Calling all Churchill parents

[Anonymous]

I am trying to decide whether to buy a house in the Churchill district or cheaper house and send kids to Catholic high schools. I have specific questions about Churchill HS (not interested in elementary and middle schools) from current/recent parents. I went to Churchill in the early 2000s so that is my frame of reference.

- how is the student population? I know generally strong academically but are they nice and down to earth? Are the kids super competitive in everything or supportive of each other? (I did not find 2000s Churchill to be all that hyper competitive and kids were friendly).

- same question but about the parent population? Ultra competitive and supplementing like crazy? Laid back and friendly?

- how is the school academically? Do kids read real novels and write papers? I keep reading about public schools no longer reading and writing. Is this also happening at Churchill? Is grade inflation an issue that affects quality of education? How prepared were your kids for college compared to private school peers who ended up at same colleges? (I thought Churchill of the 2000s prepared us well for college. Really no complaints about my HS experience).

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I was also at Churchill in the early 2000s, I did not move back to Potomac because it's so boring and I wanted something a little different, do you really want to live in Potomac for 30+ years of your life?

[Anonymous]

I have a freshman college and a junior at Churchill.

I think the school prepared them for college. They are doing well at a T30 school. They made dean’s list both semesters. Many above average kids do not get into UMD. Many end up at Ohio State, Penn State, VTech, etc.

Churchill is pretty competitive. Lots of Asian and Indian striving for Ivy League schools. Everyone takes SAT prep courses and has a college advisor.

Kids drive around in new Teslas, Mercedes and BMWs. Many kids take extended vacations.

There are kids who feel entitled to good grades, special treatment.

Kids vape in the bathrooms, smoke pot, and gambling is an issue. Alcohol is the same as 25 years ago. They still do it and think it’s cool. Kids are over the top with homecoming and prom, renting buses and going to the monuments for instagram photos.

Kids get in trouble but their parents can afford attorneys. Kids do not suffer consequences.

My kid in college is doing well. My junior is also doing well. I think the school is ok. If I had to do it all over again, I’m on the fence. I think most teachers are good. The environment can be toxic but you have to make sure your kid does not fall into the wrong groups.

[Anonymous]

^ There was grade inflation but will be curious to see where the grades fall this year with the new grading system.

Also heard there is cheating but kids just let it slide.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP, for the detailed response. That mostly sounds on par with what I remember Churchill's reputation to be 20+ years ago.

[Anonymous]

I'm on my third at Churchill. I don't see the kids as super competitive with one another. I agree with a pp that there are a lot who strive (for Ivies or whatnot) but I haven't seen that as translating to competing with other kids on a regular basis--as in sabotaging them for grades or things like that. There's certainly disappointment at college admissions time when others did better than you, but not like hoping for kids to do badly in school. Probably because grade inflation is such that *other kids* doing well doesn't make it any harder for *me* to to well.

I would say, though, that it is very, very cliquey. Everyone strives to be in a "group." It is well defined who is in what "group." LIke you can ask your kid, what group is Larla in , and your kid will be able to definitively list the members of Larla's group. I could be calling these "friendship groups" except that a lot of times these kids don't really seem like friends. Some group members don't like one another but stay in the group. Others stay in groups long after they really hang out with the other kids regularly. (But the group goes to homecoming and prom together, for instance, so you stay in the group so you're not left out of those events.). I don't really understand it and it seems stressful.

Academically, my guess is that most MCPS schools (except those with special programs like IB) will be the same. Only a novel or two assigned per year in English clasess most years. No big writing projects the way I had school. Basically, kids take a ton of APs and the AP teachers all teach to the same test, so little time for the (enriching) other stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm on my third at Churchill. I don't see the kids as super competitive with one another. I agree with a pp that there are a lot who strive (for Ivies or whatnot) but I haven't seen that as translating to competing with other kids on a regular basis--as in sabotaging them for grades or things like that. There's certainly disappointment at college admissions time when others did better than you, but not like hoping for kids to do badly in school. Probably because grade inflation is such that *other kids* doing well doesn't make it any harder for *me* to to well.

I would say, though, that it is very, very cliquey. Everyone strives to be in a "group." It is well defined who is in what "group." LIke you can ask your kid, what group is Larla in , and your kid will be able to definitively list the members of Larla's group. I could be calling these "friendship groups" except that a lot of times these kids don't really seem like friends. Some group members don't like one another but stay in the group. Others stay in groups long after they really hang out with the other kids regularly. (But the group goes to homecoming and prom together, for instance, so you stay in the group so you're not left out of those events.). I don't really understand it and it seems stressful.

Academically, my guess is that most MCPS schools (except those with special programs like IB) will be the same. Only a novel or two assigned per year in English clasess most years. No big writing projects the way I had school. Basically, kids take a ton of APs and the AP teachers all teach to the same test, so little time for the (enriching) other stuff.

Thanks PP. Are you saying that even in AP level classes (or honors) there is little reading of novels and writing? That would be a drastic change from my time.

I'm thinking the cliques are just a normal part of teenage angst years? I am ok as long as the groups are not antagonistic against each other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm on my third at Churchill. I don't see the kids as super competitive with one another. I agree with a pp that there are a lot who strive (for Ivies or whatnot) but I haven't seen that as translating to competing with other kids on a regular basis--as in sabotaging them for grades or things like that. There's certainly disappointment at college admissions time when others did better than you, but not like hoping for kids to do badly in school. Probably because grade inflation is such that *other kids* doing well doesn't make it any harder for *me* to to well.

I would say, though, that it is very, very cliquey. Everyone strives to be in a "group." It is well defined who is in what "group." LIke you can ask your kid, what group is Larla in , and your kid will be able to definitively list the members of Larla's group. I could be calling these "friendship groups" except that a lot of times these kids don't really seem like friends. Some group members don't like one another but stay in the group. Others stay in groups long after they really hang out with the other kids regularly. (But the group goes to homecoming and prom together, for instance, so you stay in the group so you're not left out of those events.). I don't really understand it and it seems stressful.

Academically, my guess is that most MCPS schools (except those with special programs like IB) will be the same. Only a novel or two assigned per year in English clasess most years. No big writing projects the way I had school. Basically, kids take a ton of APs and the AP teachers all teach to the same test, so little time for the (enriching) other stuff.

Thanks PP. Are you saying that even in AP level classes (or honors) there is little reading of novels and writing? That would be a drastic change from my time.

I'm thinking the cliques are just a normal part of teenage angst years? I am ok as long as the groups are not antagonistic against each other.

When I was in HS I had a different curriculum (not AP) and we wrote multiple long research papers in a given year. I've seen my kids (who pretty much max out APs) write none. Zero. In AP lit (senior year) there is more novel reading but other years, there are relatively few assigned. Maybe 4 per year (one per quarter) at most, with most reading assignments much shorter. Even those novels are sometimes excerpted so they don't read the whole thing.

I don't want to imply the kids aren't prepared for college-- I think they are. They get admitted to good schools and succeed there. But I've found the AP curriculum much more teach-to-the-test. Less deep inquiry. Short (more easily gradable and formulaic) writing assignments. I don't think it's the fault of teachers (they work hard, are angaged, and really seem to care about the kids). I think they are doing their best to prepare kids for the AP test at the end of the year and that has become a formula. My personal preference (deep inquiry, more reading) is a better fit with the IB curriculum than the AP curriculum. I don't know enough about private schools to know where those curricula fit.

[Anonymous]

1. Great music program if your kids are into that.

2. Good sports culture.

3. Teachers are a hit or miss. I like to believe they try to do the right things.

4. There are definitely friends groups, but I assume that is most school. The mean girl culture seems real here.

5. Cheating exists like anywhere else, but your child doesn't have to participate. Teach them not to engage, even if it feels unfair.

6. I don't think everyone gets a college counselor. Mine didn't and had great results.

7. Grade inflation existed before, but the new grading system will tease out the GPA a bit more.

8. Like any public school system, there is not a lot of hand holding. Your students need to advocate and ask for help (sometimes multiple times from the same teacher).

9. DC wishes there were stronger support for things like robotics team or other faculty supported STEM engagements.

10. Parents are friends from ES days, at least the ones I know.