Mayor Bowser Celebrates the Start of the 2021-2022 School Year and Cuts Ribbon on Modernized Eliot-Hine Middle School

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser, DC Public Schools Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee, and Eliot-Hine Principal Marlene Magrino cut the ribbon on the modernized Eliot-Hine Middle School and celebrated the start of the 2021- 2022 school year. Mayor Bowser was joined by Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, Deputy Mayor of Education Paul Kihn, Acting State Superintendent of Education Christina Grant, and Department of General Services Director Keith A. Anderson.

“We are thrilled to reunite our students with their teachers, classmates, coaches, and school communities,” said Mayor Bowser. “We know that the best place for students to learn and thrive is in spaces specifically designed to support young learners where they can be in-person with the best teaching workforce in the nation. This school year will be unlike any other, but we know our community can work together to make it a success.”

Today, students return to full in-person learning across all 116 DCPS schools. Thousands of students are returning to the classroom for the first time since March 2020.

“While this school year will feel different, we know the best place for our students to learn is in the classroom, where they can truly experience the joys of learning and connect with their teachers, classmates, counselors, coaches, and mentors,” said Chancellor Ferebee. “That is why we are excited to welcome back all of our students this year, and to start the day by celebrating the modernized new home for our Eliot-Hine students.”

The modernized Eliot-Hine Middle School provides a high-quality state-of-the-art facility for middle school students in Hill East. The project, which renovated and modernized 157,000 square feet of space to accommodate growing enrollment, included a new gym, renovated broadcast media classroom, and a new full-sized baseball field that can convert to a soccer field and basketball courts. The existing 1930s structure was fully renovated and the 1950s wing was replaced with the new addition.

“The Eliot-Hine modernization project is proof that when we work together for a common goal – our students – we can accomplish great things,” said DGS Director Keith A. Anderson. “The existing school structure is restored and now has the addition of a new wing, new original local art and is a place where students can really thrive.”