News Archive

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2025

  • Class Spotlight: MS & HS Arts

    Off The Wall Art
    Students in Kay C.'s Advanced Digital Media 11/12 course added an interactive element to the 2nd floor Commons this month. Passersby can use their Burke iPads to scan the QR code under each image to trigger an augmented reality (AR) experience, which lets us "see the real-life environment right in front of us with a digital augmentation overlaid on it."
     
    Pictured: image triggers by Maria R. '26 and Willem O. L. '26.

  • Class Spotlight - HS History & Science

    Yes, They Rule
    In Constitutional Law, 11th and 12th graders have been researching cases currently before (or recently decided by) the US Supreme Court. In a series of gallery walk-style presentations last week, students discussed their predictions on how the court will rule and how they think the court should rule. 

    Pictured: Perttu v. Richards (Lillie E. '26), Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission (Ethan F. '26), and Glossip v. Oklahoma (Chaeyoon M. '26).

  • Celebrate and Commemorate

    Led by Lailah B. '25 and Troy T. '25, the Black Student Union hosted an ambitious and memorable assembly for Black History Month, centered on historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Black Greek-letter organizations.

  • Our Favorite Things ...

    .. definitely include musical theater and spectacular ensembles. The Sound of Music opened on Friday, March 7, and sold out its two-weekend run.

  • Civil Rights in the American South

    Our Class of 2029 has returned from their 8th grade capstone trip to Alabama, where they moved from Birmingham to Selma and Lowndes County to Montgomery. They began at the Sixteenth St. Baptist Church, where they met with Dr. Carolyn McKinstry, an author, activist, and witness to the bombing of the church in 1963.

  • Class Spotlight - February 2025

    If you haven't recently, stroll up the Hobbes stairs, through the 2nds floor Commons, and around the 1st floor of Calvin and peruse works from Advanced Ceramics, Art Explorations 6, Ceramics 9/10, Digital Art 7, Digital Media 9/10, and Drawing 9/10, among others.
     
    Pictured (clockwise from top left): works by Ashli J. '26, Margot G. '27, Elsa H. '27, Noelle T. '25, and Henry S. '30.

  • Student Spotlight

    Filmmaker Stella B. '30 will be featured in Seed to Roots at the Weinberg Center for the second year in a row! This Frederick-based showcase offers "young performers and visual artists the opportunity to develop their talents while paying tribute to Black heritage."

  • Founders' Day Underway

    Managed by 10th-12th grade Leadership Program students, Founders' Day takes place each April, featuring lip sync battles, relay races, and whimsical competitions. Most crucially, each team includes students from every grade plus faculty and staff members – enabling bonds to form across the school.

  • Bengal Beat: Winter Wrap-Up

    HS and MS Swimming
    Following assorted schedule shake-ups due to snow, the swim teams wrapped up a great season at the DCSAA Championships in DC and the Middle School Championships at Holton Arms in Maryland.

  • Rising Leaders

    Friday, February 7 marked the annual 9th Grade Leadership Retreat, managed by select juniors and seniors in the Leadership Program.
  • source: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

    Alum Spotlight: River Carson '17

    "Nanomaterials, natural and human made, are characterized by size, measured in nanometers. A nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter - about 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a single hair." - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

  • Pursuing Civic Leadership

    On February 5-7,  Ashli J. '26, Ash H. '26, Angela W. '27, and Carter A. '27 represented Burke at the 2025 NAIS Student Civic Leadership Summit, while Curtis H. (History) took part in the concurrent NNSP Conference on Community & Civic Engagement.

  • Heart of the Matter(s)

    Scientific Valentines
    In the spirit of the February holiday, Amy C. (MS Science) and. Kay C. (Visual Arts) teamed up with the 7th grade to animate scientifically accurate beating hearts with Procreate software. 

    Pictured: work by Rose M. '30.
     

  • Trials & Manners

    Gothic Trials
    While reading Frankenstein, 9th graders in Nate D.'s class held a mock trial to determine responsibility for the death of William Frankenstein. Nate reports, "Victor Frankenstein and the Creature were charged with the crime, and students were cast as attorneys, clients, and judges. Evidence from Mary Shelley's text was crucial in building a case. Attorneys delivered opening and closing statements in the trial, while each client answered questions in direct and cross examination. Judges presided over the trial and issued a final verdict at the end. All had a chance to practice public speaking, and they even dressed up for the occasion."

  • Bengal Beat: PVAC Swim Championships

    Back-to-back for the Bengals! The boys' team earned the PVAC Championship banner this year on Tuesday, February 10, at The St. James in Springfield; the girls' team just missed a repeat of last year's win with a close 2nd place finish. 8th grade stars Flynn G. '29 and Addison L. '29 placed 1st and 3rd for girls' individual scores, and Max F. C. '25 and. Jack J. '26 tied for 3rd on the boys side

  • Bengal Beat: Blackout Night

    On January 31, cheered on by a large and enthusiastic crowd at UDC's Henderson Complex, Girls Varsity took the lead from the jump and won 45-19 over Field School, with stellar play from Burke lifer Miriam K. G. '25 and eight different athletes scoring.

  • Music and Movements

    8th grade:
    The grade's leadership group reached out to Matthew Whittaker '04, inviting him to speak with the full grade in advance of their week-long trip to Alabama next month. Matthew talked about his favorite musicians and how music of the 1950s and 1960s played a role in the Civil Rights Movement in America.

  • Community and Artistry

    Community engagement and artistic exploration are both core to the Burke experience – and not infrequently, the two beautifully intersect.

  • In the Air, In the Water(s)

    Beware the Jumping Giraffe
    In Physics, students observed the conservation of energy in the bounce of a small zoo animal pop-up toy. First, they measured the mass of the toy and the length of its compressed and un-compressed spring, then conducted several trials to measure how high it bounced, repeating the trials with additional weights attached to the toy. They used the data in a series of calculations, including the gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy, and spring constant.

  • Bengal Beat: Winter Mid-Season

    Swimming - MS
    Bengals took to the pool at Lowell School last week, where top finishes included Ari K. '29 and Morgan L. C. '30, 1st and 2nd in 96 Yard IM boys and girls races respectively. With 20 swimmers in the middle school, the future looks bright for Burke swimming. (Also working the Lowell meet? Dana M. '19!)

  • Window on the World

    A biannual publication of our Communications and Development offices, 1968 Magazine features stories from alumni, students, faculty, and staff and includes Burke's Annual Report each fall.

  • Dispatch from the Court

    A hearty group of Constitutional Law students endured a 14 degree, 7 AM start to the day to stand in line outside the Supreme Court of the United States with the hope of getting a seat in the courtroom. We succeeded, and were there to witness the first oral argument that day. Barnes v. Felix involves the tragic death of a young man, Ashtian Barnes, at the hands of Sgt. Roberto Felix, Jr. a police officer in Harris County.

  • Grade Meeting Glimpse

    In the high school, students gather in several configurations during the community period, including advisory groups, homerooms (several advisories together), and as a full grade. In those grade meetings, the agenda may range from serious to celebratory.
  • Brooklyn M. '26 - painting

    Student Spotlight: High School Artists

    Congratulations to the four Burke artists selected for In the Making: A Spectrum of Student Creativity at Studio Gallery in DC. Curated by Gia Harewood, this exhibit features emerging artists from DC schools and universities, including:

  • The Science of Life

    In the 2nd trimester, 7th grade scientists focus on the human body, including the immune, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems – studies anchored in Life Science with Amy C. and spanning multiple departments.
  • Digital Room Design in 2-Point Perspective from Kay's Digital Illustration 8 course by Greyson N. '29, Soraya K. '29, and Jalen A. '29

    Combustion Engine Grants 2024-25

    Each summer, Burke's Professional Development Committee awards Combustion Engine Grants, which enable faculty to enrich teaching and curricula in innovative ways during the summer months. Before the recent winter break, the Summer 2024 grant recipients presented on their work.

  • Washington DC USA Gap Year Fair 2025

    Get the inside scoop on taking a gap year and meet with gap year program providers from all over the world. Hosted by Edmund Burke School.

  • Faculty Spotlight: Maureen M.

    While completing a graduate certificate in African Studies at Boston University, Maureen (HS History) crafted a new unit on Ancient Africa for Burke's 9th grade.
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