Upheaval at Holton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Upheaval in the thread about upheaval!

I’m guessing that was OP’s purpose. If they know the neighbor well enough to tell them they are looking at Holton, and for the neighbor to warn them a lot of parents and teachers are unhappy, they know the neighbor well enough to ask *why* and not come looking for dirt here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Upheaval in the thread about upheaval!

I’m guessing that was OP’s purpose. If they know the neighbor well enough to tell them they are looking at Holton, and for the neighbor to warn them a lot of parents and teachers are unhappy, they know the neighbor well enough to ask *why* and not come looking for dirt here.

+1 Also, a lot can change in 2 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bigger news is the plan to expand the school by about 100 kids to shore up new funds. Fundraising has been lackluster, and so much was spent on new library, athletic facilities, etc.

Can you say more about the planned expansion. We’re applying this year for DD, and this is the first I’ve heard of an expansion.

How can they expand by 100 kids if there are strict limits on capacity due to the campus only having one egress?

there is a plan to purchase a few of the houses as the ownership is turning over and they can establish an additional road.

This is either a top secret plan or made up. No mention has been made of this to Holton families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bigger news is the plan to expand the school by about 100 kids to shore up new funds. Fundraising has been lackluster, and so much was spent on new library, athletic facilities, etc.

Can you say more about the planned expansion. We’re applying this year for DD, and this is the first I’ve heard of an expansion.

How can they expand by 100 kids if there are strict limits on capacity due to the campus only having one egress?

there is a plan to purchase a few of the houses as the ownership is turning over and they can establish an additional road.

This is either a top secret plan or made up. No mention has been made of this to Holton families.

Then you're either not a Holton family or you haven't been paying attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are unhappy parents at every posh private school, or maybe every school. Ask the neighbor what they're unhappy about and then you can make a judgment.

This. I used to be a trustee at an independent school. As soon as people are paying >$0 for education, some of them go crazy and decide they are customers and start obsessing over ROI.

I even find myself falling into that trap years after my trustee experience. I think current parents of schools are the most critical of all. You know enough to know the flaws of your own school, so even though you chose it, you’re constantly wondering if x school across the way has better [whatever your child is struggling with or doesn’t currently have]. And you might know just enough about other schools to know that they have Y thing but not enough to know that [it’s never actually offered or the instructor is worse than yours or the locker room smells like mold or whatever].

And then there’s another genre of private school parents and families who are totally oblivious or checked out to the point that they don’t hear about any of the negatives, so they just say they love their school because they’ve never actually thought about it aside from writing tuition checks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Omg so many threads about this! Someone who has a grudge against the new HOS has posted a million times already. To the OP - use the search bar and find what you’re looking for. The rest of us are not interested in hearing from trolls again.

I’m looking at schools this year and the troll (or trolls?) who keep ranting against the new HOS have actually made me like her.

Here, I’ll help.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1198826.page

[Anonymous]

Another:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1116624.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bigger news is the plan to expand the school by about 100 kids to shore up new funds. Fundraising has been lackluster, and so much was spent on new library, athletic facilities, etc.

Can you say more about the planned expansion. We’re applying this year for DD, and this is the first I’ve heard of an expansion.

How can they expand by 100 kids if there are strict limits on capacity due to the campus only having one egress?

there is a plan to purchase a few of the houses as the ownership is turning over and they can establish an additional road.

This is either a top secret plan or made up. No mention has been made of this to Holton families.

If it hasn’t been announced to the peanut gallery, then it can’t possibly be true!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are thinking of Holton for our 1st grader in two years, but our neighbors dd goes there and she said there are a lot of unhappy parents and teachers, I’m unclear as to why. Any recent exp?

Anytime someone says I love this school, or I don’t like the HoS, ASK FOR EXAMPLES.

This is basic critical thinking and research. They will give as much or as less details as they wish. But if they can’t substantiate their claim, BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That was with the old HOS. Things are a lot better.

Opposite of this. The problem is the new HOS.

+!
1

[Anonymous]

With the expansion of 100+ students, will classrooms get bigger? We now have some 18 student classes in some upper school subjects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bigger news is the plan to expand the school by about 100 kids to shore up new funds. Fundraising has been lackluster, and so much was spent on new library, athletic facilities, etc.

Can you say more about the planned expansion. We’re applying this year for DD, and this is the first I’ve heard of an expansion.

How can they expand by 100 kids if there are strict limits on capacity due to the campus only having one egress?

there is a plan to purchase a few of the houses as the ownership is turning over and they can establish an additional road.

This is either a top secret plan or made up. No mention has been made of this to Holton families.

If it hasn’t been announced to the peanut gallery, then it can’t possibly be true!

Parents received notice of a meeting to seek exceptions to the bylaws of the school. It didn’t specifically say what it was for yet—they know people will be upset so they are waiting to explain their rationale with the announcement at that meeting. Yes, fundraising is down because many families, ours included, have pulled back donations because we are dissatisfied with the new HOS treatment of the school community, parents and teachers alike. The reasons why have been captured in other threads. Proceeding with this will be one more self-inflicted wound, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any updates or timeframe for the new head of LS announcement?

[Anonymous]

I’m curious for Upper School as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious for Upper School as well.

Upper school they are searching. I'm guessing by theend of the school year we'll know.