An American flag in front of the Mary Graydon Center on American University’s campus July Fourth week. Photo by Tori Cappo
WASHINGTON—This July Fourth many people at American University seem to have three plans in common: fireworks, family and food.
Carli Million, a 17-year-old Californian, and Naomi Lilly, 16, from Maryland, are spending the holiday away from their family. The girls plan to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Georgetown with the National Student Leadership Conference, a high school program.
Although it’s Million’s first July Fourth away from home, she said she always looks forward to “having a good day out in the sun—watching fireworks of course.”
Lilly said she loves to catch up with her friends and celebrate Independence Day with a fireworks show while Naomi expressed that gathering on July Fourth, “promotes the most spirit among Americans.”
Nick Wuest, 17, is also in the American spirit approaching Friday’s holiday and said the United States’ declaration of independence from British monarchy is a source of pride.
Sergio Vazquez, 31, from Guadalajara, Mexico, said what he enjoys the most about July Fourth is its history and hearing people on the radio discuss the country’s roots.
Meanwhile, Leanza Bethel, 21, from Texas, will attend a PBS showing about the history of Independence Day with her friends. Although she’s excited to be in Washington, D.C., she’ll miss Texas’ best holiday asset.
“The barbeque is the best because Texas is the best,” Bethel said. She continued, the food display is “the works” and the traditions are “everything Texans do.”
Annika Berystrom, 21, from Colorado, and Alex Edelson, 22, from Georgia, both appreciate relaxing and enjoying their time with friends and family.
Edelson described his overall July Fourth experience as: “Fun. Laid back. Exciting.”
Like Bethel, her fellow holiday-goers could not contain their excitement as their faces lit up with wide smiles when describing their July Fourth plans and memories.
Lilly explained that family, friends, hotdogs and hamburgers go together perfectly on July Fourth.
“Everyone gets involved, and I feel like that’s what’s so great about the holiday,” said Lilly. “Everyone’s there to have a good time and to celebrate. Everyone’s laughing. Everyone’s enjoying themselves.”
WASHINGTON— Students and locals interviewed on American University’s campus Wednesday said they will be celebrating the nation’s 238th birthday this coming Fourth of July with fireworks and barbecues.
D.C. local and American University student, Emily Whitworth, 19, usually has a traditional barbecue with her family, but this year decided to try something different.
Whitworth is going to a rooftop party with friends, and is excited to watch the National Mall firework celebration from the party, she said.
AU student Victoria Prybyl, 20, from Ithaca, New York, has never been in D.C for the Fourth of July, and is excited about celebrating in the nation’s capitol for the first time, she said.
“I am going to the National Mall with the Discover the World of Communication students,” Prybyl said.”[We are going] near the Washington Monument to watch the fireworks.”
American University sophomore Barbara Martinez, 19, plans on spending her Fourth of July by going to a party with her friend from back home in Queens, a borough of New York City.
Martinez, grew up in Queens and remembers previous Fourth of July celebrations spent on top of her apartment building watching the Manhattan Firework celebration, she said. Martinez also bakes with her mom as another part of her Fourth of July traditions.
“She had like this Fourth of July pie specialty,” Martinez recalled. “She made [it] with strawberries and blueberries to look like a flag.”
Some D.C residents are still unsure of their plans however.
“I have nothing concrete yet,” Steve Cross, an American University alum, said.
Cross will spend his Fourth of July either in his hometown of Baltimore or in D.C, but either way, Cross will still cook Baltimore steamed crabs, his traditional Fourth of July barbecue food, Cross said.
Steve Cross poses in front of the quad at AU’s campus. Photo by Andrew Gold
In past years, Cross has also traveled between D.C and Baltimore to see firework celebrations. In a “good year” Cross manages to see up to 10 different fireworks shows in D.C or Baltimore, according to Cross.
Fireworks are not for everyone though, according to AU maintenance worker, Ceasar Caicedo, 46. Caicedo does not plan on attending any firework shows or celebrations. Instead, he plans on celebrating the holiday by taking his kids out of town on a camping trip, where they will have a barbecue, Caicedo said.
Jason Lee Carter, a D.C. local, 34, also plans on spending his Fourth of July with his kids and nature, Carter said. He wants to spend his holiday “floating and fishing” along a river located in the D.C area, according to Carter.
For some D.C residents, however, it’s business as usual on the Fourth of July. AU student, Alanna Holstein, 20, will be spending her holiday working as a sales associate in Georgetown, Holstein said.
Construction worker, Gordon Schaeffer, 54, also will be working this July Fourth, but might have a cookout at the end of the day, he said.
The Fourth of July has a range of meanings for residents across the D.C area, but AU junior Alex Mazzarisi feels that friends and family are an important part of the celebrations.
“The Fourth of July means celebrating our country’s independence and a great time to get together with friends and family,” Mazzarisi said. “It’s a great bonding holiday for everyone.”
Erica Rush reflected on Fourth of July memories. Photo by Kayla Calhoun
WASHINGTON- Many American University summer students and faculty members shared their favorite Fourth of July memories as they prepared for one of the country’s most celebrated holidays.
Liam Toohey, an American University library employee, is planning on visiting a friend’s house and going to a local park to watch fireworks. Toohey’s favorite part about going to the park last year was watching the fireworks from the top of a hill.
“If you get up far enough, you can see around the surrounding areas,” Toohey said.
Toohey’s favorite memory of the Fourth of July is when he and his friends got stuck in traffic on their way to see a fireworks show.
“When I was 21, we got stuck on the Baltimore Beltway and everyone decided to get out of their cars and watch from there,” Toohey said.
John Douglass, a Washington D.C. native and AU School of Communication professor, remembers watching the National Mall fireworks from the Ellipse, a piece of land in front of the White House.
“I enjoyed hearing the reverberation of the fireworks off the Commerce Department,” Douglass said.
While many may have fond memories of the Fourth of July, some memories remind families to be careful, especially around fireworks.
“We tried to light a sparkler and it popped on me and I got burned,” said Shannon Kamara, who works at the AU Bookstore.
Erica Rush had a similar dangerous experience.
“When we were watching fireworks, my cousin decided to jump off the ledge and landed on his face,” Rush said.
Along with watching fireworks and spending time with friends and family, barbeques are also a popular way to celebrate the Fourth of July and bring back some of the best memories, Kamara said.
“We have barbeques and let the kids watch the fireworks,” Kamara said. “The food doesn’t matter, as long as it is off the grill.”
Overall, D.C residents look forward to making new memories during their Fourth of July celebrations on Friday.
“I like the idea that we get a chance to come together and enjoy the idea of America instead of the ideology,” Toohey said.
WASHINGTON–As the Fourth of July approaches, students, faculty and staff at American University have different plans and preparations to commemorate America’s birthday from spending it in the city to hanging out with friends at home.
University Library receptionist, Edward Shine, 20, will marinate steak and then head to a barbecue at a friend’s house Friday afternoon before tackling crowds to see the fireworks at the National Mall for the first time.
Shine, from Boston, is no stranger to holiday crowds. Shine noted his favorite Independence Day memory from Cape Cod, “It was wicked crowded.” Normally, he spends time watching sports with friends and family but this year will be among the crowds at one of the country’s largest Independence Day celebrations.
In Washington, D.C., it will be crowded, too, with more than 700,000 people likely to attend the National Mall’s fireworks, according to The District, a tourist guide. This year marks the bicentennial anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner and commemoration of the War of 1812. Many other festivities at the National Mall will take place, including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which offers multicultural performances.
Barbara Martinez is headed right near the city’s top action. She will meet friends at Union Station and then tour the U.S. Capitol.
Martinez, a 19-year-old receptionist at Anderson Hall, will be with friends coming from her hometown in Queens, New York. She remembered seeing the fireworks in downtown Manhattan from her apartment building rooftop in Queens.
“If you get close enough to the fireworks, you can feel the fireworks rattle your rib cage,” Martinez said.
Teaching assistant for the Discover the World of Communications program at American University, Leila Nasser, enjoys seeing the fireworks. She remembers wanting to see the fireworks when she was younger and suddenly seeing them explode in the sky from behind a building, viewing them from her dad’s shoulders.
This year, she plans on traveling with the summer high school program to the National Mall to see the fireworks and prepares to keep the program attendees safe from any danger.
However, AU Associate Director of Graduate Enrollment Management, Kathy Clowery, doesn’t have a tradition of watching fireworks since her children have left. She enjoys just having a day off of work and being able to sleep in. She plans on spending the day by also going to a friend’s house and won’t miss the work preparing for the big day.
“I’m not going to be painting my house red, white, and blue,” Clowery said since she’ll be going to someone else’s house.
WASHINGTON—Teenagers at American University’s summer programs are looking forward to celebrating the Fourth of July in the city but some are missing the traditions of the holiday from their hometowns.
For many, July Fourth is not about the birth of the country but rather being around family and celebrating American freedom. For those interviewed on campus this week, including students and staff in the National Student Leadership Conference program, they’re away from those traditions for the first time but still get to celebrate patriotism.
Spencer Cox, 18, from Los Angeles, said Independence Day has become “an overwhelming symbol of American patriotism.”
Spencer Cox sits outside of McKinley
In Cox’s hometown, he has gone to the local high school to watch the fireworks. A few times Cox would use party poppers to have his own mini fireworks.
“I would have fun with it,” said Cox, who noted the poppers aren’t dangerous.
Cox continued of the holiday, “It isn’t celebrated for what it actually is, which is the founding of our country.”
Rachael Packard’s mother is in the United States Air Force band and gets to sing the National Anthem in their hometown.
“It is kind of weird to see her up there, but it is cool to see her sing up there year after year,” Packard said.
She continued, “It is neat to see everyone so patriotic especially after the big World Cup loss.”
Chris Black’s, 17, household has a big celebration. Black’s family likes to think of it as a birthday party for the birth of the nation.
“We have a party like a birthday party,” Black said. “We eat cake, watch Independence Day.”
Recently Black traveled to the Philippines and witnessed firsthand the differences in terms of freedom, liberty, and democracy.
“We saw how different life is there, they don’t have the same freedoms that we in the United States have,” Black said.
He said that as the Fourth of July nears that we have to value our independence and celebrate our country as it is not like this everywhere and that we are lucky to live in such a great country.
“We have to remember our founding fathers for standing up for what they believed in and founding our great country,” Black said.
WASHINGTON–People of all ages at American University are celebrating the Fourth of July with some excited and others indifferent.
For some people Fourth of July is a big deal. Laura Dmesey, 49, works at the Subway on campus. Dmesey plans on partaking in a cookout with her family in Maryland. Instead of watching fireworks at the National Mall, she’s buying her own to set off in the backyard.
Some people have different ways of celebrating. A student at AU, biting an apple by the front desk in Anderson Hall, said she was excited to crash at her friend’s house in the city. Nineteen-year-old, Barbara Martinez, is a rising sophomore from Northern Virginia and is ready to get off work to tour the Capital and relax in the heat.
Martinez, for example, believes that the Fourth of July is a time to celebrate American pride, nationality and egotism. Others see the great holiday as nothing more than a excuse to party. In fact according to 15-year-old New Jersey native, Ashley Fowler, July Fourth is one of America’s drunkest holidays.
“I feel that it’s like a fun holiday, but I don’t actually find it to be that important,” Fowler said.
Brendan Ryan, 17, was sitting at the Starbucks waiting to get picked up by his family. For him, Fourth of July is just another day. He normally spends his time with his family, watching the fireworks, and eating food. Ryan says that for him, Independence Day is no big deal, just a silly tradition.
Assistant Director of Discover the World of Communication Tony Cohn begs to differ. Cohn, 21, has always thought of our nation’s birthday as a “patriotic holiday,” a time when everyone of every race can get together to celebrate unity and tradition.
Every year Cohn takes the students of DWC to the National Mall, in front of the Lincoln Memorial. There, they do it all: from playing soccer on the grass, to visiting museums.
“It’s a fun Washington D.C. experience,” Cohn said.
Here in D.C. visiting the National Mall seems to be the most popular thing to do, according to those interviewed Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands of people visit the mall each year to watch the closing fireworks. It’s an all day event and many of the monuments close before 5 p.m. That way people have more room to camp out.
“You can’t see the ground because of so many people,” Cohn explained. “There’s so much energy that’s so crazy, it’s indescribable.
You’re celebrating the nation’s birthday at the nation’s capital on the national mall. There’s something so special and so much novelty behind that.”
The Tenleytown Safeway, which opened in 1981, was purchased by Georgetown Day School and will close in 10 months. Photo by Pablo Roa.
WASHINGTON — Since it opened in 1981, many residents of the Tenleytown area in Northwest Washington have relied on the local Safeway supermarket for all of their grocery needs. In less than a year, however, Safeway customers will be forced to look elsewhere as the store will be closing its doors.
Georgetown Day School (GDS), a Pre-K-12 preparatory school across the street from Safeway’s parking lot, purchased the store and the land around it for about $40 million earlier this month. The purchase is part of a major expansion plan for GDS, which hopes to use the land to finally unite its three campuses.
While the sale might be good news for members of the GDS community, it has come as a shock to many Safeway customers who expected the store to be renovated in the near future.
Over the last several years, Safeway has been modernizing stores throughout the country and the company expected to do the same with the Tenleytown store, which is one of the oldest Safeways in the region.
Safeway Government Affairs and Public Relations Manager Craig Muckle said the store had, in fact, planned to renovate the Tenleytown store before GDS made its offer.
“Our primary goal was to redevelop the store,” Muckle said. “We had reached out to the community as far back as 2008, 2009 to make our plans known that we were interested in redeveloping the store—creating a new building from scratch.”
In an area where grocery stores are constantly being modernized and renovated to include larger aisles and state-of-the-art technology, the Tenleytown Safeway has grown old and outdated. Upon walking in, customers are greeted by the familiar array of fruits and flowers that adorn the entrance of most grocery stores. But after venturing deeper into the store, its old age quickly becomes apparent and the differences between the store and the more modern, wide-aisled supermarkets in the region become clearer than ever.
The aisles of the store are narrow, and the old, antique-like floor is nothing compared to the fading, rusting ceiling above. The store also features bulky cash registers and lacks the self-checkout options that have become standard at most grocery stores in the region. The Tenleytown Safeway, in Washington since Ronald Reagan’s first term as president, was in desperate need of change. And despite previous plans to rebuild the store, selling it to GDS offered Safeway a more immediate solution and a more feasible method for modernizing the community.
“The important takeaway is that our ultimate purpose was to renovate the store and help modernize the community,” Muckle said. “We consider Georgetown Day our close neighbors. We knew they had some needs of their own and they knew we were interested in redevelopment in the community.”
Although the sale might be helpful for the community and for GDS, the news that their grocery store will be closing comes as a shock and disappointment to many loyal customers in the neighborhood.
“I’ll miss it. I come here a lot,” Nora Green said. “I’m between the one at Chevy Chase and this one, but when I make big buys, I usually come [to Tenleytown].”
For many customers, the location of the store is convenient because of its proximity to residential areas and the city. Safeway shopper Joe Cohoon said he will miss the location for its peaceful, tree-lined parking lot and the lack of traffic in the area, a valuable commodity in a city like D.C.
While many customers will miss the store after it closes, some said closing it is the best solution since a renovation was unlikely to happen in the immediate future. “It’s awful,” shopper Christa Linder said.
Another local shopper, who wished to remain anonymous, said the store was badly managed and that renovating it would have been too costly. But Safeway customer Antonio Lamprea said it will not affect him because he can just start shopping at Georgetown. Other grocery stores in Tenleytown include a Whole Foods and a Giant, which is under renovation. The Safeway will remain open on lease for at least 10 more months.
For GDS, purchasing the store will allow the school to create a campus large enough to accommodate all 1,070 students — a goal they have been trying to accomplish ever since they opened the school to high-schoolers. Alison Grasheim, director of communications at GDS, said the school’s expansion will greatly improve the student and parent experience at the school and will have a positive impact on the community.
“Everyone [at GDS] is excited,” Grasheim said. “Right now, we have families with kids at both campuses, we have teachers and coaches who work at both campuses and the administrative team is constantly going back and forth. So, in that sense, it’s exciting. It’s going to be a huge help to our financial bottom line, and also the community.”
While the sale will be beneficial to most in the community, others will have to find a new location to go grocery shopping. But despite the store’s deteriorating condition and seemingly unavoidable closing, it has been a key part of the Tenleytown community for thirty years and likely will not be forgotten any time soon.
“Any grocery store is a valued commodity,” Muckle said. “I think, in an urban environment especially, people typically want be close to vital services and people usually consider grocery stores to be vital services. We think we’ve been an integral part of the community and have been valued.”
Contributors: Xandie Kuenning, Christiane Crawford, Claudette Soler, Lauren Ramaley, William Peters, Jake Baskin and Valerie Akinyoyenu.
First wall of the sculpture gaden seen when you first walk in.
Two different sculptures at the front of the sculpture garden.
Artwork in sculpture garden.
Piece of work in the sculpture garden.
Piece of work in the sculpture gaden.
Artwork in sculpture garden.
Overview of the first half of the sculpture garden.
The sculpture garden features a variety of changing pieces of art.
Sculptures visible when driving by the Katzen Arts center.
Statues from the sculpture garden peaking out above the wall.
Sculpture right in front of the Katzen Arts center.
View of the sculpture garden from the stairs.
A sculpture outside of the Katzen Arts center. It can be seen through the windows of the AU museum.
This sculpture can be found outside of the katzen Arts center- it is separate from the sculpture garden.
The American University Art Museum is inside the Katzen Arts Center.
Outside of the katzen Arts Center are several statues.
WASHINGTON D.C. — The nation’s capital is home to about 70 art museums. However, it isn’t always necessary to travel as far as the National Mall or Dupont Circle. The American University (AU) art museum features the work of artists from around the world.
The AU art museum receives about five applications each day from artists eager to have their work displayed. The director and curator, John Rasmussen, says AU graduate students can also have their work displayed once a year.
Rasmussen describes the museum as paralleling “the strengths of the university.” The artwork, which has a strong international focus, reflects AU’s diverse community and Rasmussen adds that the museum shows political and social work because it “can’t be found elsewhere in D.C.”
The museum is three floors of art work and more can also be found outside the museum walls in overlooked nooks and crannies, including in stairwells, elevators and on windows, as a part of the exhibit by Danielle O’Steen.
Rasmussen said that the AU art museum is similar to the Corcoran art museum just a little bit more “nimble.” Some of the exhibits are traveling shows, coming from places like the Grey art gallery at New York University, and Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento.
The museum has a diverse array of artwork both inside and outside in the sculpture garden, too. With its emphasis on international art and diversity, the museum adds to culture of D.C. art museums.
WASHINGTON — Blue seahorses and red tricycles rest in the sand while toddlers run around and their giggles fill the air.
Inside, children are playing with shapes, blocks, and pegs. Others play with sand and water. Some days, the children, who are ages 2 and a half to 6, watch the life cycles of caterpillars and grow tomatoes and flowers.
The center that sits on the American University campus opened in 1978 and continues to thrive and remains popular as it always operates at capacity—30 children–and with a wait list. That could be because Charfi offers three decades of childcare experience. Plus, other qualified teachers plan a monthly lesson in order to keep the children active.
Toddlers at the Child Development Center on AU’s campus are offered many choices for outdoor play. Photo by Christiane Crawford
“I love little children,” Charfi said. “You can teach them so much. They’re so innocent and curious.”
Even though the joyful sounds of children seem like all play, Charfi is constantly busy changing diapers, cleaning bathrooms, checking inventory and managing toddlers, who may shout “Mine!” to claim toys as their own. Charfi also manages two classrooms, one orange for the younger children and the other green for ages 4 to 6.
Despite high demand for infant childcare in the metropolitan D.C. area, Charfi explained the center starts at age 2 and a half because of the expense and potential health issues including immunizations associated with infants.
Even without little babies, the toddlers keep Charfi and the well-trained staff on their toes. Starting with a “rush hour” at 8 a.m., many children stay all day until it’s time to leave at 6 p.m.
Despite the long day, it’s the love of children that has kept her there for decades.
“If you don’t love children, there is no place for you here,” Charfi said. “I always tell [the teachers], ‘You’re here for the children.’”
Summer offers multiple chances for AU Child Development Center students to get outside and play. Photo by Christiane Crawford
No matter how challenging Charfi’s job gets, she continues to put in “200 percent” of her time. The children socialize, forming relationships and learning their routines.
Charfi smiled when she mentioned children who once were enrolled at the pre-school and now attend American University as students. Some stop by to tell her “Hi.”
With growing minds and budding friendships, the Child Development Center hopes to host future generations to come.
The coffee machines at the Davenport Lounge. Photo by Pablo Roa
A flag inside the Davenport Lounge promoting progression. Photo by Xandie Kuenning
The Davenport coffee menu. Photo by Pablo Roa
A sign outside the Davenport Lounge welcoming the class of 2018. Photo by Pablo Roa
A sign found outside the Lounge advertising coffee. Photo by Pablo Roa
The inside of Starbucks. Photo by Pablo Roa
The Starbucks Logo outside of the store. Photo by Xandie Kuenning
A view of the Lounge from the SIS building. Photo by Xandie Kuenning
The inside entrance to the Davenport Lounge. Photo by Xandie Kuenning
WASHINGTON — In a college environment, caffeine, especially in such drinks as coffee, is what makes the world run. In the U.S., around 54 percent of Americans older than 18 drink coffee every day, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. And in 2013, a study of University of New Hampshire students found that 40 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds drink coffee every day. This is true at American University (AU) as well, a school that has a number places to get coffee on-campus, including a student-run coffee shop and a nationwide chain.
At AU, one of the most well-known places to get coffee is the Davenport Coffee Lounge. In 1957, the School of International Service (SIS), along with room for a chapel, was founded. After the Kay Spiritual Center was built, the chapel became more of a community hangout. In the 1980s, the hangout was turned into a coffee lounge by the SIS student government, a space for students to talk and collaborate as well as drink coffee. In 2010, the lounge moved to where it is today, in the entrance to the new SIS building, adding more space for students, staff and faculty to sit inside and outside.
“We still consider the main objective for the space for students to get together and hang out. In that way, we differ from every other coffee area on campus,” Manager Rebecca Regan said.
The aim of the Davenport — or the “Dav” as it is known — is to “create a forum that enhances cross-cultural communication and forges bridges of understanding across communities in a friendly, harmonious, and nurturing environment.” It accomplishes this goal by having a series of projects helping the community.
“We don’t see ourselves as just a vendo. We see each other as a student organization that helps the community,” Regan said.
This year, those projects included the Charity Drink Campaign, where proceeds from a special drink were donated to a good cause each month, and the Stamp Cards, where each time customers brought their own mugs, they received a stamp, eventually leading to a free drink. The lounge is also a partner of the TapIt program for clean water and believes in composting and water as a free resource — in other words, no water bottles.
The Davenport is also a place for AU students to work, as well as hang out. There are 35 students on staff, all with different ideas, charities and organizations they believe in or support.
“The Dav seemed like a really cool and chill place, especially in terms of the atmosphere and how it was integrated in American University’s campus,” rising junior Leah Dunn, who works at the lounge, said.
Though the Davenport is older, the place one immediately thinks of in terms of coffee is, of course, Starbucks, which opened on campus in January. It can be found in the entrance or tunnel to AU and is easily accessed from both the dorms and the shuttle stop nearby.
“I love the idea of a local coffee shop, but the Dav only takes cash or Eaglebucks, which I never have. It’s just easier to go to Starbucks,” AU graduate student Shayna Muller said.
Starbucks is open from 5:30 to 9 p.m. It is currently running a campaign for youth education (whenever an Oprah Chai Latte is bought, a donation is made). Starbucks also has a rewards program with three different levels, allowing dedicated customers to receive such benefits as free refills and birthday gifts.
Though many would expect the relationship between the local Davenport and the nationwide Starbucks chain to be tenuous, it is, in fact, rather friendly. Those working in the lounge agree that though they were nervous when Starbucks opened on campus, they knew that because the Davenport was older, people knew the name and the brand.
“I was pretty nervous when [the Starbucks] came to campus. And to tell the truth, I haven’t actually been in the store. But this one time [the Davenport] ran out of ice and so we walked over to the Starbucks and got some from them. Our relationship is pretty cordial,” Regan said.
