Kyndell Geddis and Crystal Smith: Why Banneker should relocate
Since 1981, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School has provided DC students with a great education. Banneker’s campus at Euclid Street and Georgia Avenue NW was originally built to serve as a junior high, but over the years it has been transformed into a high school. Now with an enrollment of 486, up from 413 seven years ago, Banneker is increasingly unable to adequately serve students in its current facility. Therefore, as Banneker students we are advocating for relocation of the school to a new site in order to accommodate the growing population and to replace the subpar facilities currently in use.
In the months since the mayor announced that a feasibility study had recommended relocating Banneker to the now-vacant Shaw Junior High School, many have shared their belief that Banneker should instead be renovated so students can stay at the current location. However, there are many reasons that this plan would not work. One of the challenges is the lack of suitable available space to house students while the reconstruction is ongoing. The swing space at 10th and V streets NW that would house them would have to be renovated first, causing an unnecessary and unacceptable delay. The other reason is that Banneker is surrounded on all sides by recreation space popular with the community.
In a recent column, “Mayor Bowser, the gentrification bogeyman and Shaw Middle School,” jonetta rose barras wrote that Banneker could be renovated and modernized. She claims, “There is more than sufficient space to expand.” But if Banneker were to be renovated, it would encroach on DC Department of Parks and Recreation land and upset many community members, as well as Howard University students who also use the recreational facilities. In her column, barras also suggests that the mayor could have proposed “merging Banneker” with modernized schools that “are either half-empty or wholly neglected.” The notion of a merger ignores the fact that all school communities have unique cultures; merging Banneker with another school would change the distinct nature of each of the communities. Banneker students are one-of-a-kind, hard-working students who are worthy of their own separate building.
At present, Banneker is not an acceptable facility for high schoolers. Despite all the cleaning by school custodians, Banneker still manages to house dozens of roaches and rodents. These tiny creatures cause disruption throughout the day. Whether we’re trying to learn in class or simply walking through the halls, we might be greeted by a large bug or a mouse, followed by loud screams. In addition to the pest issue, Banneker also has problems with plumbing. At least once a month, there’s a new stench in the halls because of water leaking from the bursting of pipes (the stagnant water causes the smell). This situation is unacceptable, and students who attend the No. 1 public high school in DC should not have to put up with it.
“Banneker deserves better than being ensnared in a bogus argument,” barras wrote. She then noted all of the amazing things Banneker has been able to achieve. We couldn’t agree more. Banneker is in need of a new school, and the city should immediately move forward with its construction at the former Shaw Junior High School location.
Kyndell Geddis and Crystal Smith are juniors at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School.
This post has been updated to correct a reference to jonetta rose barras’ mention of merger as an option Mayor Muriel Bowser could have considered.
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