Over the past several weeks, community members at Leckie Education Campus have been enjoying the newly constructed addition that’s anticipated to ease teacher collaboration and enhance student learning and dining.
Well before the completion of the capital project, however, several of the young people attending the Ward 8 school were already reaping the benefits of a process that allowed for the real-world application of math and science concepts.
Just ask longtime Leckie principal Niyeka Wilson.
“With my pre-K3 and pre-K4 learners doing a building study with [a] creative curriculum, they’re learning about how buildings are formed and who actually works on a construction site while being able to speak to contractors or construction workers,” Wilson told The Informer. “They would put on their little mini hats and sit on the windowsills and they could actually see it in action.”
In her 10th year as principal, Wilson said her middle schoolers had a similar experience throughout much of the previous school year.
“I look at my sixth graders…who are learning about scale and proportional reasoning,” Wilson continued, “being able to look at the blueprints for the new building and actually ‘turnkeying’ maps from pencil and paper in the classroom and having it come alive in real life.”
In December, students, faculty and staff at Leckie celebrated the addition of a new two-story, 18,000-square-foot wing to their existing school building.
The addition, designed to meet the needs of a middle school population that has shared space with elementary school students and pre-schoolers, has a science lab with a prep room, along with six new classrooms, a teacher collaboration space, and a dining room with a food service area. Other campus improvements include three new playgrounds for pre-school youth, and elementary and middle school students.
There’s also a basketball court, an asphalt surface play area, and a new parking lot with nearly four dozen spaces. Additional amenities include new sidewalks and fencing, each designed to improve accessibility and campus security.
As Wilson recounted, the approval and eventual completion of the Leckie’s addition followed campus walkthroughs and several meetings between school community members, D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) central office, and the D.C. Department of General Services (DGS).
“We had our teachers, some parents, and even students, who sat in and looked at the different layouts that were available,” Wilson recalled. “We talked about just what was important to our community. We wanted to make sure that the environment was taken into consideration, making sure that it was well lit, color patterns, color schemes and things of that nature.”
For Wilson, those discussions, and the subsequent circulation of surveys to students, affirmed the school community’s ownership of the new space.
“We had an integral part in the process,” she said. “We felt that our voices were definitely heard and our considerations were taken into account.”
The Past and Present Collide During a ‘Show-and-Tell’
On the morning of Jan. 21, DCPS and DGS personnel conducted an “addition show-and-tell” centered on the two-story additional space that students and faculty members helped conceptualize. The $20.9 million capital improvement project counts among 50 conducted over the past decade, with another 30 school modernizations scheduled for the current fiscal year.
Kaiden Scott, a seventh grader who was involved in the process, said he immediately gravitated to Leckie’s new science lab.
“Since I was little, I wanted to do all kinds of experiments,” said Kaiden, who’s attended Leckie since pre-kindergarten. “This feels more like a science lab [whereas] the last one just felt like a normal classroom. We didn’t get to do experiments yet, but I’m hoping we get to do some.”
Asia Cook, an eighth grader in her third year at Leckie, said the two-story addition changed the vibe of her school for the better. For her, the recent show-and-tell culminated a journey peppered with student surveys and a special tour of the yet-to-be-completed space last year.
“I’ve only been here since sixth grade, but I especially like how it’s different from what I’ve known for three years, essentially,” said Asia, a Leckie student government association officer. “I find the building way less stuffy. It’s more spacious, and I’m generally able to focus better.”
Damari Mitchell, an eighth grader who’s attended Leckie throughout his entire academic career, shared Asia’s sentiments.
“We don’t have to worry about accidentally bumping into a fourth grader or something,” said Damari, another student government officer who hopes to attend Banneker Academic High School next year.
Further, Damari said the new arrangement enhances his learning.
“In the old building we used to have tables of five and six,” he said, “but this time we’re able to go to tables of two. We are more spaced out.”
Leckie’s newest addition, which includes an opening to nearby Fort Greble Park, sets the stage for the spring completion of the Fort Greble Recreation Center.
Of the total dollar amount spent on Leckie’s two-story addition, 83% went to two D.C.-based certified business enterprises: R. McGhee & Associates Architects an African-American-led architectural and design firm, and the Latino-owned firm known as Keystone Plus Construction.
For DGS Director Delano Hunter, the Wednesday morning show-and-tell at Leckie proved a bit more lowkey than other events. In the time spent with middle school students, he learned about their appreciation for an inclusive process.
“That was really important for us,” Hunter said, “having to give them the opportunity to select colors to inform the design of the playground, the furniture, the look and feel of the space. We do this for many of our schools, but I think Leckie was a really good example of when it goes well.”
At the height of his high school baseball career, Hunter and teammates at what was then Spingarn High School used the field at Leckie and Fort Greble Park as their home baseball field. They did so in the absence of a regulation-sized field at their campus.
Now, with a full campus modernization on the horizon for Leckie, Hunter said he takes pleasure in seeing young people take pride in their academic environment.
“Being a student in the 1980s and 1990s, we couldn’t even fathom having these sorts of facilities,” said Hunter, Spingarn High School’s Class of 2002 valedictorian. “We didn’t even have an expectation of having facilities of this caliber, so, many years later, to be a part of delivering these facilities, it is very special and meaningful for me on both a professional and a personal level.”
The Journey Continues at Leckie Education Campus
Leckie, one of 10 education campuses in the D.C. public school system, hosts a bevy of extracurricular offerings, including: D.C. Scores, Girl and Boy Scouts, chess and flag football.
During the 2024-2025 school year, 36% of students scored either a 3 or a 4 on the math portion of the CAPE, while 43% scored similarly on the English & Language Arts portion.
Kaiden, an aspiring engineer, said he likes the environment that his peers create at school.
“A lot of students here are nice, welcoming, and most of them will show you around the school, and try to become your friend,” Kaiden said. “It’s a great place for all students to come.”
Though Wilson touted staff members’ pivotal role in boosting student morale, she acknowledged Leckie’s new two-story addition as an additional impetus for students.
“It’s a reminder to kids that they are valued and that they’re loved,” she told The Informer, “that there are people who are always pushing for that playing field to always be leveled and equal. Equity is a big part of our work in DCPS. This building is an example of that.”