Photo credit: Ray Wright (‘29) As students return to Walls, they may have noticed a change in the urban community which surrounds our school. This change being the presence of the National Guard. These  troops span across the city, at Metro stops  and circling monuments. In a lawsuit filed over the employment, DC Attorney General  Brian Schwalb wrote that the Guard’s presence is “illegal federal overreach.” However, the President says it is legal and necessary to make DC sa

The 2025–2026 school year opened with many new changes, one being the brand-new all-freshmen advisories. In previous years, SWW operated with advisory classes consisting of students from all four grades. This system promoted cross-class communication, which was especially beneficial for underclassmen who did not have many other opportunities to get to know their older peers.

Among the many changes for the new school year, one stood out: the new cell phone policy. According to the policy, students must keep their phones in their backpacks—from the time they enter the school until 3:30. During the first weeks of school, administration made multiple announcements about the rule, since it was district-wide and left little room for students to be on their phones.

Statewide assessments marked the conclusion of a long school year and the start of a bright, refreshing summer. The DC CAPE results for the 2024–25 school year had just been released, and Walls students and staff were delighted to hear that test scores had improved significantly.

In its latest report, U.S. News & World Report named School Without Walls the top public high school in D.C., ranking it first among dozens of schools across the district. Walls was also the only D.C. public school to break into the national top 100, placing 69th among all public high schools nationwide.

Budget cuts across all departments of the federal government have recently made headlines. But one that directly affects us as Walls students the most may be the cuts to the Department of Education which was effectively axed by the Trump administration before a court order mandated the rehiring of Dept. employees.

As a part of his administration's broader “America First” agenda, President Trump has made some notable name changes.

As the new 2025-26 school year approaches, Walls students start planning their schedule for the upcoming year. Many have noticed the...

On Feb. 10, George Washington University (GW) President Ellen Granberg warned in a letter to the university community that proposed cuts to federal research funding by the Trump administration were “of most serious concern.”

Difficult for both students and teachers, budget cuts remain constant in DCPS.

James Jackson never worked in the school building, but when he passed away on May 20, Walls lost an incredibly impactful member of its community.

For most high school seniors, May is a time to relax and bask in the excitement of upcoming graduations and college orientations. For James Libresco and Casey Donahue, it’s been something else entirely: a whirlwind of press tours and activism.