Sidwell or St. Albans for 9th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even without a shadow day, I'm surprised he doesn't have an opinion between all boys and coat-and-tie formality vs coed and less formality.

That’s a pretty superficial basis, but I guess if you don’t have a child at STA or NCS you wouldn’t have more to say than that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even without a shadow day, I'm surprised he doesn't have an opinion between all boys and coat-and-tie formality vs coed and less formality.

That’s a pretty superficial basis, but I guess if you don’t have a child at STA or NCS you wouldn’t have more to say than that

What do you think the major differences are?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell or STA for overall quality of experience and quality of life? Kid is smart, funny, kind and sporty but not a D1 recruit-to-be. Wants a great high school experience.

Very different communities. The parents and kids are very different. A family that is happy at one would not necessarily be happy at the other. There are threads on here about the communities and their differences and similarities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell or STA for overall quality of experience and quality of life? Kid is smart, funny, kind and sporty but not a D1 recruit-to-be. Wants a great high school experience.

Very different communities. The parents and kids are very different. A family that is happy at one would not necessarily be happy at the other. There are threads on here about the communities and their differences and similarities.

To be fair, we’ve read posts comparing the two, and one thing that is often said is “the same kinds of kids go to both.” In fact, that might actually be a quote from one of the posts in the comparison threads, and it gets a lot of +‘s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell or STA for overall quality of experience and quality of life? Kid is smart, funny, kind and sporty but not a D1 recruit-to-be. Wants a great high school experience.

Very different communities. The parents and kids are very different. A family that is happy at one would not necessarily be happy at the other. There are threads on here about the communities and their differences and similarities.

Can you elaborate on this?

[Anonymous]

My son had the same choice and chose STA. He felt a strong sense of community from the first visit and enjoyed the classes he sat in on and the participation that he saw. He liked Sidwell but did not respond the same. He noticed a generally less structured and more casual classroom environment at Sidwell, with at least one teacher going by their first name and kids with no shoes on in class (maybe minor things, but ones that he thought contributed to the overall “vibe”). In the class he sat in on, they were working on an individual project so he didn’t see the dialogue that he saw at STA (though, of course, the same thing exists at both schools). As parents, when we attended an information session and talked to friends with kids at Sidwell, we worried about fitting in as a family. One parent told us that there was a sense of disdain about organized religion, and the administration discussed the school’s (Quaker) view that was generally opposed to recognizing individual student achievements (in academics, athletics, music, etc.). I’m sure DS would have ended up happy at either place - you bloom where you are planted - but STA has been a fantastic, positive experience for him and us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son had the same choice and chose STA. He felt a strong sense of community from the first visit and enjoyed the classes he sat in on and the participation that he saw. He liked Sidwell but did not respond the same. He noticed a generally less structured and more casual classroom environment at Sidwell, with at least one teacher going by their first name and kids with no shoes on in class (maybe minor things, but ones that he thought contributed to the overall “vibe”). In the class he sat in on, they were working on an individual project so he didn’t see the dialogue that he saw at STA (though, of course, the same thing exists at both schools). As parents, when we attended an information session and talked to friends with kids at Sidwell, we worried about fitting in as a family. One parent told us that there was a sense of disdain about organized religion, and the administration discussed the school’s (Quaker) view that was generally opposed to recognizing individual student achievements (in academics, athletics, music, etc.). I’m sure DS would have ended up happy at either place - you bloom where you are planted - but STA has been a fantastic, positive experience for him and us.

Sidwell doesn't have senior awards anymore. How can someone be "the best" student at literature or math or theater? They recognize other achievements, particularly athletics, where distinction is more obvious.

[Anonymous]

Sidwell. No question.

- NCS grad

[Anonymous]

Are you coming from public or K-8? If so what did he like about or not like about current school and that may help you decide so you can let the school you are accepting know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell or STA for overall quality of experience and quality of life? Kid is smart, funny, kind and sporty but not a D1 recruit-to-be. Wants a great high school experience.

Very different communities. The parents and kids are very different. A family that is happy at one would not necessarily be happy at the other. There are threads on here about the communities and their differences and similarities.

To be fair, we’ve read posts comparing the two, and one thing that is often said is “the same kinds of kids go to both.” In fact, that might actually be a quote from one of the posts in the comparison threads, and it gets a lot of +‘s.

PP is another typical DCUM poster who doesn’t know when to stop with the adverbs. The two schools and sets of patents and kids are not “very” different. If you met them blindly you couldn’t tell most of them apart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell or STA for overall quality of experience and quality of life? Kid is smart, funny, kind and sporty but not a D1 recruit-to-be. Wants a great high school experience.

Very different communities. The parents and kids are very different. A family that is happy at one would not necessarily be happy at the other. There are threads on here about the communities and their differences and similarities.

To be fair, we’ve read posts comparing the two, and one thing that is often said is “the same kinds of kids go to both.” In fact, that might actually be a quote from one of the posts in the comparison threads, and it gets a lot of +‘s.

PP is another typical DCUM poster who doesn’t know when to stop with the adverbs. The two schools and sets of patents and kids are not “very” different. If you met them blindly you couldn’t tell most of them apart.

Absolutely. A lot more outward displays of wealth at StA, while the Sidwell presents more modesty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have two sons, one who went to Sidwell and the other went to STA (more than a handful of years ago). My oldest went to Sidwell and responded well to the community. While there are many students who are hyper-competitive (as there are at all schools), my kid was a little more laidback, but definitely engaged and a bit of a smart ass (in the best way possible). He enjoyed going to a coed school and made many friendships with people of all genders. My youngest went to STA and enjoyed it also. Like at Sidwell, academics at STA are great. However, as a mother, I did not like some of the attitudes my youngest son learned about women at STA. Although there are many nice students at the school, there is a culture of misogyny there. When Obama first ran for the Democratic presidential nominee, many of my son's friends used to joke around with each other by saying "bros before hoes" (is that how you spell the plural, or is that just for the gardening implement?). I was glad when my son was able to take a class at NCS so he had some exposure to girls in the classroom. I am very feminist-identified, so hearing my son tell me some of the horrible things he heard go around the school disappointed me. I think that the new head is trying to change the culture, but I also have read and heard (on this site and among alums) that the school has its fair share of Trump-identified people (I won't dare call them Republicans). This is just my family's experience, and I know that YMMV, but I wanted to share our story. Good luck!

I’m an NCS parent, and I concur. The stories my daughter has told me about STA attitudes toward girls/women made my head hurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell or STA for overall quality of experience and quality of life? Kid is smart, funny, kind and sporty but not a D1 recruit-to-be. Wants a great high school experience.

Very different communities. The parents and kids are very different. A family that is happy at one would not necessarily be happy at the other. There are threads on here about the communities and their differences and similarities.

To be fair, we’ve read posts comparing the two, and one thing that is often said is “the same kinds of kids go to both.” In fact, that might actually be a quote from one of the posts in the comparison threads, and it gets a lot of +‘s.

PP is another typical DCUM poster who doesn’t know when to stop with the adverbs. The two schools and sets of patents and kids are not “very” different. If you met them blindly you couldn’t tell most of them apart.

Absolutely. A lot more outward displays of wealth at StA, while the Sidwell presents more modesty.

If you met 12 or 15 or 17 year boys wearing jeans in another city, you’d never be able to tell which school they go to, even by talking to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have two sons, one who went to Sidwell and the other went to STA (more than a handful of years ago). My oldest went to Sidwell and responded well to the community. While there are many students who are hyper-competitive (as there are at all schools), my kid was a little more laidback, but definitely engaged and a bit of a smart ass (in the best way possible). He enjoyed going to a coed school and made many friendships with people of all genders. My youngest went to STA and enjoyed it also. Like at Sidwell, academics at STA are great. However, as a mother, I did not like some of the attitudes my youngest son learned about women at STA. Although there are many nice students at the school, there is a culture of misogyny there. When Obama first ran for the Democratic presidential nominee, many of my son's friends used to joke around with each other by saying "bros before hoes" (is that how you spell the plural, or is that just for the gardening implement?). I was glad when my son was able to take a class at NCS so he had some exposure to girls in the classroom. I am very feminist-identified, so hearing my son tell me some of the horrible things he heard go around the school disappointed me. I think that the new head is trying to change the culture, but I also have read and heard (on this site and among alums) that the school has its fair share of Trump-identified people (I won't dare call them Republicans). This is just my family's experience, and I know that YMMV, but I wanted to share our story. Good luck!

I’m an NCS parent, and I concur. The stories my daughter has told me about STA attitudes toward girls/women made my head hurt.

The Trump stuff is also very true in my experience.

[Anonymous]

OP - I think both are great and I think your son should choose. Have them start making pros/cons lists - this can include curriculum, lunch, length of day, all boys/code, teaching style, campus...whatever.

One thing I'll add that others haven't mentioned, but my DS noticed (and has been confirmed by friends who attended) was the importance of sports teams at St Albans. Sidwell has great teams but, as a whole, sports doesn't have the same culture at Sidwell as it takes on at St Albans. Also, athletic requirements, I believe are much more time consuming at St Albans. For kids that love team bonding and consider the sport as downtime, maybe this is time well spent. Some boys thrive in this sort of culture.
For others, it's a stressor on top of academic requirements and may not love a culture that is sports heavy (even if they play on multiple HS teams). It's not good or bad in general, but it could be good or bad for a specific child.