News

We were proud to mark the beginning of a new school year with the ribbon cutting ceremony of John R. Thompson Jr. High School last month.

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Through a multi-phase journey, this $92 million project transformed the formerGeorgetown Day Lower School building into a real home for DC students.

McKissack & McKissack provided program management taking the project managing lead on Phase Two over three years of coordination,bringing the school’s capacity to 800 students from its previous capacity of200. We worked in partnership with Brailsford& Dunlavey, Inc.

“This project was nothing short of monumental,” said Project Manager MonétWilliams, PMP. “We named this school after John R. Thompson Jr., whochanged the game of basketball, and who also stood unapologetically againstracism and used his platform to fight for justice. His legacy is woven intothese walls, and it reminds us that education is about far more than whathappens in a classroom.”

John R. Thompson Jr. is the first high school built in the region in half a century. To celebrate this exciting addition to the community, Mayor Muriel Bowser and NBA legend Patrick Ewing both attended the ceremony.

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Fun fact: McKissack & McKissack Founder & CEO Deryl McKissack’s daughter, Ahlyah, attended Georgetown Day School on this campus, and Derylspent a lot of time there, attending parent-teacher conferences, October Fest events, and hip hop dance performances.

Congratulations to everyone behind this team effort, from the design-buildteam, MCN Build and STUDIOSArchitecture, to owner, DCDepartment of General Services.

We can’t wait to see a new generation of students fill the building with theirdreams and creativity!

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