Thursday, September 13, 2012
Davis Construction refurbished and painted the giant adirondack chair.
Duke Ellington School of the Art's most noticeable feature, "The Green Chair," is looking a little greener these days thanks to volunteers from DAVIS Construction. According to the school newsletter, the team refurbished and painted the chair for free in August. Dennis Cotter, a Senior VP at DAVIS, is a current member of the Ellington Fund Board. The upgraded gallery at the school was another pro-bono Davis Construction effort. In the newsletter, Head of School Rory Pullens writes, "Both Dennis Cotter and DAVIS are committed to arts education and supporting our students, and we appreciate all that they do for us."
38.913651
-77.069288
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
3500 R St NW, Washington, DC
/articles/photos-duke-ellington-s-green-chair-gets-a-facelift
1260197
/locations/7814901
Friday, February 4, 2011
Students from local middle schools wow the audience at their first performance of 2011.
The talented students of the Capitol Jazz Project stunned audiences with their jazz performance and improvisation skills at their first concert of 2011. These middle-schoolers performed alongside the Jazz Update last Sunday night at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. Two hours prior to the performance the students had their last private dress rehearsal. As the hour of the concert arrived, this anxious band of students walked onto the stage lit by a deep red velvet backdrop, and found themselves greeted by a packed house filled with family, friends and jazz enthusiasts. For some of the students this was their first time performing on stage for an audience. Dressed in their Capitol Jazz T-shirts and black pants, the students took their …
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts puts on a blockbuster rendition of the Broadway show. Students ooze with talent on stage and behind the scenes.
Beyonce who? Mr. Foxx what? Who needs Hollywood stars? Right in our backyard we have some incredibly talented students putting on "Dreamgirls" at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Great sound, fun and flashy costumes, lots of wigs and continuous strong energy makes this production a crowning achievement for the school. The entire cast, from the lead roles to the bit players, the sound management to the crew backstage, performed admirably with complete dedication and enthusiasm – over 200 individuals participated in one way or another. The live orchestra in the pit – a first for the school – was sharp and seamlessly interwove their Motown-infused music. The spinning center part of the stage was skillfully used to transition from …
38.913651
-77.069288
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
3500 R St NW, Washington, DC
/articles/dreamgirls-rocks
1260197
/locations/2638199
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Nov. 29 hearing on the DC Schools Budget was the first step in approving a budget for fiscal year 2012. The process is scheduled to end by early March.
More than two dozen residents testified Monday at One Judiciary Square to help determine the next public schools budget in DC. Interim Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson and other officials held the hearing as a first step in deciding a school budget for fiscal year 2012. Between now and the end of winter, principals, local school advisory teams and the chancellor will negotiate to agree on a final budget. If all goes according to plan, Henderson hand a complete budget over to Mayor-elect Vincent Gray by early March. Before the budget goes forward, the Council held a hearing Monday night to give the public a chance for some input on the matter. "We really want to hear how things are going on the ground and you all are the best ear to the …
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts needs to raise $500,000 by January to spare eight teachers' jobs from the chopping block. Students and faculty are hoping the all-school collaborative production of "Dreamgirls" will help.
Less than two weeks remain until the opening night of the all-school collaborative production of "Dreamgirls," and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts is buzzing with a sense of purpose. During the Tuesday night tech rehearsal, students stood on stage, repeating the same verse over and over, as the sound expert perfected what the audience will eventually hear. "I'm looking for something baby, something like a real nice surprise. I'm looking for something baby, something that you have got!" At 6 p.m., they looked tired, but continued to smile. The cast took directions, starting over and over again to make sure they got it right. In the dressing room, other students were being fitted for costumes and practicing their solos as Karen Perry…
38.913651
-77.069288
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
3500 R St NW, Washington, DC
/articles/singing-for-their-supper
1260197
/locations/2508444
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Duke Ellington School of the Arts is putting on a production of Dreamgirls in December. As part of the ramp-up to opening night, members of the cast posed for pictures in Georgetown.
- ARTS
-
Thursday, November 11, 2010
If you walked past Ben & Jerry's Wednesday afternoon, you might have met a dreamgirl. Three members of the cast from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts production of Dreamgirls greeted customers at the icecream shop to spread the word. In a partnership with the school, Ben & Jerry's gave away ice cream to anyone who would pose for a picture with "The Dreams" and then post it Facebook or Twitter. The all-school collaborative project will raise funds to support arts instruction. Just another example of the caliber of talent at Ellington, the production will feature a special appearance by original Dreamgirl Jennifer Holliday on Dec. 9. The show runs from Dec. 2 through Dec. 18. Check out an interview with show director Lynda Gravatt (…
38.913651
-77.069288
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
3500 R St NW, Washington, DC
/articles/dreamgirls-make-guest-appearance-at-ben-jerrys
1260197
/locations/2416582
Matt
11:11 am on Thursday, September 13, 2012
We used to live just a block from Duke Ellington High School. The chair is fun, but I wish that the principal, groundskeepers or SOMEONE had done more to try to save several huge old horse chestnut trees in front of the school. Idiots parked their cars and trucks on the root systems for a couple of years, and evidently in the billions of dollars spent for public schools, no one ever thought to … more ›