S/O: Holton Parents - "I wish I had known x" type advice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish I had known that the school is so warm and the that we would meet so many parents that we enjoy spending time with. I actually look forward to attending parent socials, it gives us a chance to hangout with some really fun parents and have great conversations. Also, I wish I had known how far the school will go to ensure the success of my DD. All girls are treated well regardless of race or SES.

The construction "I wish I had know . . . " implies you would have done something differently, had you known. What would you have done differently?

Ok, well let me add, I wish I had known all of this because I had a genuine fear that I was putting my DD in a school that would give her a great education but I did not think we would not mesh too well with what I thought would be a bunch of wealthy, snotty or boring parents and that the wealthy kids would get preferential treatment because their parents are big donors. This is not the case and I could have saved myself a lot of unneeded worry!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish I had known that the school is so warm and the that we would meet so many parents that we enjoy spending time with. I actually look forward to attending parent socials, it gives us a chance to hangout with some really fun parents and have great conversations. Also, I wish I had known how far the school will go to ensure the success of my DD. All girls are treated well regardless of race or SES.

The construction "I wish I had know . . . " implies you would have done something differently, had you known. What would you have done differently?

Ok, well let me add, I wish I had known all of this because I had a genuine fear that I was putting my DD in a school that would give her a great education but I did not think we would not mesh too well with what I thought would be a bunch of wealthy, snotty or boring parents and that the wealthy kids would get preferential treatment because their parents are big donors. This is not the case and I could have saved myself a lot of unneeded worry!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish I had known that the school is so warm and the that we would meet so many parents that we enjoy spending time with. I actually look forward to attending parent socials, it gives us a chance to hangout with some really fun parents and have great conversations. Also, I wish I had known how far the school will go to ensure the success of my DD. All girls are treated well regardless of race or SES.

The construction "I wish I had know . . . " implies you would have done something differently, had you known. What would you have done differently?

Ok, well let me add, I wish I had known all of this because I had a genuine fear that I was putting my DD in a school that would give her a great education but I did not think we would not mesh too well with what I thought would be a bunch of wealthy, snotty or boring parents and that the wealthy kids would get preferential treatment because their parents are big donors. This is not the case and I could have saved myself a lot of unneeded worry!

I was also really worried about being a FA family and my daughter not fitting in socially because of this. I shouldn't have worried.

[Anonymous]

This is sort of like a job interview where the hiring manager asks, "what is your greatest weakness" and the answer is, "I'm too modest." Perhaps a sample size of 1 isn't going to yield much information.

[Anonymous]

I wish I would have known how great of a school it is so that we could have applied our daughter earlier. Our DD transferred to Holton in 7th grade. If I had known how strong of a school it really is, I would have done it a lot earlier. The teachers are really top notch, the administration is incredibly strong with decades of experience in working with girls, and the school is clearly committed to ensuring each girl identifies her unique strengths and is encouraged to take risks and to soar. We hesitated applying for years as I, quite frankly, mistakenly assumed it was only a school for rich, white kids. Rich we are not and we craved a diverse student body for our DD. Holton has a very diverse student body, really down to earth parent community, just great. We have a large family and have had multiple kids at various independent schools in the area and have to say that we have found NOTHING that compares to Holton. Bottom line as with everything in life, don't make decisions based on assumptions, check it out yourself. Our family is very grateful that we did.

[Anonymous]

I feel like even a small flaw, something like "the cafeteria food is mediocre," would make these panegyrics seem more real. I wish the school well, but many of us old cynics are skeptical of perfection!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like even a small flaw, something like "the cafeteria food is mediocre," would make these panegyrics seem more real. I wish the school well, but many of us old cynics are skeptical of perfection!

+1. Are these testimonials all written by the same Holton booster? Are the subsequent ones spoofs of the earlier ones? They are unreal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like even a small flaw, something like "the cafeteria food is mediocre," would make these panegyrics seem more real. I wish the school well, but many of us old cynics are skeptical of perfection!

I agree with you, but its certainly a different dynamic than you read about for NCS, seems you can't find anyone say anything good other than "you can take some classes at STA."

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP of this and the similar Stone Ridge thread. I'm quite surprised at what's been posted so far. The NCS thread which someone else began has over a dozen pages, much of it slamming NCS which I had heard nothing but good things about from the very few people I knew who were connected to the school. Good things as well, of course, but the varied responses are what got me to start these other two threads.

I'd always had the impression of Holton as being a meat grinder for brilliant daughters of very wealthy parents. While I obviously don't know the true demographics of posters, if nothing else, it's been interesting reading that implies possibly a broader student body than that.

How is the cafeteria, by the way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP of this and the similar Stone Ridge thread. I'm quite surprised at what's been posted so far. The NCS thread which someone else began has over a dozen pages, much of it slamming NCS which I had heard nothing but good things about from the very few people I knew who were connected to the school. Good things as well, of course, but the varied responses are what got me to start these other two threads.

I'd always had the impression of Holton as being a meat grinder for brilliant daughters of very wealthy parents. While I obviously don't know the true demographics of posters, if nothing else, it's been interesting reading that implies possibly a broader student body than that.

How is the cafeteria, by the way?

This is the problem when you get a sample size of 1-2 posters. It's like Amazon reviews - if you get one bad review, you wonder if the reviewer is a crank or just had a rare bad experience. If there are 25 or more bad reviews, then you are more sure that the reviews send a reliable message.

[Anonymous]

The cafeteria is just redone, and is basically a food court type experience. Parents (like me) can eat there free whenever we want -but most don't do so often. There is a sandwich bar, a salad bar, frozen yogurt, juices, coffee (for adults), and a full meal service. My DD's complaint? They keep trying to make it more healthy -- no more fries, thin crust pizza, etc. As far as more sophisticated palates go, the food is great.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and parents can also use the gym, pool, tennis courts, etc. when not used for classes. A very welcoming community to the entire family, including male siblings, parents, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, and parents can also use the gym, pool, tennis courts, etc. when not used for classes. A very welcoming community to the entire family, including male siblings, parents, etc.

That's news to me. Is this during school hours, after school hours, and/or weekends?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like even a small flaw, something like "the cafeteria food is mediocre," would make these panegyrics seem more real. I wish the school well, but many of us old cynics are skeptical of perfection!

I agree with you, but its certainly a different dynamic than you read about for NCS, seems you can't find anyone say anything good other than "you can take some classes at STA."

The key is "that you read about." I would not infer anything about the "dynamic" at any school from what you read on these anonymous forums where a few posters can be sock-puppeting. Idiotic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, and parents can also use the gym, pool, tennis courts, etc. when not used for classes. A very welcoming community to the entire family, including male siblings, parents, etc.

That's news to me. Is this during school hours, after school hours, and/or weekends?

Another Holton parent here. You can also use the track to exercise if not being used for students. Get permission from phys ed department first.