Benjamin Banneker Academic High School

Benjamin Banneker Academic High School is a magnet high school located in Washington, D.C., that was originally built to serve as a neighborhood Junior High School. The school's name commemorates Benjamin Banneker, an African-American scientist, surveyor, almanac author and farmer. In 1980, the school was converted to a magnet high school for academics. The school is colloquially referred to by students and faculty as "Banneker." Some people consider it to be the top high school in the District of Columbia Public Schools, and one of the best in the region, because of its strenuous curriculum and Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.

Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
Front, seen from the east
Address
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
800 Euclid Street Northwest[1]

District of Columbia
,
DC
20001

United States
Coordinates38°55′25″N 77°1′26″W
Information
School typePublic high school
Motto"Embrace the spirit of teaching and learning"
Established1981
School districtDistrict of Columbia Public Schools Ward 1
PrincipalAnita M. Berger
Faculty34.0 (on FTE basis)[2]
Grades9 to 12
Enrollment454 (2015-16)[3]
Student to teacher ratio11.56[2]
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Red      White      and Blue     
MascotBulldog
Websitehttp://www.benjaminbanneker.org/

Banneker is located across the street from Howard University, to which it has strong ties. The school draws students from all parts of the city. Any student interested in applying must follow an entrance procedure, involving a multiple choice test, a written essay, an interview, recommendation(s), and a report of the applicant's standardized test scores and grades from previous years.

The school's current enrollment is approximately 450 students spanning from grades 9 through 12,[4] up from 393 in 2009-10.[2] Benjamin Banneker Academic High School is an IB Diploma Programme world school.[5] Banneker AHS is consistently ranked among the best high schools in the United States in U.S. News & World Report's national rankings, coming in 575th in 2015[6] and 602nd in 2017.[7] In the District, Banneker is among the top high schools, awarded 2nd in 2015 and 3rd in 2017.[6][7]

Community
Arne Duncan (left) and Barack Obama at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, 2011

Benjamin Banneker Academic High School serves the entire District of Columbia. Prospective students must apply and be accepted into Benjamin Banneker Academic High School. Students in the surrounding community are not necessarily able to attend Banneker AHS, due to the academic requirements for admittance. These students may attend a local high school located just a few blocks away from Benjamin Banneker AHS, Cardozo Senior High School.

The school had the honor of hosting President Barack Obama for the yearly "Back To School" speech in September 2011 and October 2016.

Curriculum

Benjamin Banneker AHS is D.C.'s citywide academic high school, grades 9 through 12. The school offers a highly structured four-year program leading to college entrance.

Banneker Students participate in a question and answer session for Sexual Assault Awareness Month

The school offers the following programs to students:

  • Academic: Required and elective college preparatory courses with a balance of the liberal arts and sciences.
  • Extended Day Program: There are a number activities including: Cheerleading, Debate Team, It's Academic Team, Chess Club, Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society), Recycling Club, the Student Government Association, and "Train of Thought" Newspaper.
  • Community Laboratory Program: 270 hours of volunteer service over a four-year period to promote awareness of career goals is required of each student for graduation.
  • Banneker Summer Institute (BSI): A five-week summer program designed to strengthen academic skills in science and mathematics. Courses in visual arts, music and Internet Access are also offered.
  • Honors Courses including Algebra II/Trigonometry
  • International Baccalaureate Courses: Languages, Experimental Sciences, Mathematics, Arts and Individuals and Society.
  • Advanced Placement Courses: Art History, Biology, Calculus AB, English Literature, English Language and Composition, U.S. History, U.S. Government, Comparative Government, Statistics, and World History.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

The school offers Girls Basketball, Volleyball, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field, Cross Country, Soccer, and Boys Basketball and Soccer.

Robotics

The robotics club has participated in the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams competition, twice winning a grant for their inventions: "Cell-Mate" (a cell-phone locker, 2006)[8] and "DeadStop" (a door-hinge locker to prevent classroom access to terrorists, 2013).[9][10][11] These successful inventions have showcased at other events, and the students applied for patents for their work.[12]

NASA OPSPARC competition

In the 2018 OPSPARC competition for students to invent a new use for NASA technology, Mikayla Sharrieff, India Skinner and Bria Snell, three black Banneker juniors, won second place with equipment to remove lead from school water fountains.[13] The public voting component of the final was cut short after members of 4chan disrupted voting by both discouraging voting for the girls on racial grounds and hacking.[14][15]

References
  1. "Feature Detail Report for: Benjamin Banneker High School". USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 16, 2008.
  2. "School Name: Benjamin Banneker HS". IES/NCES - National Center for Education Statistics. United States Department of Education. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  3. "Benjamin Banneker HS". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  4. "School Name: Benjamin Banneker HS". IES/NCES - National Center for Education Statistics. United States Department of Education. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  5. "Benjamin A Banneker Academic High School". ibo.org. International Baccalaureate Organization. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  6. "Benjamin Banneker Academic High School". U.S.News High School. U.S. News & World Report L.P. 2016. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016.
  7. "Benjamin Banneker Academy High School". U.S.News High School. U.S. News & World Report L.P. 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  8. "Benjamin Banneker Academic High School InvenTeam, Washington, DC: Cell-Phone Locker". Lemelson-MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2006. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  9. "Benjamin Banneker Academic High School InvenTeam, Washington, DC: School emergency door-locking mechanism". Lemelson-MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  10. Lemelson-MIT Program (October 16, 2013). "2013-2014 InvenTeams Grants Announced" (Press release). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  11. Roach, John (October 24, 2013). "Students, prompted by massacre, design emergency lock to thwart shooters". NBC News. National Broadcasting Company (NBC). Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  12. Bui, Hoai-Tran (October 25, 2013). "D.C. Students Invent Emergency Door Lock to Stop Shooters". NBC News. National Broadcasting Company (NBC). Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  13. "NASA's 2018 OPSPARC Winners Discovered a Spark in Innovation". NASA. May 18, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  14. Stein, Perry (May 2, 2018). "Three black teens are finalists in a NASA competition. Hackers spewing racism tried to ruin their odds". Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  15. Stein, Perry (November 22, 2018). "Racist hackers tried to ruin their chances in a NASA competition. Six months later, they're undeterred". Washington Post – via San Francisco Chronicle.
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