In Washington, D.C., neighborhoods that once pulsed with music, food vendors, and the chatter of families now feel hollow. Streets in Columbia Heights, normally lined with fruit stands and crowded with delivery drivers, are strikingly empty. Community members, including students from School Without Walls, say the reason is simple: fear. Over the past few months, the increased presence of national guard troops, local police, and immigration enforcement agents has created a cl

A putrid stench fills the air as students crowd into the strangely stuffy choir room. Slowly, one by one, they realize that circular, black patches dot the ceiling, and panic ensues.

George Washington University, the 59th best university in the country per US News & World and one Walls has deep educational connections with, seems to be the next subject of the presidential higher education crackdowns enforced by President Trump. 

You’ve probably noticed the spotted lanternflies everywhere. These invasive bugs, easily recognizable by their gray and black spotted wings, open up to reveal a striking red underneath. They’ve been showing up all over the city—even right outside our own building, School Without Walls.

Photo credit: Kira Kraniak ('29) Transitioning from middle to high school can be daunting, especially into a selective, rigorous-magnet school such as Walls. It is for this reason that a program called Summer Bridge exists. Where rising 9th graders, along with any students new to Walls, are able to spend a week of their summer getting acclimated to the school. They meet peers and teachers, explore their campus, get acclimated to the high school environment, build a school co

President Trump’s thirty-day emergency takeover of D.C. has ended, but the National Guard is here to stay. Since Trump declared a “public safety emergency” on D.C. crime in August, more than 2000 National Guard troops have been patrolling around the city, costing about $1 million per day. The Guard will be in DC for the foreseeable future, as the only condition for their removal in Trump’s executive order is when the “conditions of law and order have been restored.”

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.