What do you love about Sheridan?

[Anonymous]

Sheridan parents, what do you love about the school? What makes it unique and special? And what would you change if you could? Are you happy you chose Sheridan?

[Anonymous]

Sheridan has been a wonderful experience for my family. We've been very happy with the quality of the education and the nurturing environment. Personally, I love the emphasis on writing. My kids are happy and enjoy attending school everyday.

[Anonymous]

We have multiple children at the school. We love the tight-knit community and the personal attention that are children received. There are also some outstanding teachers at the school. We also love Phyllis Fagel, the school counselor. She is a nationally known expert and the school is so lucky to have her. Writing instruction is very good and, perhaps surprisingly for a school of its size, the Basketball program is very strong. The boys and girls varsity team were league champs and the boys JV team were runners up. Not perfect, of course, but it’s been a great place for our kids.

[Anonymous]

We are not at Sheridan (go to public), but have heard their middle school guidance counselor speak and she is fabulous.

[Anonymous]

Former parent here, kid graduated within last 4 years.

I credit the overall ethos and day-to-day environment at Sheridan for essentially transforming my kid into the confident self advocate he is today. It wasn't just that the school is small, or a K-8, or has low pupil:teacher ratio -- these things certainly helped, but you can also find these features in most primary or K-8 private and Catholic schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have multiple children at the school. We love the tight-knit community and the personal attention that are children received. There are also some outstanding teachers at the school. We also love Phyllis Fagel, the school counselor. She is a nationally known expert and the school is so lucky to have her. Writing instruction is very good and, perhaps surprisingly for a school of its size, the Basketball program is very strong. The boys and girls varsity team were league champs and the boys JV team were runners up. Not perfect, of course, but it’s been a great place for our kids.

Yes, she’s great and she is counselor for all grades, but she did write a book about middle schoolers in particular.

[Anonymous]

I have two children who graduated within the last few years. I think Sheridan helped them become good people. The small environment means you interact a lot with kids who wouldn't necessarily be your choice of friend but you spend so much time with them over the years that you learn to be empathetic, understanding, and a good citizen. My children have maintained their friendships with their Sheridan friends into high school.

[Anonymous]

The progressive education model and focus on intrinsic motivation has been a wonderful fit for our child. We love the mountain campus and the focus on "challenge by choice." It's a WONDERFUL environment and community.

[Anonymous]

Sheridan is wonderful. I cannot imagine surviving the pandemic with any other school. The administrators, teachers, Ex-Club staff -- all are exceptional. Everyone with whom we have interacted -- whether the situation involved our child specifically or more generally -- has been so lovely and thoughtful. The Sheridan crew really care about the kids and they demonstrate that dedication daily. Sheridan is the total package.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sheridan is wonderful. I cannot imagine surviving the pandemic with any other school. The administrators, teachers, Ex-Club staff -- all are exceptional. Everyone with whom we have interacted -- whether the situation involved our child specifically or more generally -- has been so lovely and thoughtful. The Sheridan crew really care about the kids and they demonstrate that dedication daily. Sheridan is the total package.

Fully agree. The school really handled the pandemic very well and managed to stay open for most of the pandemic apart from those first few months in 2020. It was so good for the kids to have a normal routine. I'm very excited that the overnight mountain campus trips are resuming. It's a school where everybody knows your name. Community is second to none. Such warm and caring teachers too. Love the school counselor, the staff. It's just a warm, kind place that also produces top-notch students and, now, apparently athletes. The boys and girls basketball team won their conference, which is extraordinary given that most of the other schools are larger. To think that the did so with only about 10-12 kids of each gender per grade comprising the entire pool of available athletes is just so impressive. (To be fair, varsity basketball is 7th and 8th grade, but that means there's about 25 kids of each gender to supply the entirety of the team and not every kid want to play.) The school has a lot of heart.

[Anonymous]

Mrs. Kathy!!! Shes the best. My DD used to hate english, she loves it now!!!

[Anonymous]

Came across this thread and had to chime in. I feel like Sheridan is a hidden gem that we didn't fully realize we'd uncovered when we accepted admission. (Hidden only because we aren't super well connected to the DC independent school community and had only really heard of the bigger K-12 schools).

This school is everything we could have hoped for for our child's education, especially at this societal moment when so much has been so hard for kids lately and anxiety and mental health issues in adolescents are at an all-time high. Our son is supported, seen for who he is, and challenged to be his best. He is comfortable in his own skin and willing to take risks because he feels safe when doing so. He is developing critical thinking skills and feels ownership over his first-rate education. The progressive approach (I mean progressive in pedagogy, not in ideology) feels particularly well suited to the future of work (and, well, everything), where individuals will need to be self-motivated, curious, and able to navigate dynamic situations.

I remember Sheridan's marketing materials talking about being a "joyful place". I didn't think much of that at the time but it's so true -- there is a true pride in the school community and a joy in learning together.

Sheridan is able to embrace both academic rigor and social-emotional health. They show that this does not need to be a choice between one or the other. Now that I see it in practice and understand what is possible, it blows my mind that we were considering schools where we felt like we'd be sending our kids into a pressure cooker for the sake of academic rigor.

I give the school a lot of credit for helping my son develop a love of learning, confidence in who he is as a person, and an understanding of the importance of connection and community. When I'm thinking in the big picture, I don't know what more I could ask for.

It is truly a wonderful, wonderful place.

[Anonymous]

The marketing team is out in full force.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The marketing team is out in full force.

+1.
Cult vibes.

[Anonymous]

What? This is PP. if this comment is in response to that, I am a parent (unaffiliated with the admissions team) who genuinely appreciates the school and how I’ve seen my son thrive there. It is weird that genuine enthusiasm for a school garners this response. I hope other families love their schools of choice, and it would be refreshing to hear more about it on this forum. I honestly do not understand the weird competitiveness and assumption of something other than good intent that exists here.