinese). If your kid cracks Banneker and you and can make a strong case for opting out, document language background. You can lobby for flexibility before enrolling with strong proof of background. You can even contact DCPS World Languages to ask for your kid to be evaluated by a language instructor at a DCPS school teaching the AP language you're aiming for, if it's taught in the system (e.g. Chinese at Walls and J-R, Italian at MacArthur). Map out a plan for Banneker telling them how you're going to get your kid to an AP language exam, e.g. we will continue with German heritage language classes until taking AP German in 10th grade. Banneker's admins are open-minded but not accustomed to kids coming in with strong language background outside Spanish.

[Anonymous]

+1.

[Anonymous]

Banneker doesn’t hire the teachers needed for serious STEM offerings. Admins are elderly and out of touch on STEM. Nice though.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like talking about strong stem interests in a Banneker interview wouldn't fly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like talking about strong stem interests in a Banneker interview wouldn't fly.

I don't think STEM interests are discouraged and not to be referenced in an interview. They might not be supported in the ways some PPs expect, but I don't get the sense that they are unwelcome

[Anonymous]

Not supported is too tame a phrase. No AP Chem, Psych, Physics or BC Calc in 2024. Not impressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not supported is too tame a phrase. No AP Chem, Psych, Physics or BC Calc in 2024. Not impressed.

duly noted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Banneker doesn’t hire the teachers needed for serious STEM offerings. Admins are elderly and out of touch on STEM. Nice though.

Maybe because it's an IB Humanities based school. Can't be everything to everybody!

[Anonymous]

So do the majority of the kids who interview get seats (among those who don't rank Banneker below another school like SWW)? Anybody able to characterize how many offers vs. interviews?

[Anonymous]

So does SWW have the APs that Banneker doesn't?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Banneker doesn’t hire the teachers needed for serious STEM offerings. Admins are elderly and out of touch on STEM. Nice though.

Maybe because it's an IB Humanities based school. Can't be everything to everybody!

Interesting. Maybe it's time for the DCUM crowd to start taking a serious interest in McKinley, for STEM students.