Mrs. Simpson's Classes

[Anonymous]

You must be invited. You can not pay to be invited. This was Shippen's. In DC it is the de riguor for the private school set. If you went your child will be invited unless you've slipped a lot. Junior League for the fourth grade and older set.
Ridicules to think that everyone gets an invite no matter what. Come on.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure you meant 'de rigueur' and 'ridiculous', right?

If you're gonna get your snob on, spell it right!

[Anonymous]

why is this thread back??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know, it seems to come as a big shock to some people on this board that there are things in the DC area that are exclusive. Meaning schools, clubs, playgroups, classes etc. That's just how the world is. It's not "rude" to be invitation only, unless there's something unsavory about the way that people are exlcuded (such as by race or religion). I guess in a perfect world, everything would be open to everyone, but we don't live in that world. There will always be groups or events which are open to a limited few based on a number of factors, money being only one. But I don't know what's "rude" or "disgusting" about this. And I say this as someone who has never joined a club or one of these groups (though I've been invited).

Then you must make a lot of money then.

[Anonymous]

I do not think there is anything wrong with some things being exclusive but many people that go there have told me that when she invites people she looks at their race. The race goes into consideration. That is very cruel and I dislike it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not think there is anything wrong with some things being exclusive but many people that go there have told me that when she invites people she looks at their race. The race goes into consideration. That is very cruel and I dislike it.

I've never heard any proof of this. If you are going to make an accusation like this, you should be able to back it up!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not think there is anything wrong with some things being exclusive but many people that go there have told me that when she invites people she looks at their race. The race goes into consideration. That is very cruel and I dislike it.

I've never heard any proof of this. If you are going to make an accusation like this, you should be able to back it up!

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/27800/better-off-deb

The class is invitation-only, as well. Class proprietress Virginia Simpson and a secret committee of parents choose students from among third-graders at private elementary schools such as the National Cathedral School, the Beauvoir School, the Potomac School, and the Norwood School.

Even among these elite pools, not everyone gets invited. Richard Lehfeldt, a power-company executive who now lives in Florida, recalls that he and his wife were baffled when 10 years ago, their daughter, then a third-grader at Potomac, was the only child in her class who didn't receive an invitation to join Simpson's class.

"We asked around and we figured out the dirty little secret," says Lehfeldt, who believes that his daughter was not invited because she is Jewish. Lehfeldt criticized Simpson's admission practices in a 1993 Washington Post article, which cited several cases where Jewish and nonwhite children were the only ones in their classes not invited. "My assumption was that people didn't know and once they knew, they would retreat," says Lehfeldt. "But what we found out was that they did know and did not want to retreat."

[Anonymous]

http://banzhaf.net/accom.html


42. Filed a legal complaint which forced Mrs. Simpson's dance class to adopt an affirmative action plan to admit more African-American and Jewish students

[Anonymous]

How many years ago was tHis? I've been part of Mrs Simpsons "not secret" committee and she is looking for any and all children who might want to attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not think there is anything wrong with some things being exclusive but many people that go there have told me that when she invites people she looks at their race. The race goes into consideration. That is very cruel and I dislike it.

I've never heard any proof of this. If you are going to make an accusation like this, you should be able to back it up!

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/27800/better-off-deb

The class is invitation-only, as well. Class proprietress Virginia Simpson and a secret committee of parents choose students from among third-graders at private elementary schools such as the National Cathedral School, the Beauvoir School, the Potomac School, and the Norwood School.

Even among these elite pools, not everyone gets invited. Richard Lehfeldt, a power-company executive who now lives in Florida, recalls that he and his wife were baffled when 10 years ago, their daughter, then a third-grader at Potomac, was the only child in her class who didn't receive an invitation to join Simpson's class.

"We asked around and we figured out the dirty little secret," says Lehfeldt, who believes that his daughter was not invited because she is Jewish. Lehfeldt criticized Simpson's admission practices in a 1993 Washington Post article, which cited several cases where Jewish and nonwhite children were the only ones in their classes not invited. "My assumption was that people didn't know and once they knew, they would retreat," says Lehfeldt. "But what we found out was that they did know and did not want to retreat."

Seriously, someone "believes" that his daughter was left out b/c of her religion?!?! This is not proof of anything. My DD has been left off of birthday party lists when other girls in her class are invited; does that mean that the birthday girl and parents are excluding her because we're Jewish?!? If I went around spouting such nonsense, I would rightly sound like a raving lunatic.

Being left off a list doesn't necessarily mean you are being excluded because of your religion (or race, or anything else). Maybe the people compiling the list just don't like you or don't like your kid. Probably doesn't feel good; but not necessarily anything nefarious.

[Anonymous]

PP, what proof would you accept? The selection process is done secretly, by a secret committee. Unless someone on the committee wants to come forward and confess, I doubt that any proof provided will be enough for you.

If you are on the committee, enlighten us, how many children in the last three classes where not white and how may were not christian?

Also, if every girl in your daughter's class was invited to a party and she was not and she also happened to be the only Jewish girl in the class, I would not say you are crazy for saying religion might be an issue,

But hey, whatever, just keep trying to live in the 1950s, I don't care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many years ago was tHis? I've been part of Mrs Simpsons "not secret" committee and she is looking for any and all children who might want to attend.

Then why doesn't she advertise or invite all children from the school? First come, first served?

[Anonymous]

For the "not secret" committee member: what's Mrs. Simpson's problem with public school kids?

She doesn't think they can rise to her standards of classiness? Because I'll put my pre-Mayflower ancestors and house full of inherited antiques up against hers any day, but I happen to send my kids to public schools at the moment....

[Anonymous]

No question it used to be highly "selective". But I think things have changed. I would not have been invited to attend back in my day but my kids went and I was "invited" to be on the committee, along with every other mother of kids in the class. The committee, at least for the older grades, consists of people who want to show up on a Saturday to participate. I did not so can't share the specifics of what goes on. My DCs are part Jewish. Many kids from my DCs class attended including black, Jewish, Asian, Persian and other religious and ethnic groups. And there were certainly public school kids, although not as many as private school kids.

[Anonymous]

Kids with all backgrounds attend. If you expect your child to be given an invitation to each and every event in life (and, if you explain the absence of such invitations as anti-semitism or the like), you are setting yourself up for a lot of disappointment. You will not be invited to every class, party, event or occasion in life. That's just the way it is. Doesn't mean anyone is out to get you or is making a judgement about your religion, race or anything else. To think otherwise in this day and age is paranoia.