College Counseling at Sidwell - One Year Later

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Given the competitive college admissions environment, the Sidwell CCO should be elevated—the head of college counseling office should be a direct report to the head of school. If they can make the athletic director a “peer” to the Heads of the Upper school and Middle school, they can elevate the head of CCO too. After spending a half million dollars to send their kids to Sidwell, most families are very interested in positive college outcomes.

Funny you should say that - that is exactly what the old head of college counseling asked for, and the HoS said no. So he left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait, Emily is leaving?

Yes - the school is just waiting for a more convenient time to announce it. She is leaving right after winter break. She has been treated so poorly by the administration, she is breaking her contract and leaving in the middle of the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Given the competitive college admissions environment, the Sidwell CCO should be elevated—the head of college counseling office should be a direct report to the head of school. If they can make the athletic director a “peer” to the Heads of the Upper school and Middle school, they can elevate the head of CCO too. After spending a half million dollars to send their kids to Sidwell, most families are very interested in positive college outcomes.

While it is important to have competent and knowledgeable people in any college guidance office, ultimately it is up to the kids and their record, including in and out of school extracurriuclars, that determine positive college outcomes. The problem with the previous regime was the presence of someone who submitted write-ups that contained numerous gaffs and incorrect grammar, thus reflecting poorly on the students they served and the school as a whole. The college guidance folks cannot "get" a kid into an Ivy or other tippy-top school. It is a lottery regardless of how good a record any kid has. So other than ensuring all of the recs and transcripts from the high school are submitted in a timely manner and written in a professional tone, the only thing a good college guidance officer can do is provide options for match/foundation schools based on a kid's record and preferences for size/scope of a college institution. I would have no problem with the CCO being elevated to be akin to a Department Head, but that has no bearing on anything else.

It’s kind of funny that you are calling this man out for his “gaffs.”

+1. Look it up, PP.

“Gaffs” is a polite way of saying an inability to write coherently, sheer incompetence, and passivity bordering on laziness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"rockstar" is a little strong.

And the statement “ And the fact that he tried to stick up for one of his employees and to help him perform better in his job instead of just getting rid of him” is a nice way of saying “hoped he would learn how to be a college counselor as 1/3 of the class, two years in a row, served as involuntary subjects in this sorry experiment.” They should have let A. go after about three months. He was that poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Then suggest it to the administration rather than complaining about it on an anonymous message board.

The administration is weak and terrible, as you surely know if you have 2 kids in US. The teachers are great but happy with the way things are.

+1. The upper school administration is incompetent. Teachers are great.

I agree that the faculty are great and about the administration. The dysfunction was in the college counseling office last year and the year before. One counselor was just plain incompetent. It took too long, but the admin finally showed him the door. The CCO director was too stubborn, refused to admit he had a staff problem, and grew increasingly frustrated and checked out. Now he’s gone, gone, Gonzaga. To the extent that the administration is to blame, they took too long to force changes, and they still need to provide additional resources to the CCO. But they did act in the end, and recruited back an excellent director to lead and rebuild the CCO.

It's quite the opposite. The administration is completely incompetent and the teachers (who I agree are top-notch) are all trying to figure out how to abandon the sinking ship. The administration (truly led by the current Assistant Head of School who is delusional - she believes that Sidwell is perfect in every way and will hear nothing to the contrary) is more concerned with Sidwell's image than they are with the well-being of the students or the faculty. Ask anyone who works there.

The majority of families thought that last year's CCO director, who is currently very successful and happy at Gonzaga, was a rockstar. The actual reason why he left was because he thought the US Principal was incompetent, and he no longer felt comfortable working for him. He voiced his concerns, but the administration did not listen. And the fact that he tried to stick up for one of his employees and to help him perform better in his job instead of just getting rid of him, I find to be commendable. The "excellent" director that they recruited back was originally asked to leave because she was spending too much time on her outside consulting practice and not enough time on working with the Sidwell students. They were grasping at straws and offered her a boatload of money to come back for a year. Funny how they asked her to leave and then 3 years later begged her to come back.

The administration treats the CCO with such little respect, the only CC left from last year has now resigned - and broken her contract. The woosies at the school are not going to announce this until the middle of December - after EA and ED decisions come out. I am sure they are scrambling to replace her before they have to announce that she too is leaving.

If the administration is not to blame for last year's entire CC department leaving - who is? Someone had to have hired them all thinking they were competent, and now all 3 have left. Why would 3 employees leave Sidwell all at once if they were being treated well and respected by the administration? And it wasn't because of the parents. Granted, last year's graduating class had its share of difficult parents. But these are professionals who know how to deal with parents. They only left because they did not feel supported by the administration.

+1 the US principal should be replaced. The upper school has so many dysfunctions.

[Anonymous]

Hasn't he been with the school for several years? Can you elaborate on the dysfunctions you see at the US?

[Anonymous]

Every school has issues. I cannot say there is 'dysfunction" in the Upper School by any stretch of the imagination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Given the competitive college admissions environment, the Sidwell CCO should be elevated—the head of college counseling office should be a direct report to the head of school. If they can make the athletic director a “peer” to the Heads of the Upper school and Middle school, they can elevate the head of CCO too. After spending a half million dollars to send their kids to Sidwell, most families are very interested in positive college outcomes.

While it is important to have competent and knowledgeable people in any college guidance office, ultimately it is up to the kids and their record, including in and out of school extracurriuclars, that determine positive college outcomes. The problem with the previous regime was the presence of someone who submitted write-ups that contained numerous gaffs and incorrect grammar, thus reflecting poorly on the students they served and the school as a whole. The college guidance folks cannot "get" a kid into an Ivy or other tippy-top school. It is a lottery regardless of how good a record any kid has. So other than ensuring all of the recs and transcripts from the high school are submitted in a timely manner and written in a professional tone, the only thing a good college guidance officer can do is provide options for match/foundation schools based on a kid's record and preferences for size/scope of a college institution. I would have no problem with the CCO being elevated to be akin to a Department Head, but that has no bearing on anything else.

It’s kind of funny that you are calling this man out for his “gaffs.”

+1. Look it up, PP.

“Gaffs” is a polite way of saying an inability to write coherently, sheer incompetence, and passivity bordering on laziness.

What's the polite word for "incompetent speller?"

Sweet thing, you mean "gaffes." Honestly. You had no idea, did you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, Emily is leaving?

Yes - the school is just waiting for a more convenient time to announce it. She is leaving right after winter break. She has been treated so poorly by the administration, she is breaking her contract and leaving in the middle of the year.

So sad... to PP - here is one of the dysfunctions of the upper school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every school has issues. I cannot say there is 'dysfunction" in the Upper School by any stretch of the imagination.

The only major issue that we can see is that the campus reconstruction project is lagging - erectile dysfunction perhaps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every school has issues. I cannot say there is 'dysfunction" in the Upper School by any stretch of the imagination.

The only major issue that we can see is that the campus reconstruction project is lagging - erectile dysfunction perhaps.

The school bought an additional parcel which caused a rethinking of the plans, which are being finalized now. Not really lagging, just taking advantage of more opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Getting that adjacent parcel was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they really had to buy it. However, the larger concern is the massive fundraising effort needed now to make the campus redesign a reality. I’m hoping that won’t distract the administration too much.

[Anonymous]

Sidwell College Counseling - 6 College Counselors in 5 years - Alexander, Carter, Zimmerman, Gallagher, Ortiz and now Thigpen....I don’t think spelling has anything to do with it........RUN EMILY, RUN....

[Anonymous]

I'm wondering how much the turnover should be attributed to the administration and how much to the parents. Not getting forms on time or help with essays is one thing, but unrealistic expectations and entitled attitudes are another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering how much the turnover should be attributed to the administration and how much to the parents. Not getting forms on time or help with essays is one thing, but unrealistic expectations and entitled attitudes are another.

Both