Oct. 16, 2001
Breaking Down The Barriers
School Without Walls Principal Dana Bedden Sets High
Expectations For Students and Faculty
By Jane
Lingo
Hes an educator, mentor, and principal.
Hes the man behind the fine-tuned School Without Walls.
Hes Dana Bedden, a man in charge of 325 teenagers students
he calls talented.
As he begins his third year at School Without Walls, the school begins
its 30th year.
Established as an educational program in 1971, the facility located
at 2130 G St. in the building formerly known as the Grant School received
accreditation as a four-year high school on May 1.
Boredom is not a problem, Bedden says. We try to use
the resources of the city as our classroom. We have partnerships with
the zoo. Social studies uses the museums as historical venues for the
classrooms. We have five humanities teachers.
Students come from every ward in the District and travel into the city
from Virginia and Maryland.
Our school is part of the DC public school system, Bedden
says. We do humanities, math, science, and social studies. We
require two internships for an actual Carnegie unit (a class for credit).
Bedden says the newest ninth-grade class will have to complete four
years of science or math to graduate.
It was formerly just three years, Bedden adds. We
require two additional credits. Of the incoming grade, we are asking
for 24.5 credits. Its not unusual for some of the students to
have met all their requirements by the first semester of their senior
year so they have freedom to choose. Students come in the ninth and
10th grades, depending on whether they come from a junior high or middle
school.
Classes run from 8:45 am to 3:15 pm. Some students arrive at 8 am and
some stay until 7 or 8 pm. There is a full-fledged athletic program,
including basketball, track, cross-country running, softball, swimming,
golf, and tennis.
Our partner for physical education is the National Capital YMCA
at Rhode Island Avenue and 17th Street, Bedden says.
School Without Walls also offers art and music programs, which are partnered
with the Corcoran Art Studio. One student plays the saxophone, piano,
and dances ballet, Bedden reports. Some students write music. Last year,
a School Without Walls student won second place in the Black Caucus
Essay Contest, sponsored by the black members of Congress.
Students at School Without Walls have made great academic achievements.
Last year, there were two National Merit Scholars, one National Achievement
Scholar, and four National Merit Commended Scholars.
We have two students nominated to be Presidential Scholars,
Bedden says, though neither one went through the process.
The students in the middle of GWs campus receive benefits of being
in a large city with a number of universities. Through the DC program
HiScip, students can enroll in classes at Howard, Georgetown, GW, and
American universities. A GW counselor works with students who sign up
for the college courses.
GWs Graduate School of Education and Human Development provides
other counseling services, including family counseling for social, behavioral,
or emotional problems.
Graduate students in counseling teach a social studies elective course
at School Without Walls. GW medical students tutor students during lunch
on whatever subjects need help with. In addition, GW hosts the schools
graduation ceremony yearly in Lisner Auditorium and provides space for
various school activities in the Marvin Center, Funger Hall, and other
buildings.
Bedden, who started his career in academia at age 25, finds the work
at School Without Walls challenging but satisfying. The St. Petersburg,
FL, native arrived in DC from across the river from the Fairfax County
Public Schools, where he was a high school sub-principal.
The former US Army reservist and athletic director says, Youve
got to keep the students engaged. Theres a lot of pressure to
continue to improve their performance. Youve got to figure out
how to do that.
But, as Bedden says, boredom is not a problem.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu