SJC or AHC?

[Anonymous]

She will just be a number at SJC. And outside of sports and theater, there is not much to get involved with at SJC. There is limited school spirit and cohesion.

DC at SJC and do not agree with this.

[Anonymous]

I had a boy and a girl at SJC. I would not do it again for my daughter. I might do it again for my son. But I’m not sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. My daughter is a freshman this year at AHC. I cannot say enough good things about the school and her experience. In middle school, she was shy and hesitant to try new things. This year, she has become a team member in three new sports and an admissions hostess. She has a solid group of the loveliest friends, and she has made great connections with her teachers and coaches. The community, traditions and school spirit are truly AHC's biggest assets as the girls are motivated to come to school each day.

Once decisions are posted, I highly recommend you and your daughter attend the accepted students events at both schools. I know several people who were on the fence and chose AHC because of the event.

Good luck this week!

Would second this recommendation. Our daughter had minimal interest in AHC until the admitted students event. And the school has delivered on everything it presented itself as to prospective students.

I'm very happy with the choice she made (also admitted to SJC), because it was right for her. From the outside, SJC seems like a hierarchical school which emphasizes excellence, either through athletics or their scholars program. AHC, for better or worse, doesn't have a culture like that and kids have much more freedom to pursue their interests.

[Anonymous]

I have two very different girls, both recent alumnae of AHC. I know there’s been an administration change but that wasn’t a factor for us. Day to day my girls made great (drama free!!!) friends, found new experiences, and had excellent personal relationships with their teachers. I’d do it again in a heartbeat if I had more kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a boy and a girl at SJC. I would not do it again for my daughter. I might do it again for my son. But I’m not sure.

Could you elaborate on this please?

[Anonymous]

I have a boy and a girl at SJC. They both have plenty of friends and are heavily involved in extracurriculars (one is decidedly not an athlete) and taking challenging classes. We are also happy with the way the school pursues its mission and the overall community where the teachers are involved and care about our kids.

There is no perfect school. SJC is not a fit for some kids. That’s ok. If you are lucky enough to have choices, go to the accepted student events and see what you think. GL.

[Anonymous]

Our daughter is a recent ('22) AHC alumnae. We looked at SJC but felt it was just too big; same with Good Counsel.

She thrived at AHC and the smaller class size and lack of drama really increased her confidence.

[Anonymous]

I have a DD at SJC who was accepted at AHC.
A few observations -
New SJC leadership is making a bunch of changes. This past year was really hard as they moved mid-terms to before winter break. Semester classes had more than 5 less teaching days that they were cramming the content into.
Next year they are moving to block scheduling. As of now, the kids are not happy as they do not believe their concerns were heard in the new format. (especially regarding lunch)
If you are a top athlete or in the scholars program at SJC, you can have a fantastic experience. If you are not in that group, AHC is probably a better choice.
If you DD gets accepted to both, go to the accepted students day events that each school hosts. The difference is visible.

[Anonymous]

My daughter picked SJC over AHC, and she has loved her time at SJC.

This thread seems to be full of AHC boosters. If you want more information about SJC, search for it in this forum. There are a lot of threads here talking about SJC and most people love it.

When we looked at AHC, I actually thought it seemed like a very sweet school. We did, however, have concerns about declining enrollment there.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know when the schools will have accepted students day ? Do they try to schedule them on separate days to avoid conflicts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AHC over SJC for many reasons. She will just be a number at SJC. And outside of sports and theater, there is not much to get involved with at SJC. They list scores of clubs that aren't active. The Entrepreneurial Center activities are overstated during the tour and in the marketing materials. There is limited school spirit and cohesion.

I disagree about limited school spirit and cohesion. Maybe they should start Kairos trips freshman year, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a DD at SJC who was accepted at AHC.
A few observations -
New SJC leadership is making a bunch of changes. This past year was really hard as they moved mid-terms to before winter break. Semester classes had more than 5 less teaching days that they were cramming the content into.
Next year they are moving to block scheduling. As of now, the kids are not happy as they do not believe their concerns were heard in the new format. (especially regarding lunch)
If you are a top athlete or in the scholars program at SJC, you can have a fantastic experience. If you are not in that group, AHC is probably a better choice.
If you DD gets accepted to both, go to the accepted students day events that each school hosts. The difference is visible.

Mom of two SJC - one graduates. Agree with this. New Head of School at SJCHS is Mr. Invisible, and ignoring student input is never a good thing. I will say they’ve ramped up social emotional emphasis since the pandemic, but as those initiatives were stressed under last HoS, I have no idea how much support is there for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a DD at SJC who was accepted at AHC.
A few observations -
New SJC leadership is making a bunch of changes. This past year was really hard as they moved mid-terms to before winter break. Semester classes had more than 5 less teaching days that they were cramming the content into.
Next year they are moving to block scheduling. As of now, the kids are not happy as they do not believe their concerns were heard in the new format. (especially regarding lunch)
If you are a top athlete or in the scholars program at SJC, you can have a fantastic experience. If you are not in that group, AHC is probably a better choice.
If you DD gets accepted to both, go to the accepted students day events that each school hosts. The difference is visible.

Mom of two SJC - one graduates. Agree with this. New Head of School at SJCHS is Mr. Invisible, and ignoring student input is never a good thing. I will say they’ve ramped up social emotional emphasis since the pandemic, but as those initiatives were stressed under last HoS, I have no idea how much support is there for them.

I have seen him at various events - concerts, games, etc.

My non-Scholar, non-athlete is having a good experience. Can’t speak to whether AHC would have been better as we didn’t look at it. I hear good things from other SJC families with girls at AHC. Lots of good choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a boy and a girl at SJC. I would not do it again for my daughter. I might do it again for my son. But I’m not sure.

Why is that?

[Anonymous]

Curious why PP wouldn’t send her daughter to SJC again.