How DC is helping rising 6th and 9th graders adjust to their new schools

How DC is helping incoming high schoolers get to know their new schools

In front of a crowd of about 100 at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Byron Holly played the trombone.

He鈥檚 been playing the instrument for a decade, and he has performed at the Northwest D.C. school before, but his latest appearance was different.

“I was just a little scared,” Holly said, because this time he was there as a rising freshman, performing for a group of his peers, and he didn’t know what to expect.

The Wednesday event, which featured D.C. Public Schools Interim Chancellor Kim Jackson, was part of D.C.’s Summer Bridge, a weeklong program for incoming sixth and ninth graders.

The annual program pairs them with returning students at the District’s public middle and high schools. The hope is their actual first day will be less daunting.

鈥淚鈥檝e never been in a big building like this in school,鈥� Holly said. “But, you know, I think I can聽get some friends. They can help me show me around聽the building.”

The program is designed differently at each school. At Duke Ellington, there鈥檚 a focus on dance or band, among other things.

During one breakout session Wednesday, incoming students sat in a circle and asked questions about switching instruments and about the hardest part of adjusting to high school.

Iman Alexander, another rising freshman, said she鈥檚 been eager to learn her way around, because she doesn鈥檛 want to be late to classes during the first week.

The Summer Bridge program has also helped her make a number of new friends, she said, and included a useful life lesson.

鈥淚’ve learned that criticism is very important, and it’s not always an attack on you,鈥� Alexander said.

鈥淚t’s more so just to help you and to help you understand what you need to do better and what you have done good.鈥�

The Georgetown campus has 608 students, and聽Sandi Logan,聽the principal, said it could be hard for students to get comfortable once the school year begins.

So, Logan said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important for this 鈥� group of freshmen to have some time in the building to get a sense of where their lockers are, where their arts departments are located, without the hustle and bustle of the full student body.鈥�

Holly, meanwhile, is eager to meet more of his peers.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be pretty good meeting new people,鈥� Holly said. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 really excited about meeting the teachers. I heard so many things about the trombone teacher, the band teacher, jazz. I really want to meet them and make my skill level better.鈥�

The first day of school in D.C. is Aug. 24.

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