Serving Dupont Circle, Kalorama, Adams Morgan & Logan Circle
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
The DuponT CurrenT
Vol. XIV, No. 27
Lower grades struggle on PARCC
H O L I D AY F u N
■ Schools: About a quarter
of D.C. students ‘proficient’
By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Only a quarter of D.C.’s elementary and middle school students scored proficient on the first iteration of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers exam in the spring, according to
results released Monday by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. In the District’s public and public charter schools, 25 percent of the test-takers earned a proficient score of 4 or 5 on the PARCC English exam, and 24 percent scored proficient in math — in line with the disappointing high school exam results released earlier this fall. Roughly a quarter of D.C. students scored 3, defined as “approaching”
expectations on both exams; the scores of 4 and 5 are described as “meeting” and “exceeding” expectations, respectively. D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson, in a statement, called the results “sobering.” Henderson and other city officials, including Mayor Muriel Bowser, atlarge D.C. Council member David Grosso, deputy mayor for education Jennifer Niles and charter schools See Scores/Page 5
‘Tree plaza’ suggested near Dupont bank By KELSEY KNORP Current Correspondent
Brian Kapur/The Current
The Fairmont Washington, D.C. Georgetown held its 12th annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony at took place on Tuesday. The yearly event at the West End hotel served up complimentary hot chocolate and cookies. The ceremony also featured performances by the Georgetown Visitation Madrigals and appearances by Santa Claus and Rudolph.
Local environmental advocates are urging the city to plant nine new trees to shade the sidewalk outside the PNC Branch on Dupont Circle, though D.C. officials claim such a project is likely not feasible. The nonprofit Restore Mass Ave estimates its plan for a “tree plaza” within the 7,100-square-foot stretch of sidewalk at 1913 Massachusetts Ave. NW could be realized in the next couple of years, according to a Nov. 20 news release. The group has appealed to the D.C. Urban Forestry Administration to take on the project, while noting that its objectives should also dovetail nicely with Department of Energy & Environment initiatives for stormwater control. Currently there are just two trees at the site, which also hosts the city’s most popular Capital Bikeshare station and sees a significant amount of foot traffic. In addition to cooling the “heat island” created by the large
Artist’s rendering courtesy of Restory Mass Ave
Proponents say the greenery along Massachusetts Avenue would create shade and absorb stormwater.
expanse of concrete, the tree boxes could collect some of the stormwater that frequently causes the overflow of city sewers, according to the proposed plan. Urban forester Earl Eutsler said his agency did, in See Trees/Page 10
Roof deck plans withdrawn amid neighborhood appeals
Art instructor at Walls wins systemwide honor By KELSEY KNORP
■ Zoning: Owner of two area
Current Correspondent
High school teacher James Cunningham hit the $10,000 jackpot on Tuesday when D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson and a handful of other administrators paid a surprise visit to announce he’d been named the school system’s 2015 Teacher of the Year. The School Without Walls High School instructor has taught various forms of art in the D.C. Public Schools system for 32 years, and he completed his own high school education at Eastern High. He began teaching at School Without Walls in 2008 after a long stint at Anacostia High. Cunningham has also taught at Dunbar High and teaches university courses at various institutions as well.
NEWS
hotels had obtained permits By BRADY HOLT Kelsey Knorp/The Current
James Cunningham, a 32-year veteran of D.C. Public Schools, won the system’s annual award yesterday.
In an interview after the ambush, Cunningham named among his mentors former D.C. Public Schools arts supervisor Georgia Jessup and Bowie State professor Simmie Knox. “I use my classroom the same way she did,” he said of Jessup. “She would set up her easel, and she was painting toward the [class]. And contemporaries See Teacher/Page 10
EVENTS
Agreement on new moratorium hits snag in Georgetown — Page 3
Foundry exhibition shows inspiration from Renaissance — Page 19
Current Staff Writer
A local hotel owner has abruptly placed plans for two controversial roof decks on hold, surrendering building permits for the projects just days before scheduled appeals by neighbors. The Glover Park Hotel (the new name of the Savoy Suites, located at 2505 Wisconsin Ave. NW) and The Carlyle at 1731 New Hampshire
HOLIDAYS
Varied light displays brighten the season across Northwest — Page 16
Ave. NW are both new members of the Kimpton boutique hotel line, and each is undergoing a host of renovations. The properties are located in otherwise residential areas, which precludes any increase in commercial activity without special zoning approval. At issue with both hotels is whether a roof deck counts as expanded commercial activity. The District’s zoning administrator says no — that a new use of existing roof space isn’t an expansion of the hotel’s commercial use, even if that roof space wasn’t previously accesSee Hotels/Page 14
INDEX Calendar/18 Classifieds/26 District Digest/2 Dupont Circle Citizen/11 Exhibits/19 In Your Neighborhood/6
Opinion/8 Police Report/4 Real Estate/13 School Dispatches/23 Service Directory/24 Week Ahead/3
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