Tensions escalated in D.C. restaurants between owners and employees this summer over Initiative 77, a proposal to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers, after the initiative passed in D.C.’s primary election last June. This proposal raised contentious issues about wage fairness and the economics of the restaurant industry, but the initiative would likely do more harm than good—undermining the restaurant industry in the District and hurting employees over time. Initiative 77 would phase out the lower minimum wage for tipped professions, including bartenders, nail stylists, barbers, bellhops, delivery drivers and restaurant wait staff, currently paid $3.89 per hour. The
At GDS, there is a long-standing tradition of having the girls of the school play each other in a game of flag football while the boys stand on the sidelines to coach or cheer. While this has been a GDS custom for a very long time, it isn’t unique to our school. All over the country, high schools have taken part in these games of girls’ flag football, often called “Powder Puff.” The tradition is often seen as a way to promote grade bonding and foster inter-grade competition and spirit in a fun and safe environment. While it may seem
In order to reserve a parking space at the GDS High School, a student must pay the school $500 per year. With GDS being only a few years away from unifying its two campuses, students are already buzzing with talk of free parking on the new grounds. While, in theory, free parking for students is ideal, students must continue to pay for their parking spaces due to a number of economic and environmental reasons. Currently, there are 74 parking spaces available for students. After construction, there will be a River Road entrance to the school and two spaces will be
At GDS, conversations about social action tend to be all talk and no game. However, the GDS Policy and Advocacy Institute is one place where things get done and continue to get done. As the name of the program indicates, the Policy Institute is about turning ideas into action. This year, the summer program’s three tracks were titled “Addressing Sexual Assault and Consent,” “Life Resettled,” and “Waging Life in the DMV.” The courses each run for four weeks. During that time, students volunteer, research relevant policies, and create a project. The projects must demonstrate how each group will use their
During the summer, I had the opportunity to work voluntarily in the therapeutic toy room of the public hospital for children’s cancer in São Paulo, Grupo de Apoio ao Adolescente e a Criança com Câncer, a support group for adolescent children with cancer (GRAACC). For two of the weeks that I was in São Paulo, I spent weekday mornings helping in the therapeutic toy library and giving love and affection to the children, whose ranged from zero to fourteen years old. The Senninha Brinquedoteca of the GRAACC hospital has a positive impact on the humanization process in the treatment of
What is art? Many would argue that art is the creative expression of one’s views of the world. That art, while basically undefinable, demonstrates a point of view, a commentary, or some form of analysis about the world around us. As art is an artist’s interpretation of the world, it is impossible to fully separate art from the artist. In the same way that it is important to be mindful of the artist’s background and upbringing when consuming their work, considering the artist’s moral standing is equally relevant. Art is inherently linked to the artist, and to separate it from
It came as a relief to many stressed students when, on June 18th, 2018, administrators from several D.C. independent schools sent a letter to The Washington Post, revealing how their schools were planning to eliminate Advanced Placement (AP) classes by 2020. One of these administrators was our own Head of School, Russell Shaw, paving the way to minimize the import of standardized tests at GDS. This decision is a smart move for GDS as the school continues to grow physically and intellectually. AP classes have been holding students and faculty back by putting too much emphasis on adhering to an
When GDS announced that it would begin phasing out Advanced Placement (AP) courses, students all over the DMV breathed sighs of relief. Long seen as symbols of College Board overreaching, time-crunched syllabuses, and insults to teachers’ creativity, AP classes culminate with hours-long standardized exams that make many students want to rip their hair out and even doubt their own intelligence. While at face value, eliminating AP courses from the GDS curriculum seems advantageous, it might create deeper problems than it solves. Even when AP classes are cut out of the course catalog, AP testing will remain on the table. “I
Between “Borat,” “Brüno,” and “The Dictator,” Sacha Baron Cohen is known for portraying absurd fictional characters who navigate situations in the real world. His most recent production, “Who is America?” is no different. In the Showtime series that premiered this summer, Baron Cohen takes on the roles of six different personas—a radical, fake-news-endorsing republican, a self-hating ultra-liberal and an Israeli ex-Mossad agent, to name a few—who each seemingly aim to represent (or, more likely, mock) a different part of modern American society. Just like in his other shows, Baron Cohen wears out the definition of “gotcha journalism.” He relentlessly dupes
A few weeks ago, I did what some would say is unforgivable: I deleted Snapchat. To be completely honest, I was scared of the reactions from my friends, but breaking free of the virtual chains (A.K.A. my Snapchat streaks) felt liberating. Deleting Snapchat turned out to be a very healthy move for me, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. Most people who use Snapchat don’t just use it to have conversations with their friends, or post about their lives; they use it to keep “streaks.” Snapchat streaks are the propelling force in causing users to open the
Phones have become an essential part of our lives. From communicating with friends and family to using social media to getting the latest news alert from CNN, these devices buzz and ding incessantly. While phones are great at making us feel part of a wider world, they are also changing the way we interact with each other and may actually be isolating rather than connecting us. This is a worldwide problem, but on a smaller scale, it affects our day-to-day life at GDS. We’re all guilty of reaching for our phones at lunch instead of reaching out to our friends
The GDS high school’s 2018 Pride Week helped to promote a sense of pride among the LGBTQ+ community at GDS. But despite the atmosphere of inclusivity, a group of students felt left out. Did Pride Week leave many ‘closeted’ students feeling marginalized by the GDS acceptance movement? Events organized by GDS such as Pride Week certainly do a wonderful job of encouraging all, regardless of sexuality or gender identity, to participate. But for some, GDS holds the idea that school is a separate entity from the real world where students can safely be ‘out,’ without anyone on the outside knowing.