New Middle School

Hi all-

It’s a busier year than most at Seaton. Not only are we getting a new building in 2028 and considering a new name (don’t forget to fill out the survey here by September 16), but we are also getting a brand new middle school that same year, in time for our 4th graders to start 6th grade. 

For those who are new to Seaton, parents fought hard to achieve this new, standalone middle school, which will have Seaton, Garrison, and Cleveland as geographic feeder schools and Tubman, HD Cooke, and Marie Reed as programmatic feeder schools. The school will be located at 800 Euclid St NW, in the old Banneker building. Many of us are so excited to have the opportunity to stay together and join our neighbors at Garrison and Cleveland at the new middle school. 

DCPS has established a Community Working Group, with representation from the feeder schools, that has been meeting over the last 1.5 years to weigh in on what the new middle school should be. This email contains a bunch of updates on the middle school. Please also check out our website here: https://seatondc.org/euclid-new-middle-school/. DCPS will also have a table at Back-to-School Night on September 17, so please stop by with any questions!

Middle School Programming

DCPS established a Community Working Group to get input from feeder schools and other stakeholders on what the new middle school should offer in various areas. The chart below represents the results of that feedback and the focus areas for the new school:

Building Design

The CWG has also weighed in on the design of the new building, which looks beautiful. You can view those plans here. Some images below:

Construction begins this year!

Naming the Middle School

Finally, thanks to all who filled out the petition to name the new middle school “Alma Thomas MIddle School”.  As background, Councilmember Nadeau’s office introduced a bill to name the new middle school Dolores Tucker Middle School without seeking feedback from the feeder schools and broader community, and we (along with Cleveland and Garrison) have asked for reconsideration of the proposal to include that feedback. The final petition delivered to the DC Council is attached, and includes some background on why Alma Thomas is a perfect fit for our new school (she was an art teacher at the former Shaw Junior HIgh School!) 

There will be a hearing on the new middle school’s name on September 24 at 10 AM, and several Seaton parents will participate. If you are able to submit testimony or participate in person, you can register to do so here: https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Hearings/hearings/2402. Written testimony can be as short as a couple of sentences, so please weigh in if you support the proposed name.

Have a great week!