GDS v. Sidwell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ten years ago, more families given the choice between Sidwell and GDS would choose Sidwell. Today, that has reversed. GDS is the more sought-after school.

Other than your opinion, do you have any evidence to back up that statement?

Of course not, because there is none. I don't know anyone who would pick GDS over Sidwell.

We did. And we are very happy at GDS.
A way of checking this is by the number of applications + the yield.
This year it was a new all-times record in terms of applications for GDS, but I have no idea if that means more or less than Sidwell.
We liked much more GDS vibe. It was much more align with our family’s values and preferences. For other I am sure Sidwell is a much better fit. Each school has its particularities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ten years ago, more families given the choice between Sidwell and GDS would choose Sidwell. Today, that has reversed. GDS is the more sought-after school.

Other than your opinion, do you have any evidence to back up that statement?

Of course not, because there is none. I don't know anyone who would pick GDS over Sidwell.

We did. And we are very happy at GDS.
A way of checking this is by the number of applications + the yield.
This year it was a new all-times record in terms of applications for GDS, but I have no idea if that means more or less than Sidwell.
We liked much more GDS vibe. It was much more align with our family’s values and preferences. For other I am sure Sidwell is a much better fit. Each school has its particularities.

Sorry: “aligned” and “others”.

[Anonymous]

"So GDS has a fuller Chinese offering that does Sidwell. This is interesting, because Sidwell has long boasted about its program. Is this another instance in which the Sidwell reality does not match the hype or where GDS has surpassed Sidwell in an area where the latter was perceived to have a competitive advantage?"

This is a dumb post. My kid was a Sidwell Chinese student. Now they are taking it in college and placed into advanced classes as a freshman. Will get a minor in Chinese. Many Sidwell classmates spent a semester in China during high school.

[Anonymous]

Sidwell's is the oldest program. Learning a language is learning a languages. But the idea that one is better than the other because one is offered in third grade is silly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ten years ago, more families given the choice between Sidwell and GDS would choose Sidwell. Today, that has reversed. GDS is the more sought-after school.

Other than your opinion, do you have any evidence to back up that statement?

Of course not, because there is none. I don't know anyone who would pick GDS over Sidwell.

GDS is, and has always been, the wannabe Sidwell. This is gotten even more pronounced over the years from when I was there in the late 90s. This does not speak to the educational experience your child might have. It would be fine either way. As long as you don’t mind elitism.

\

Um, GDS is GDS because Quakers decided that they did not want to go to school with Blacks and Jews.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To me the issue is, outside of the DMV no one has ever heard of GDS. For better or worse, Sidwell has the notoriety that comes from having Clinton and Obama kids there. You can go anywhere in the country and talk about Sidwell and people know the school. That is simply not true of GDS

If I’m going to pay $45000 a year for a school, I prefer to purchase a brand name that means something

But why do you care if Joe Smith in Nebraska has heard of your kid's high school? Maybe if you could say that college admissions had heard of Sidwell but not GDS I could understand your point, but I don't think that's true.

Because Joe Smith in Nebraska might hire my kid one day.

Um, no. Says more about you than it does about either school or Joe Smith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s really no comparison but the GDS folks like to pretend there is.

+1000

Actually there is, but sidwell parents like to pretend that there’s not. They have their differences, but nothing is night and day in terms of quality of education or college matriculation.

Honestly this long-standing non-feud should just stop. In the middle of the Venn diagram, there are students who would like and do well at both. The non-overlapping parts will involve sports (somewhat program dependent, but sfs overall stronger), arts (gds has a great program), personality of the kid, a specific learning style that fits in one place or another, the feel of each school, secular vs religious. All the fights on here seem to presuppose there’s massive difference in the middle overlap. The productive conversations are elsewhere.

Sidwell is kinda focused on their own school. They don’t sweat other folks unless it’s a sporting event.

the fact that you are reading this thread and bothered to reply says more than your professed indifference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just for the record, the Clintons were considering both schools for Chelsea. The deciding factor was that Sidwell's campus was conducive to a more secure drop-off and pick-up (i.e. the daily transition). This was communicated to the Obamas as well.

Oh my.

Just for the record, the Lincolns were considering GDS for their kids.

Your joke is so funny, why aren't you in standup comedy?

Obviously, GDS doesn't date from the Civil War era, but from the post-World War II era, having been founded in 1945. But given GDS's unique history as the first integrated leading private school in the nation's capital, its pursuit of social justice, and the fact that it has educated the children of the first African-American Supreme Court justice and Attorney General, among others, it might be a good bet that Lincoln would have chosen GDS for his sons had it been around in the day.

OMG, let it go.

Your response is so predictable - guessing that the reminder of Sidwell's history of excluding blacks and Jews can be unpleasant for those in denial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ten years ago, more families given the choice between Sidwell and GDS would choose Sidwell. Today, that has reversed. GDS is the more sought-after school.

Other than your opinion, do you have any evidence to back up that statement?

Of course not, because there is none. I don't know anyone who would pick GDS over Sidwell.

GDS is, and has always been, the wannabe Sidwell. This is gotten even more pronounced over the years from when I was there in the late 90s. This does not speak to the educational experience your child might have. It would be fine either way. As long as you don’t mind elitism.

\

Um, GDS is GDS because Quakers decided that they did not want to go to school with Blacks and Jews.

This. This is the salient point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ten years ago, more families given the choice between Sidwell and GDS would choose Sidwell. Today, that has reversed. GDS is the more sought-after school.

Other than your opinion, do you have any evidence to back up that statement?

Of course not, because there is none. I don't know anyone who would pick GDS over Sidwell.

GDS is, and has always been, the wannabe Sidwell. This is gotten even more pronounced over the years from when I was there in the late 90s. This does not speak to the educational experience your child might have. It would be fine either way. As long as you don’t mind elitism.

\

Um, GDS is GDS because Quakers decided that they did not want to go to school with Blacks and Jews.

This. This is the salient point.

If anything, Sidwell and other schools belatedly realized that GDS was ahead of the curve in embracing and promoting diverse, inclusive communities and these schools only later changed their admission policies to reflect the larger society not because of their original mission. I would expect Sidwell to have a more leafy campus and robust physical plant as the school admitted only white Washingtonians for generations.

GDS, like many schools, has it flaws but don't pretend that GDS is a wannabe Sidwell because of your own unacknowledged discomfort with Sidwell's roots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just for the record, the Clintons were considering both schools for Chelsea. The deciding factor was that Sidwell's campus was conducive to a more secure drop-off and pick-up (i.e. the daily transition). This was communicated to the Obamas as well.

Oh my.

Just for the record, the Lincolns were considering GDS for their kids.

Your joke is so funny, why aren't you in standup comedy?

Obviously, GDS doesn't date from the Civil War era, but from the post-World War II era, having been founded in 1945. But given GDS's unique history as the first integrated leading private school in the nation's capital, its pursuit of social justice, and the fact that it has educated the children of the first African-American Supreme Court justice and Attorney General, among others, it might be a good bet that Lincoln would have chosen GDS for his sons had it been around in the day.

OMG, let it go.

Agree, Pls do let it go.
Most of the country except the south did not have Jim Crow laws re: public schools.
Many southern families moved to Detroit, Ny, Philly, Chicago for that and many reasons. Sorry DC was sorry old DC. Most people here didn’t grow up in DC, this country, nor the south. However, we all have stories to tell- two world wars, immigration, mafia, baseball, illnesses, etc.

Hoping you are not a product of the Sidwell history department because your words are the product of someone who is misinformed about the struggle for integrated schools across this country, from Charlotte to Chicago, from Boston to Bakersfield. Northern whites didn't need Jim Crow to keep blacks out of their schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just for the record, the Clintons were considering both schools for Chelsea. The deciding factor was that Sidwell's campus was conducive to a more secure drop-off and pick-up (i.e. the daily transition). This was communicated to the Obamas as well.

Oh my.

Just for the record, the Lincolns were considering GDS for their kids.

Your joke is so funny, why aren't you in standup comedy?

Obviously, GDS doesn't date from the Civil War era, but from the post-World War II era, having been founded in 1945. But given GDS's unique history as the first integrated leading private school in the nation's capital, its pursuit of social justice, and the fact that it has educated the children of the first African-American Supreme Court justice and Attorney General, among others, it might be a good bet that Lincoln would have chosen GDS for his sons had it been around in the day.

Yes - we all know the history of GDS. Glad they stepped up in that era...but c'mon, give it up. Currently, it is not an outlier among other top privates in DC on this regard. They are all reaching out....and I think they all could do more to diversify.

For PP - Lincoln joke was funny!

and you want them to give it up because the reminder of GDS opening its doors to African Americans and Jewish students when Sidwell or NCS/STA would not reveals your white fragility?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ten years ago, more families given the choice between Sidwell and GDS would choose Sidwell. Today, that has reversed. GDS is the more sought-after school.

Other than your opinion, do you have any evidence to back up that statement?

Of course not, because there is none. I don't know anyone who would pick GDS over Sidwell.

GDS is, and has always been, the wannabe Sidwell. This is gotten even more pronounced over the years from when I was there in the late 90s. This does not speak to the educational experience your child might have. It would be fine either way. As long as you don’t mind elitism.

\

Um, GDS is GDS because Quakers decided that they did not want to go to school with Blacks and Jews.

This. This is the salient point.

If anything, Sidwell and other schools belatedly realized that GDS was ahead of the curve in embracing and promoting diverse, inclusive communities and these schools only later changed their admission policies to reflect the larger society not because of their original mission. I would expect Sidwell to have a more leafy campus and robust physical plant as the school admitted only white Washingtonians for generations.

GDS, like many schools, has it flaws but don't pretend that GDS is a wannabe Sidwell because of your own unacknowledged discomfort with Sidwell's roots.

Dude, most of us and our parents didn’t grow up in Jim Crow states with segregated schools. Ie Nyc, Chicago, Detroit. So ahead of the curve....

[Anonymous]

Sidwell doesn't care about GDS.
GDS lives and dies for Sidwell.
This thread is a perfect example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just for the record, the Clintons were considering both schools for Chelsea. The deciding factor was that Sidwell's campus was conducive to a more secure drop-off and pick-up (i.e. the daily transition). This was communicated to the Obamas as well.

Oh my.

Just for the record, the Lincolns were considering GDS for their kids.

Your joke is so funny, why aren't you in standup comedy?

Obviously, GDS doesn't date from the Civil War era, but from the post-World War II era, having been founded in 1945. But given GDS's unique history as the first integrated leading private school in the nation's capital, its pursuit of social justice, and the fact that it has educated the children of the first African-American Supreme Court justice and Attorney General, among others, it might be a good bet that Lincoln would have chosen GDS for his sons had it been around in the day.

OMG, let it go.

Agree, Pls do let it go.
Most of the country except the south did not have Jim Crow laws re: public schools.
Many southern families moved to Detroit, Ny, Philly, Chicago for that and many reasons. Sorry DC was sorry old DC. Most people here didn’t grow up in DC, this country, nor the south. However, we all have stories to tell- two world wars, immigration, mafia, baseball, illnesses, etc.

Hoping you are not a product of the Sidwell history department because your words are the product of someone who is misinformed about the struggle for integrated schools across this country, from Charlotte to Chicago, from Boston to Bakersfield. Northern whites didn't need Jim Crow to keep blacks out of their schools.

Funny how Michelle Obama says the exact opposite about Chicago 1850s-1975.