public school families in the Byeforde 'hood of Kensington?

[Anonymous]

OT..what is middle school like in Parkwod, as well as the pool..open to new members? Lapsed Catholics?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not just any bow...it's a certain style...think Orient Expressed catalog model.

Heaven forbid ! Bows of any kind ! It must be a secret sign that they are in cahoots with the Pope ! Avoid any neighborhood where little girls wear bows.

[Anonymous]

Clearly you don't live in K-Town AND attend HR. Honestly, it could be called the HR bow. It's large, white and on a barrette. Your daughter has to have a certain bob style cut, and then you part the hair to the right and pull the barrette with the huge bow over to the side and clip it. It's not your ordinary bow, people. It's an HR thing. If you were part of that culture, you would understand. And the bow is a sign of conformity -- and that's the larger issue. The neighborhood is very cliquish and uber conservative. Back to the OP's question: you should probably only consider Byforde if you plan to go to HR. If you plan to go public, then pick another neighborhood (not Byeforde or CCV)(Parkwood would be fine as would the neighborhoods on the other side of Connecticut).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clearly you don't live in K-Town AND attend HR. Honestly, it could be called the HR bow. It's large, white and on a barrette. Your daughter has to have a certain bob style cut, and then you part the hair to the right and pull the barrette with the huge bow over to the side and clip it. It's not your ordinary bow, people. It's an HR thing. If you were part of that culture, you would understand. And the bow is a sign of conformity -- and that's the larger issue. The neighborhood is very cliquish and uber conservative. Back to the OP's question: you should probably only consider Byforde if you plan to go to HR. If you plan to go public, then pick another neighborhood (not Byeforde or CCV)(Parkwood would be fine as would the neighborhoods on the other side of Connecticut).

This is obviously bull shit.

[Anonymous]

Um, it's really not bs. The fact is that the vast majority of the families who live in Byeforde and Chevy Chase View (the two neighborhoods directly surrounding Holy Redeemer) send their kids to HR. And if they don't go to HR, it's b/c they go to Mater Dei, the Heights or Stone Ridge (better schools academically). But it's true that the majority of families in those two neighborhoods are conservative (politically) Catholics. Parkwood and the neighborhoods on the other side of Conn Ave near the mormon temple and old town kensington are far more diverse (in terms of religion, politics and where kids go to school --- not really any true diversity in terms of race or socioeconomics). If you don't believe me, then call up one of the local realtors and see if they will be up front with you (try Gary H Ditto, Howard Morin, etc.).

[Anonymous]

If you don't believe me, then call up one of the local realtors and see if they will be up front with you (try Gary H Ditto, Howard Morin, etc.).

It is illegal for realtors to comment on the religious makeup of a neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

I know it is. But they will tell if the majority of the kids go to hr or public.

[Anonymous]

No, they won't.

[Anonymous]

Almost every realtor I have ever chatted with at an open house has made comments about the schools. And honestly you don't have to ask anyone else about where kids in byeforde go to school: the answer is HR. don't believe me? Why not drive around byeforde at 3pm and watch all the kids walking home from hr in their uniforms. Or follow the big black suburbans with the hr car magnets and Romney stickers.

[Anonymous]

Obviously there is either one poster or a couple who hate Catholics.

Nothing posted about the clannish neighborhood is true.

What is true is that when this neighborhood was built many Catholics bought houses because it was convenient for their children to walk to school. I happen to have a cross directory in my house and just for kicks I looked at the major streets and saw names that are obviously not the last names of Catholics (you get the idea),

The "little girls with bows" is laughable. I might start a thread about the Landon boys who all wear ties and how they have to be tied exactly right or they get "points".

[Anonymous]

I don't hate Catholics. I am catholic, and I graduated from HR. I don't currently live in the parish, but I am still on their rolls and I attended Christmas eve mass there. I stand by what I've said, and I don't think it would hurt for the op to drive around the area at 3pm to see how many byeforde kids are in hr uniforms. And the bow thing is accurate. Don't believe me? Go to mass at hr...especially Easter Sunday when kids will be dressed up. Fwiw, I think the bows are cute...but it's definitely a sign of conformity. You'll see al the little girls in s,Ickes dresses and a certain kind of bow at hr. we don't see it at our home parish, but boy it's noticeable in hr. And I'm correct about how politically conservative the area is. You would not see one Obama sign anywhere in byeforde or ccv....but you would see lots of Romney signs. And they still have the car stickers (saw them Christmas eve). And just out of curiosity, what streets were you looking at and what names weren't "catholic"? You do realize that many of the major cross streets continue on through parkwood as well as the other side of Connecticut. Try looking up Dunnel. And if you come across a foreign last name (though there aren't many), it's very possible those folks are catholic republicans.

[Anonymous]

That should read "smocked" dresses. Another thought for the OP: find out the bus route in byeforde (if there even is one) and see how many kids are at the bus stop (then you'll have an idea of how many kids go to public school). Byeforde isn't that big, so you should be able to get a good idea just by driving around at 3pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously there is either one poster or a couple who hate Catholics.

Nothing posted about the clannish neighborhood is true.

What is true is that when this neighborhood was built many Catholics bought houses because it was convenient for their children to walk to school. I happen to have a cross directory in my house and just for kicks I looked at the major streets and saw names that are obviously not the last names of Catholics (you get the idea),

The "little girls with bows" is laughable. I might start a thread about the Landon boys who all wear ties and how they have to be tied exactly right or they get "points".

Sorry, live here. It's true. But changing b/c people who don't go to HR are moving in in greater numbers.

OP, take a drive through the neighborhood at public school bus pick up time between 8-8:30 am. You'll see large number of kids.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thought the thread had died out, but see that it hasn't. 15:51, 16:43, I appreciate your comments. We checked out mass at HR on Sunday and enjoyed it, and we parked next to a car with an Obama sticker . . . which my husband later admitted he did on purpose as soon as he saw it. It sounds like a nice neighborhood that is mostly HR with a few public school kids. We will continue to consider it and the others that have been mentioned. As I said, DH is Catholic so I'm not anti-Catholic, just would want other kids in the 'hood that also go to the public schools. Thank you for the feedback.

[Anonymous]

Glad you enjoyed mass there, OP. But you should note that just because there was a car with an Obama sticker on it doesn't mean that they live in Byeforde or even nearby. I attend mass at HR and I live in Olney. My siblings attend HR and they all live in Silver Spring. You might have parked next to one of our cars

Byeforde and CCV are nice neighborhoods --- but whether or not it will meet your needs is up to you. You should know that most of the families have SAHMs and are conservative --- and they all seem to know each other and have long histories (b/c kids who grow up in those neighborhoods tend to move back in as adults). I would spend some time driving around the area to see how many kids are in uniform, see what the bus stop looks like (how many kids, are they around your kids' ages), and see how many Romney stickers are on the suburbans (if that matters to you -- maybe it doesn't).

Glad you checked out the church --- it is quite lovely (much nicer than my local parish, so it's worth the schlep).