MS/HS -- high expectations but not a pressure cooker?

[Anonymous]

GDS is a lot of work (kids in HS now), but wouldn't say it's a pressure cooker. How kids handle work is very, very dependent on your own child and his or her goals and personality. Some kids stress out, but they would stress out anywhere---stress isn't foisted on them by teachers or classmates. My kids do fairly well, in sports and theater, extremely nice friends and some truly and genuinely caring and engaged teachers. Ninth grade as entry year is very reasonable in work; work ramps up later, particularly with APs. But happy kids---I personally would have loved going to school there.

Look too at Burke as maybe a little lower key. From parents there, St. Anselm's has some similarities to GDS as a place where kids work hard, but not a competitive pressure cooker place.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Many thanks for the suggestions. At St. Anselm's, are very strong athletes challenged athletically? DS isn't an "athletic 1%-er," but he's well into the top decile and he plays with passion. I love the idea of him playing a different sport each season (which I'm not positive he could pull off at Gonzaga or St. John's), but I'd also like him to experience different roles on different teams -- not always be the star. Would St. Anselm's offer that in a class of only 40 boys?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Many thanks for the suggestions. At St. Anselm's, are very strong athletes challenged athletically? DS isn't an "athletic 1%-er," but he's well into the top decile and he plays with passion. I love the idea of him playing a different sport each season (which I'm not positive he could pull off at Gonzaga or St. John's), but I'd also like him to experience different roles on different teams -- not always be the star. Would St. Anselm's offer that in a class of only 40 boys?

I wouldn't recommend his playing a sport each season just from the standpoint of time management and workload. That being said, if your son is a top athlete, he won't be challenged athletically at St. Anselm's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Many thanks for the suggestions. At St. Anselm's, are very strong athletes challenged athletically? DS isn't an "athletic 1%-er," but he's well into the top decile and he plays with passion. I love the idea of him playing a different sport each season (which I'm not positive he could pull off at Gonzaga or St. John's), but I'd also like him to experience different roles on different teams -- not always be the star. Would St. Anselm's offer that in a class of only 40 boys?

I wouldn't recommend his playing a sport each season just from the standpoint of time management and workload. That being said, if your son is a top athlete, he won't be challenged athletically at St. Anselm's.

I was a 2-sport athlete in HS. I used my season off to catch up on pot-smoking and video game playing. I disagree with PP's recommendation against playing a sport each season: a kid who loves to play should play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I respectfully disagree. My kid at GDS has homework but doesn't stress out if he doesn't get it all done. He gets mostly Bs and is fine with that. He doesn't play a sport so he gets home at a decent hour and gets enough sleep.

Is your kid in high school at GDS?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Many thanks for the suggestions. At St. Anselm's, are very strong athletes challenged athletically? DS isn't an "athletic 1%-er," but he's well into the top decile and he plays with passion. I love the idea of him playing a different sport each season (which I'm not positive he could pull off at Gonzaga or St. John's), but I'd also like him to experience different roles on different teams -- not always be the star. Would St. Anselm's offer that in a class of only 40 boys?

if you son is a very strong athlete in soccer or lacrosse then his club team will surely provide much more of a challenge than the competition that St. Anselm's varsity teams face. College recruiting for soccer and lacrosse is done through club teams not high schools, anyway.

If he plays basketball or baseball or an individual sport like wrestling or track, then I suggest you look on the St. Anselms website at the schools that St. Anselm's plays against to try to figure out whether he is likely to be challenged playing in high school. Nobody is going to choose St. Anselm's for the sports teams, but still some very good athletes have decided to go to St. Anselm's. In the last couple of years St. Anselm's has had an all-met basketball player, a DC state wrestling champion. One of last years graduates was a 3-sport varsity captain (baseball, soccer and wrestling) who was featured in a Washington Post article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Many thanks for the suggestions. At St. Anselm's, are very strong athletes challenged athletically? DS isn't an "athletic 1%-er," but he's well into the top decile and he plays with passion. I love the idea of him playing a different sport each season (which I'm not positive he could pull off at Gonzaga or St. John's), but I'd also like him to experience different roles on different teams -- not always be the star. Would St. Anselm's offer that in a class of only 40 boys?

if you son is a very strong athlete in soccer or lacrosse then his club team will surely provide much more of a challenge than the competition that St. Anselm's varsity teams face. College recruiting for soccer and lacrosse is done through club teams not high schools, anyway.

If he plays basketball or baseball or an individual sport like wrestling or track, then I suggest you look on the St. Anselms website at the schools that St. Anselm's plays against to try to figure out whether he is likely to be challenged playing in high school. Nobody is going to choose St. Anselm's for the sports teams, but still some very good athletes have decided to go to St. Anselm's. In the last couple of years St. Anselm's has had an all-met basketball player, a DC state wrestling champion. One of last years graduates was a 3-sport varsity captain (baseball, soccer and wrestling) who was featured in a Washington Post article.

He also earned a $180,000 academic scholarship to UPenn to cover his bachelors AND master's degree. Impressive kid.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/recruiting-insider/wp/2016/05/25/st-anselms-three-sport-captain-nathan-dangle-earns-prestigious-penn-scholarship/?utm_term=.80b4112208e6

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Many thanks for the suggestions. At St. Anselm's, are very strong athletes challenged athletically? DS isn't an "athletic 1%-er," but he's well into the top decile and he plays with passion. I love the idea of him playing a different sport each season (which I'm not positive he could pull off at Gonzaga or St. John's), but I'd also like him to experience different roles on different teams -- not always be the star. Would St. Anselm's offer that in a class of only 40 boys?

I wouldn't recommend his playing a sport each season just from the standpoint of time management and workload. That being said, if your son is a top athlete, he won't be challenged athletically at St. Anselm's.

I was a 2-sport athlete in HS. I used my season off to catch up on pot-smoking and video game playing. I disagree with PP's recommendation against playing a sport each season: a kid who loves to play should play.

LOL. So true. Don't assume the season off is going to be spent grinding away on homework. If your kids wants to play, let the kids play.

[Anonymous]

Potomac?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Potomac?

No!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Potomac?

No!

"No, it's a pressure cooker"? "No, expectations there are lax"? Both? Something else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Potomac?

No!

"No, it's a pressure cooker"? "No, expectations there are lax"? Both? Something else?

Potomac US is tough and I think there is an undercurrent pressure imposed by kids themselves. The school is trying not to stress the kids out (i.e. No assigned work during winter break). But kids are competitive so there is pressure.

Although I don't think this is unique to Potomac. I think all HS in this area are similar at minimum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Many thanks for the suggestions. At St. Anselm's, are very strong athletes challenged athletically? DS isn't an "athletic 1%-er," but he's well into the top decile and he plays with passion. I love the idea of him playing a different sport each season (which I'm not positive he could pull off at Gonzaga or St. John's), but I'd also like him to experience different roles on different teams -- not always be the star. Would St. Anselm's offer that in a class of only 40 boys?

if you son is a very strong athlete in soccer or lacrosse then his club team will surely provide much more of a challenge than the competition that St. Anselm's varsity teams face. College recruiting for soccer and lacrosse is done through club teams not high schools, anyway.

If he plays basketball or baseball or an individual sport like wrestling or track, then I suggest you look on the St. Anselms website at the schools that St. Anselm's plays against to try to figure out whether he is likely to be challenged playing in high school. Nobody is going to choose St. Anselm's for the sports teams, but still some very good athletes have decided to go to St. Anselm's. In the last couple of years St. Anselm's has had an all-met basketball player, a DC state wrestling champion. One of last years graduates was a 3-sport varsity captain (baseball, soccer and wrestling) who was featured in a Washington Post article.

He also earned a $180,000 academic scholarship to UPenn to cover his bachelors AND master's degree. Impressive kid.

Looks like an amazing program, but it is not an academic scholarship. Ivies only offer need-based financial aid...no merit-based scholarships. Outside awards are deducted from financial aid.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/recruiting-insider/wp/2016/05/25/st-anselms-three-sport-captain-nathan-dangle-earns-prestigious-penn-scholarship/?utm_term=.80b4112208e6

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Many thanks for the suggestions. At St. Anselm's, are very strong athletes challenged athletically? DS isn't an "athletic 1%-er," but he's well into the top decile and he plays with passion. I love the idea of him playing a different sport each season (which I'm not positive he could pull off at Gonzaga or St. John's), but I'd also like him to experience different roles on different teams -- not always be the star. Would St. Anselm's offer that in a class of only 40 boys?

if you son is a very strong athlete in soccer or lacrosse then his club team will surely provide much more of a challenge than the competition that St. Anselm's varsity teams face. College recruiting for soccer and lacrosse is done through club teams not high schools, anyway.

If he plays basketball or baseball or an individual sport like wrestling or track, then I suggest you look on the St. Anselms website at the schools that St. Anselm's plays against to try to figure out whether he is likely to be challenged playing in high school. Nobody is going to choose St. Anselm's for the sports teams, but still some very good athletes have decided to go to St. Anselm's. In the last couple of years St. Anselm's has had an all-met basketball player, a DC state wrestling champion. One of last years graduates was a 3-sport varsity captain (baseball, soccer and wrestling) who was featured in a Washington Post article.

He also earned a $180,000 academic scholarship to UPenn to cover his bachelors AND master's degree. Impressive kid.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/recruiting-insider/wp/2016/05/25/st-anselms-three-sport-captain-nathan-dangle-earns-prestigious-penn-scholarship/?utm_term=.80b4112208e6

Looks like an amazing program, but it is not an academic scholarship. Ivies only offer need-based financial aid...no merit-based scholarships.

[Anonymous]

Landon is strong in academics and athletics, and has a great arts program if your son is into that. It is worth checking out.