(WASHINGTON, DC) – On Saturday, August 19, at 11 am, Mayor Muriel Bowser will celebrate the opening of the newly modernized Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Ward 2. The Duke Ellington School of the Arts was established in 1974 and offers a dual curriculum encompassing professional arts training and academic enrichment. Prior to 1974, the building formerly housed Western High School and the school is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Designed to be an eco-friendly and energy efficient environment, the renovated facility will include new installations of a green roof, lighting systems, plumbing, and stormwater retention areas. The renovated 279,524 square-foot high school will consist of high-quality spaces such as:
- a 800-seat multi-discipline main theatre;
- a 300-seat recital performance hall;
- a 150-seat black box theatre;
- a rooftop educational terrace;
- six dance studios;
- four art studios;
- instrumental music and vocal labs; and
- a gallery, a media center, a fitness room, cafeteria, kitchen, administrative offices, and a health suite.
As part of the Bowser Administration’s Every Day Counts! tour, the Mayor will continue to spread the word about the importance of attending school every day. School attendance is a key predictor of student achievement, and in DC, approximately one out of every four students is chronically absent (missing 10 percent or more of the school year). In Fiscal Year 2017, Mayor Bowser invested more than $12 million in programs that address truancy and absenteeism, and in her Fiscal Year 2018 budget, the Mayor increased investments in programs that work to reduce absenteeism, including a $3.3 million increase in funding for Parent and Adolescent Support Services (PASS) , Alternatives to the Court Experience (ACE) Diversion Program, and additional investments in the expansion of Show Up, Stand Out.
WHEN:
Saturday, August 19, at 11 am
WHO:
Mayor Muriel Bowser
Councilmember David Grosso, At-Large
Councilmember Jack Evans, Ward 2
Councilmember Brandon Todd, Ward 4
Antwan Wilson, Chancellor, DC Public Schools
Greer Gillis, Director, Department of General Services
WHERE:
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
3500 R Street, NW
*Bus Lines: D1, D2, D51*
Press interested in attending the event are asked to RSVP to [email protected]. To view the event online, visit mayor.dc.gov/live or tune in on Channel 16 (DCN).