Georgetown Prep?

[Anonymous]

This school is not discussed in this forum. When I was growing up, this was mentioned in the same breadth as STA and Landon. Have things changed?

[Anonymous]

I think it's not mentioned because it's a high school and most of the discussion on this board centers on younger kids. I know it's a big sports school and a lot of boys from Mater Dei go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's not mentioned because it's a high school and most of the discussion on this board centers on younger kids. I know it's a big sports school and a lot of boys from Mater Dei go there.

I guess that begs the question -- what's Mater Dei like? Is it a Catholic version of Beauvoir/WES/St. Patrick's?

[Anonymous]

I believe it's all boys and VERY Catholic.

[Anonymous]

This I know: Mater Dei is all boys and is extremely Catholic. I really doubt you would want to go there if you are not Catholic. This is rumor I have heard, in large part from current&prospective parents: Its suppossed to be somewhat nuturing in the lowest grades but gets really hard-core in the upper grades. I have been told that it will stamp the sensitivity and kindness out of most boys. Its looks to make them super competitive and athletic. Apparently, they also push almost all boys born after JANUARY back a year. I suspect this may be to make them bigger for althletics later. Again the latter part of what I wrote is hearsay.

[Anonymous]

I have heard nothing but rave reviews for Mater Dei. And the VERY Catholic thing? I think you are confusing it with the Woods Academy. All of the people I know who have sent their boys to Mater Dei have loved it and especially comment on how much character building is done there.

[Anonymous]

PP here---I meant The Heights is uber Catholic, not The Woods

[Anonymous]

Okay, my boys go to another all boys high school and consider prep guys "like a guys version of mean girls". They have their cool crowd who are the athletic types who put down the academic types. I randomly heard my boys talking about this and saw it first hand when my boys started competing in sports. Prep is intense.

[Anonymous]

Not true about prep being a "guys version of mean girls"-- the school fosters well rounded boys and is hard on any type of mean spirited or bullying type boys. It's hard to beat Prep in terms of academics, sports, and arts.

[Anonymous]

Bullying is a good term to discribe the culture at prep. The families will defend their school and that is admirable. But, you need to have a tough skin to survive at this school.

[Anonymous]

There no doubt are many great boys who attend Prep, as there certainly are many great graduates of Prep around town. Prep, however, gives the impression of spoiled, wealthy, athletic, suburban boys that remain within the insular good old Catholic boys network. Given the growth in the Metro DC Area and even in MC, Prep had an opportunity to become a truly great school. Most other private schools in the area have improved dramatically over the last several decades. Gonzaga being a very good example. Prep has not!

[Anonymous]

We're there now and I agree wholeheartedly with many of the comments post regarding bullying, mean spiritedness, etc. Prep's philosophy may be great for some boys- that is, to toughen them up by being as sarcastic and hard as possible. I find the hypocrisy and harshness disheartening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're there now and I agree wholeheartedly with many of the comments post regarding bullying, mean spiritedness, etc. Prep's philosophy may be great for some boys- that is, to toughen them up by being as sarcastic and hard as possible. I find the hypocrisy and harshness disheartening.

If you are telling the truth, why on earth are you still there. Your story doesn't ring true at all.

[Anonymous]

We are looking to move on to another catholic high school. We need to do this in a way that does not hinder our relationship with the catholic school concept. There are a few families at GP that feel the same way. The problem is the bullies have lots of money and the Jesuits like money. A lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: We need to do this in a way that does not hinder our relationship with the catholic school concept. /quote]

My kids are at a Catholic school so I'm curious what this statement means. Is Prep part of the archdiocese schools? I thought not.

I don't like what I hear about Georgetown Prep. Both Mater Dei and it scare me. It seems more hardcore and boys will be boys attitude. Also it doesn't seem to be open to criticism and change which festers in some poor behavior by its students (and sometimes parents). I like a more generous concept of a school. If we consider a catholic high school, it would likely be Gonzaga or St Johns.