JR Graduation: unfortunate timing...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JR must have been planning for a year and then someone decides to bring in tanks on the same day. Frustrating.

Why is it not at the school?

Because the choices : the school auditorium or the field — would both severely limit the number of guests that each student could have. While this might not sound like a big deal, as a Wilson alum, getting just 2 tickets with divorced parents can put the graduating kids smack in the middle of family strife when they should be happily celebrating their accomplishments. Even without issues like divorce, having a venue where siblings, grandparents, and extended family can attend makes sense.

I’m just surprised that an option closer to the school wasn’t chosen, although it’s great to see options easy to access via Metro, that also have access to ample parking.

[Anonymous]

I agree it's a schlep and I'd rather have the ceremonies at JR or closer to its neighborhood, but we did it a few years ago & Metro is easy (tho long). Be grateful yours is in the evening--we had to get there around 9am.

[Anonymous]

So we get more tickets, but guess what: based on the distant location, security lines, etc., I have advised the proud but elderly grandparents not to come.

[Anonymous]

Ugh . Just got a very helpful email from DCPS suggesting the parade “may” impact travel
Times and to plan accordingly . And a map of DC with all the road closings is attached-it looks like someone just scribbled all over the map with a sharpie.

[Anonymous]

Did you all survive the treacherous nothing burger commute and are embarrassed about this thread?

[Anonymous]

Coolidge also graduated at Carefirst and it's technically a longer drive and metro than JR yet weirdly no one on this thread is sympathizing with the Coolidge families.

Ultimately bigger schools need bigger arenas. It's a blessing and a curse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you all survive the treacherous nothing burger commute and are embarrassed about this thread?

It was supposed to be a perfect day--the culmination of years of hard work, all leading up to the J-R High School graduation. But from the moment the alarm went off, everything unraveled. The first sign of trouble was the pouring rain, the kind that turns streets into rivers and turns plans into disasters. Thunder rolled overhead like an ominous drumroll, as if the sky itself was mocking the occasion.

We were already running late because Dad forgot to set the alarm the night before. That meant we scrambled out of the house with barely enough time to breathe. I grabbed the graduation cap on the way out, only to realize halfway down the street that I’d left the gown behind. Back we went--more time lost.

When we finally hit the road, traffic was already gridlocked. A jackknifed semi had shut down two lanes on the freeway, and what should have been a 30-minute drive stretched into a torturous crawl. Horns blared, tempers flared, and the rain showed no sign of letting up. My little brother, seated next to me in the back, spilled orange juice all over my lap. The wet patch soaked through my dress pants, sticky and cold, making me even more miserable.

The GPS rerouted us through a sketchy neighborhood we didn’t recognize. Potholes the size of bathtubs littered the streets, and we saw hundreds of armed soldiers and dozens of huge tanks. At one point, we hit a pothole so hard the car bounced and the tassel on my cap snapped clean off. I stared at the frayed thread in disbelief. My mom tried to reassure me it didn’t matter--that no one would notice--but I did. I’d wanted everything to be just right.

Then came the train. Of course there had to be a train. We sat at the crossing for what felt like an eternity, watching car after car clank slowly past, as if in deliberate slow motion. My ceremony was starting in ten minutes, and we were nowhere near the auditorium.

When we finally reached the school parking lot, it was full. Overflow parking was blocks away, and by now the rain had intensified to a downpour. My dad, in a moment of desperation, dropped me at the curb and told me to run for it. I sprinted, water sloshing in my shoes, the cardboard cap already starting to warp.

I burst into the building just as the national anthem ended and the principal began speaking. Drenched, disheveled, and half-panicked, I found my classmates already seated in neat rows. A teacher guided me in with a sympathetic smile, whispering that they had saved me a spot.

When I finally sat down, heart pounding, pants soaked, cap ruined, I realized that somehow, I’d made it. But it hadn’t been the triumphal arrival I’d imagined. It was a chaotic, miserable mess--but in hindsight, maybe that’s what made it memorable. Even the worst days have a way of becoming the best stories.

[Anonymous]

So TL/DR. Overreacted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you all survive the treacherous nothing burger commute and are embarrassed about this thread?

It was supposed to be a perfect day--the culmination of years of hard work, all leading up to the J-R High School graduation. But from the moment the alarm went off, everything unraveled. The first sign of trouble was the pouring rain, the kind that turns streets into rivers and turns plans into disasters. Thunder rolled overhead like an ominous drumroll, as if the sky itself was mocking the occasion.

We were already running late because Dad forgot to set the alarm the night before. That meant we scrambled out of the house with barely enough time to breathe. I grabbed the graduation cap on the way out, only to realize halfway down the street that I’d left the gown behind. Back we went--more time lost.

When we finally hit the road, traffic was already gridlocked. A jackknifed semi had shut down two lanes on the freeway, and what should have been a 30-minute drive stretched into a torturous crawl. Horns blared, tempers flared, and the rain showed no sign of letting up. My little brother, seated next to me in the back, spilled orange juice all over my lap. The wet patch soaked through my dress pants, sticky and cold, making me even more miserable.

The GPS rerouted us through a sketchy neighborhood we didn’t recognize. Potholes the size of bathtubs littered the streets, and we saw hundreds of armed soldiers and dozens of huge tanks. At one point, we hit a pothole so hard the car bounced and the tassel on my cap snapped clean off. I stared at the frayed thread in disbelief. My mom tried to reassure me it didn’t matter--that no one would notice--but I did. I’d wanted everything to be just right.

Then came the train. Of course there had to be a train. We sat at the crossing for what felt like an eternity, watching car after car clank slowly past, as if in deliberate slow motion. My ceremony was starting in ten minutes, and we were nowhere near the auditorium.

When we finally reached the school parking lot, it was full. Overflow parking was blocks away, and by now the rain had intensified to a downpour. My dad, in a moment of desperation, dropped me at the curb and told me to run for it. I sprinted, water sloshing in my shoes, the cardboard cap already starting to warp.

I burst into the building just as the national anthem ended and the principal began speaking. Drenched, disheveled, and half-panicked, I found my classmates already seated in neat rows. A teacher guided me in with a sympathetic smile, whispering that they had saved me a spot.

When I finally sat down, heart pounding, pants soaked, cap ruined, I realized that somehow, I’d made it. But it hadn’t been the triumphal arrival I’d imagined. It was a chaotic, miserable mess--but in hindsight, maybe that’s what made it memorable. Even the worst days have a way of becoming the best stories.

Thanks AI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coolidge also graduated at Carefirst and it's technically a longer drive and metro than JR yet weirdly no one on this thread is sympathizing with the Coolidge families.

Ultimately bigger schools need bigger arenas. It's a blessing and a curse.

No, it's not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks AI

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Please stop conflating NW with WOTP. Not the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coolidge also graduated at Carefirst and it's technically a longer drive and metro than JR yet weirdly no one on this thread is sympathizing with the Coolidge families.

Ultimately bigger schools need bigger arenas. It's a blessing and a curse.

No, it's not.

Now with zero traffic it's a two minute shorter drive and a ten minute longer metro. I wonder why it is you don't extend these sympathies to Coolidge families. Is it only WOTP families do you think want to see their kids graduate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Because there simply aren't a lot of 4000+ seat venues?

[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.

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.

People on DCUM would have an absolute cow if the city has tried to build those things WOTP regardless of the cost because it'd bring poors into their neighborhood occasionally. It would never happen anyways.