Back-to-School Round Up
By • August 12, 2026 0 357
By Callie Solomon
As the 2026-27 school year approaches, here are some of the latest developments at schools in the neighborhood — including Georgetown University — that students, families and educators should know before the first day of school (or classes).
New Interim Principal at Hyde-Addison
Native Washingtonian and District of Columbia Public Schools graduate Kimberly Bigelow will serve as Hyde-Addison Elementary School’s interim principal for the 2026-27 academic year. According to DCPS, Bigelow brings experience across multiple roles in education, including elementary classroom teaching, literacy coaching and school leadership. Bigelow served as assistant principal of Mann Elementary School and led efforts that contributed to double-digit growth in English Language Arts during the 2024-25 school year.
Back-to-School Night at Hardy Middle School
Hardy Middle School’s Back-to-School Night will take place on Thursday, Sept. 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Families will follow an abbreviated schedule to visit the classes their children are taking.
British International School Campus Upgrades
Per the admissions team at the British International School of Washington, the 2026-27 school year brings the addition of new classrooms at the independent school, along with renovations to classrooms, laboratory space and teacher facilities throughout the campus.
MacArthur High Renamed for John R. Thompson Jr.
Starting this fall, students will attend John R. Thompson Jr. High School, the new name for MacArthur High School. The Ward 3 public high school opened on MacArthur Boulevard in 2023. In August of 2025, the District Council approved legislation to rename the high school after the former Georgetown University men’s basketball coach.
Thompson coached the Hoyas from 1972 to 1999. Under his leadership, Georgetown reached the NCAA tournament 20 times and captured seven Big East tournament titles. In 1984, Thompson became the first Black coach to lead a team to an NCAA championship.
Thompson was also known for confronting racial injustice and advocating for his players. For example, he established rules for media engagements in an attempt to protect the team from racist attacks and criticism.
More about Thompson’s career is available at georgetownvoice.com/2025/03/17.
New President at Georgetown University
Eduardo Peñalver began his tenure as Georgetown University’s 49th president on July 1. Peñalver previously served as president of Seattle University. He also served as dean of Cornell Law School and taught law at Fordham Law School, the University of Chicago Law School and Cornell Law School. Peñalver is a Rhodes Scholar who earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell and a J.D. from Yale.
In his July 1 welcome message to the community “Beginning the Next Chapter Together,” Peñalver wrote:
“As Pope Leo recently observed, compounding our challenges, in higher education and beyond, is a crisis of values and meaning. We have become a deeply divided and rudderless society in which people ‘know many things, but struggle to find direction.’ We suffer from ‘an inability to connect information with deeper knowledge or … a sense of purpose.’ Georgetown’s distinctive strengths are directly responsive to this challenge.”
