Anonymous wrote:I haven't read the whole thread but why can't people take the green line to Carefirst Arena? Has a stop right there?

If it’s on green line, recommend parking at fort totten metro. It’s free on weekends and easily accessed from Jackson Reed area via military road.

I haven't read the whole thread but why can't people take the green line to Carefirst Arena? Has a stop right there?

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This + 100.

I have had a kid or good friends with kids graduate in the last three years. The drive is awful - partly because the narrow roads once you get closer to the arena cannot handle the traffic. So, it takes 1-1.5 hours to drive there. Then, security is a mess and you have to wait in line up to an hour as well. For the last three years, they have had to delay the start of graduation and the kids are hot and sweaty down in the tunnels. I'd rather take my chances with weather on the JR field! And it is not great for the elderly - we had one set of grandparents at the first and the other at the second. Both have stated they won't come back for future ones. And the security staff acts like we are a bunch of teenagers and are ungracious. For some reason, they refuse to open all sections at the same time so fights break out over why can't we sit in those close seats over there. Then, they open them 10 minutes later. DC madness at is finest.

Anonymous wrote:Most high school graduations now are at venues because so many grandparents etc want to attend that can’t fit in the school. Often the county picks one venue for budget reasons. The traffic situation is unfortunate. Maybe they should have rescheduled.

The genuinely weird thing is that this is the only really big public high school graduation that’s not at Bender, and it’s on a different day than all the other graduations (which are back to back to back). I don’t understand why JR isn’t on there with the rest of the schools.

Most high school graduations now are at venues because so many grandparents etc want to attend that can’t fit in the school. Often the county picks one venue for budget reasons. The traffic situation is unfortunate. Maybe they should have rescheduled.

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?

DCPS sets the venue and handles all the logistics. Unclear if the school could opt out and what that would mean for $$$s to hire security as well as logistics and setting up.

Many graduations happen during the week while school is still in session, though I imagine that if JR handled their own graduation they could set a weekend date.

Can’t *fit* everyone inside

Anonymous wrote:

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?

You are asking the right questions.

Hard to adjust for weather if it rains, at least at JR where the crowd will be big. Can’t everyone inside

Anonymous wrote:White people problems.

I know multiple families of colour that also have this problem

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?

You are asking the right questions.

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?

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.

Come across the park and see the schools. It’s not just the rec centers rotting on this side of town, it’s the elementary schools too! And I can relate to Deal “nearly collapsing” because my child’s class keeps having water and mold damage that leads to ceiling tiles collapsing.

Anonymous wrote:Sure, it will be really inconvenient and I won’t be on Metro or anywhere near the parade zone, but dangerous?

For the graduations at Lisner I really don’t see any alternate but to take the metro.

We are not going. The young adult will be in Amsterdam.

Sure, it will be really inconvenient and I won’t be on Metro or anywhere near the parade zone, but dangerous?