The NorThwesT CurreNT
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Vol. XLIX, No. 1
Serving Chevy Chase, Colonial Village, Shepherd Park, Brightwood, Crestwood, Petworth & 16th Street Heights
School delay shows ‘broken system’
FRESH START
■ Renovation: Agency says
changes will avoid recurrence By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer
This past summer, School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens was due for some renovations. The school, which serves pre-K through eighth-grade students at 24th and N streets NW, had nar-
rowly avoided closure in 2013, instead merging with nearby School Without Walls High School. Then citywide interest in the program exploded. But growing enrollment — which has increased from around 190 to 450 — called for reconfiguring some spaces to fit more students. The large numbers of kids in lower grades needed bathrooms with child-sized fixtures. And the cafeteria and kitchen required
repairs. Though little of the $2.5 million project looked to be on schedule as summer vacation was winding to a close, overtime spending on contractors helped wrap up key elements of the work by the start of the school. The cafeteria and kitchen projects, however, weren’t so fortunate. Delayed throughout the semester, those repairs were finally finished just last week as a See Renovation/Page 6
‘Parkrun’ weekly 5K comes to Northwest By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Brian Kapur/The Current
Mayor Muriel Bowser and hundreds of other D.C. residents ran the second annual Fresh Start 5K on New Year’s Day. The event began at the Stadium-Armory Metro station and looped around RFK Memorial Stadium. Participants all received T-shirts and FitDC water bottles for their efforts.
Palisades resident Henry Wigglesworth stumbled upon a “Parkrun” during a family vacation in Nottingham, England, last summer and decided to enter the free race at the last minute. During the event, one of the three runners who ultimately beat Wigglesworth paused alongside the American to say hello and wish him well. “I thought, well, that’s really unusual. In all of the runs and races I’ve done in the United States, I’ve never been cheered on by a competitor,” Wigglesworth said. “That really just captured the friendly spirit of these runs.” From then on, Wigglesworth was hooked. Now he’s bringing the Parkrun experience to D.C., officially beginning this Saturday at 9 a.m. with a loop along the C&O Canal towpath starting and ending at See Parkrun/Page 23
AU ushers in second decade for arts center
Brian Kapur/The Current
Henry Wigglesworth jogs on the C&O Canal’s towpath near his Palisades home — part of the route for an upcoming weekly 5K race.
WIS scaling back proposal for expansion at Tregaron
By KELSEY KNORP
By MARK LIEBERMAN
Current Correspondent
Current Staff Writer
American University is marking 10 years since the founding of its Katzen Arts Center with expanded offerings, including a new gallery space and a technology-minded concert series. In October, the center celebrated the 10-year milestone as part of its fourth annual Fall for the Arts event, which invites both American University students and community members to participate in various arts courses throughout the afternoon. The program has become a staple at Katzen, which also houses the American University Museum and programs for both arts students and the surrounding community. As it moves into its second decade, the museum is preparing to open a new exhibition space later this
The Washington International School is revising its proposal for an expansion that would include a new academic building and improved landscaping on the northwest corner of its Cleveland Park campus. Head of school Clayton Lewis said in an email that the school will take into account feedback from the various community stakeholders and respond with new designs in early 2016. Regardless of what form the expansion ultimately takes, Lewis said, the
Brian Kapur/The Current
American University’s Katzen Arts Center, which just turned 10, will debut a gallery space on Jan. 23 that will be devoted to locally themed exhibits. month. The new space — known as the Alper Initiative for Washington Art — was made possible by a donation from university alumna Carolyn Alper, a prominent local art benefactor. It will be devoted to the display and study of local art from around the District and is expected to host five exhibitions per See Katzen/Page 23
school will not increase enrollment at 3100 Macomb St. NW, which serves grades six through 12. Though the project is in flux, plans presented to the Cleveland Park/Woodley Park advisory neighborhood commission in October offer a sense of the scope. According to the project document, the construction will create a new three-story academic building and two-level underground parking garage between the Macomb Street NW entrance and the main building. The project will affect the entrance driveway and See WIS/Page 5
NEWS
SPORTS
BUSINESS
INDEX
Thinking globally
Colts coach returns
Spreading out
Calendar/16 Classifieds/22 District Digest/2 Exhibits/17 In Your Neighborhood/14 Opinion/8
Georgetown librarian’s newly published book looks at an alphabet of nations / Page 3
Vaughn Jones is reinstated as Coolidge’s boys basketball coach in midst of legal fight / Page 11
Spring Valley deli continues to refine dine-in options thanks to expansion in the fall / Page 3
Police Report/4 Real Estate/13 School Dispatches/5 Service Directory/20 Sports/11 Week Ahead/3
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