St Albans vs Sidwell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason why more presidential and vice presidential children have attended Sidwell is because the Secret Service found it easier to secure..

Sidwell may be better known because of the Obama girls but that doesn’t make it a better school. It’s cruising on its reputation. It has serious issues including a weak college counseling office. STA has its issues, too, but it is overall a better run school with stronger teachers in the Upper School.

I say that as a parent with kids at both schools. Sidwell needs to get its administrative act together and the HOS needs to stop with the blatant favoritism for politically connected families.

And yet the Secret Service managed to successfully secure St. Andrews for FOUR years[b].

The truth is the Clintons, Obamas, Nixons, Gores, Bidens, etc all chose the school that was best for their children. If they had wanted St. Andrews, GDS, Maret, etc the Secret Service would have made it work.
.

Are you stupid or something? St. Andrew’s is suburban and does not have the National Cathedral - which on purpose welcomes thousands of people to the Cathedral Close- sitting on its campus..

The Obamas wanted GDS but the Secret Service found the campuses difficult to secure because of the private housing that abuts both the Upper and what used to be the Lower School campus.

Security in the age of Nixon was a little different. Tricia Nixon attended Horace Mann, a public school. Amy Carter attended Stevens and Hardy. The Bidens have no school-age children.

Ah, the urban myth resurfaces. “The Obamas wanted GDS.”

If the Obamas had wanted GDS, the Obamas would have gotten GDS. They did not make that choice.

I heard they actually wanted NCS for their girls but security is difficult.

GDS and NCS boosters are still pushing these myths. Michelle Obama stated in several interviews that they wanted a coed school for their daughters (like the one they attended in Chicago).

Al Gore’s daughters attended NCS while he was a sitting VP—with Secret Service protection. If the Obamas had wanted NCS, they would have selected NCS.

Nope things changed and became more dangerous and the Close is open and public and very difficult to contain. Clinton’s and Obamas wanted NCS. NCS and STA have long been the most prestigious schools in the area.

LOL, the Clintons always preferred Sidwell. Hillary is/was best friend with Marian Wright Edelman who sent her kids there. This is common knowledge. Let's not pull a Trumpian memory hole with such easily verifiable facts.

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/06/us/new-presidency-president-elect-clintons-pick-private-school-capital-for-their.html

Thanks for posting The NY Times article. For those of you in the back, here are a few pertinent quotes:

“He said the question of where the Secret Service would find it easiest to protect Chelsea was not an issue in the Clintons' decision.”

“The Clintons said in a statement that "after many family discussions and careful consideration" they had chosen Sidwell, because "as parents, we believe this decision is best for our daughter at this time in her life based on our changing circumstances.”“

“Mr. Stephanopoulos said Chelsea and her mother visited Sidwell on Sunday and met with students and administrators. While they considered several public and private schools in the Washington area, this was the only one they chose to tour.”

Omg my gosh! No one cares! Literally no one!

Is that why you just posted? Because you don’t care? 🙄

Sidwell was never on our list of schools or on the lists of most people we know. Too many families we know there are unhappy. Some left. We did not consider it.

So why are you reading and commenting on this thread? You should just scroll past threads with Sidwell in the name since it was never on your list of schools and you “did not consider it.” 😆

Interested in STA that’s why

Mmmkay…
That Sidwell rejection letter still stings, huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason why more presidential and vice presidential children have attended Sidwell is because the Secret Service found it easier to secure..

Sidwell may be better known because of the Obama girls but that doesn’t make it a better school. It’s cruising on its reputation. It has serious issues including a weak college counseling office. STA has its issues, too, but it is overall a better run school with stronger teachers in the Upper School.

I say that as a parent with kids at both schools. Sidwell needs to get its administrative act together and the HOS needs to stop with the blatant favoritism for politically connected families.

And yet the Secret Service managed to successfully secure St. Andrews for FOUR years[b].

The truth is the Clintons, Obamas, Nixons, Gores, Bidens, etc all chose the school that was best for their children. If they had wanted St. Andrews, GDS, Maret, etc the Secret Service would have made it work.
.

Are you stupid or something? St. Andrew’s is suburban and does not have the National Cathedral - which on purpose welcomes thousands of people to the Cathedral Close- sitting on its campus..

The Obamas wanted GDS but the Secret Service found the campuses difficult to secure because of the private housing that abuts both the Upper and what used to be the Lower School campus.

Security in the age of Nixon was a little different. Tricia Nixon attended Horace Mann, a public school. Amy Carter attended Stevens and Hardy. The Bidens have no school-age children.

Ah, the urban myth resurfaces. “The Obamas wanted GDS.”

If the Obamas had wanted GDS, the Obamas would have gotten GDS. They did not make that choice.

I heard they actually wanted NCS for their girls but security is difficult.

GDS and NCS boosters are still pushing these myths. Michelle Obama stated in several interviews that they wanted a coed school for their daughters (like the one they attended in Chicago).

Al Gore’s daughters attended NCS while he was a sitting VP—with Secret Service protection. If the Obamas had wanted NCS, they would have selected NCS.

Nope things changed and became more dangerous and the Close is open and public and very difficult to contain. Clinton’s and Obamas wanted NCS. NCS and STA have long been the most prestigious schools in the area.

LOL, the Clintons always preferred Sidwell. Hillary is/was best friend with Marian Wright Edelman who sent her kids there. This is common knowledge. Let's not pull a Trumpian memory hole with such easily verifiable facts.

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/06/us/new-presidency-president-elect-clintons-pick-private-school-capital-for-their.html

Thanks for posting The NY Times article. For those of you in the back, here are a few pertinent quotes:

“He said the question of where the Secret Service would find it easiest to protect Chelsea was not an issue in the Clintons' decision.”

“The Clintons said in a statement that "after many family discussions and careful consideration" they had chosen Sidwell, because "as parents, we believe this decision is best for our daughter at this time in her life based on our changing circumstances.”“

“Mr. Stephanopoulos said Chelsea and her mother visited Sidwell on Sunday and met with students and administrators. While they considered several public and private schools in the Washington area, this was the only one they chose to tour.”

Omg my gosh! No one cares! Literally no one!

Is that why you just posted? Because you don’t care? 🙄

Sidwell was never on our list of schools or on the lists of most people we know. Too many families we know there are unhappy. Some left. We did not consider it.

So why are you reading and commenting on this thread? You should just scroll past threads with Sidwell in the name since it was never on your list of schools and you “did not consider it.” 😆

Interested in STA that’s why

Mmmkay…
That Sidwell rejection letter still stings, huh?

Did not apply or even consider it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who was at NCS with the Gore girls, and also when even Sec of State Baker’s daughter had a detail during the Gulf War, I’m just as happy Chelsea Clinton wasn’t there. The Secret Service rigamarole was already enough to deal with even without adding the president’s kid.

At least you (or the other NCS booster) have finally given up the pretense that the Clintons, Obamas, etc chose Sidwell over other private schools because of “security issues.” The posted articles make it crystal clear that these Presidents and VPs chose Sidwell because it was the best school for their children.

I’m also happy to hear you were spared the “Secret Service rigamarole.” What a relief!

Oh trust me I am not whatever NCS booster you are thinking of. 😂 Hated it, put me in therapy with thoughts of killing myself, didn’t remotely consider it for my DD.

Having the Secret Service around during the Gulf War even in the small detail we had was weird enough without adding more. But I guess it did provide some colorful stories to tell the kids!

Chelsea went through enough crap growing up in DC. She didn’t need NCS on top of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason why more presidential and vice presidential children have attended Sidwell is because the Secret Service found it easier to secure..

Sidwell may be better known because of the Obama girls but that doesn’t make it a better school. It’s cruising on its reputation. It has serious issues including a weak college counseling office. STA has its issues, too, but it is overall a better run school with stronger teachers in the Upper School.

I say that as a parent with kids at both schools. Sidwell needs to get its administrative act together and the HOS needs to stop with the blatant favoritism for politically connected families.

And yet the Secret Service managed to successfully secure St. Andrews for FOUR years[b].

The truth is the Clintons, Obamas, Nixons, Gores, Bidens, etc all chose the school that was best for their children. If they had wanted St. Andrews, GDS, Maret, etc the Secret Service would have made it work.
.

Are you stupid or something? St. Andrew’s is suburban and does not have the National Cathedral - which on purpose welcomes thousands of people to the Cathedral Close- sitting on its campus..

The Obamas wanted GDS but the Secret Service found the campuses difficult to secure because of the private housing that abuts both the Upper and what used to be the Lower School campus.

Security in the age of Nixon was a little different. Tricia Nixon attended Horace Mann, a public school. Amy Carter attended Stevens and Hardy. The Bidens have no school-age children.

Ah, the urban myth resurfaces. “The Obamas wanted GDS.”

If the Obamas had wanted GDS, the Obamas would have gotten GDS. They did not make that choice.

I heard they actually wanted NCS for their girls but security is difficult.

GDS and NCS boosters are still pushing these myths. Michelle Obama stated in several interviews that they wanted a coed school for their daughters (like the one they attended in Chicago).

Al Gore’s daughters attended NCS while he was a sitting VP—with Secret Service protection. If the Obamas had wanted NCS, they would have selected NCS.

Nope things changed and became more dangerous and the Close is open and public and very difficult to contain. Clinton’s and Obamas wanted NCS. NCS and STA have long been the most prestigious schools in the area.

LOL, the Clintons always preferred Sidwell. Hillary is/was best friend with Marian Wright Edelman who sent her kids there. This is common knowledge. Let's not pull a Trumpian memory hole with such easily verifiable facts.

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/06/us/new-presidency-president-elect-clintons-pick-private-school-capital-for-their.html

Thanks for posting The NY Times article. For those of you in the back, here are a few pertinent quotes:

“He said the question of where the Secret Service would find it easiest to protect Chelsea was not an issue in the Clintons' decision.”

“The Clintons said in a statement that "after many family discussions and careful consideration" they had chosen Sidwell, because "as parents, we believe this decision is best for our daughter at this time in her life based on our changing circumstances.”“

“Mr. Stephanopoulos said Chelsea and her mother visited Sidwell on Sunday and met with students and administrators. While they considered several public and private schools in the Washington area, this was the only one they chose to tour.”

Omg my gosh! No one cares! Literally no one!

Is that why you just posted? Because you don’t care? 🙄

Sidwell was never on our list of schools or on the lists of most people we know. Too many families we know there are unhappy. Some left. We did not consider it.

So why are you reading and commenting on this thread? You should just scroll past threads with Sidwell in the name since it was never on your list of schools and you “did not consider it.” 😆

Interested in STA that’s why

Mmmkay…
That Sidwell rejection letter still stings, huh?

Did not apply or even consider it.

Sure, but your salty posts say otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason why more presidential and vice presidential children have attended Sidwell is because the Secret Service found it easier to secure..

Sidwell may be better known because of the Obama girls but that doesn’t make it a better school. It’s cruising on its reputation. It has serious issues including a weak college counseling office. STA has its issues, too, but it is overall a better run school with stronger teachers in the Upper School.

I say that as a parent with kids at both schools. Sidwell needs to get its administrative act together and the HOS needs to stop with the blatant favoritism for politically connected families.

And yet the Secret Service managed to successfully secure St. Andrews for FOUR years[b].

The truth is the Clintons, Obamas, Nixons, Gores, Bidens, etc all chose the school that was best for their children. If they had wanted St. Andrews, GDS, Maret, etc the Secret Service would have made it work.
.

Are you stupid or something? St. Andrew’s is suburban and does not have the National Cathedral - which on purpose welcomes thousands of people to the Cathedral Close- sitting on its campus..

The Obamas wanted GDS but the Secret Service found the campuses difficult to secure because of the private housing that abuts both the Upper and what used to be the Lower School campus.

Security in the age of Nixon was a little different. Tricia Nixon attended Horace Mann, a public school. Amy Carter attended Stevens and Hardy. The Bidens have no school-age children.

Ah, the urban myth resurfaces. “The Obamas wanted GDS.”

If the Obamas had wanted GDS, the Obamas would have gotten GDS. They did not make that choice.

I heard they actually wanted NCS for their girls but security is difficult.

GDS and NCS boosters are still pushing these myths. Michelle Obama stated in several interviews that they wanted a coed school for their daughters (like the one they attended in Chicago).

Al Gore’s daughters attended NCS while he was a sitting VP—with Secret Service protection. If the Obamas had wanted NCS, they would have selected NCS.

Nope things changed and became more dangerous and the Close is open and public and very difficult to contain. Clinton’s and Obamas wanted NCS. NCS and STA have long been the most prestigious schools in the area.

LOL, the Clintons always preferred Sidwell. Hillary is/was best friend with Marian Wright Edelman who sent her kids there. This is common knowledge. Let's not pull a Trumpian memory hole with such easily verifiable facts.

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/06/us/new-presidency-president-elect-clintons-pick-private-school-capital-for-their.html

Thanks for posting The NY Times article. For those of you in the back, here are a few pertinent quotes:

“He said the question of where the Secret Service would find it easiest to protect Chelsea was not an issue in the Clintons' decision.”

“The Clintons said in a statement that "after many family discussions and careful consideration" they had chosen Sidwell, because "as parents, we believe this decision is best for our daughter at this time in her life based on our changing circumstances.”“

“Mr. Stephanopoulos said Chelsea and her mother visited Sidwell on Sunday and met with students and administrators. While they considered several public and private schools in the Washington area, this was the only one they chose to tour.”

Omg my gosh! No one cares! Literally no one!

Is that why you just posted? Because you don’t care? 🙄

Sidwell was never on our list of schools or on the lists of most people we know. Too many families we know there are unhappy. Some left. We did not consider it.

So why are you reading and commenting on this thread? You should just scroll past threads with Sidwell in the name since it was never on your list of schools and you “did not consider it.” 😆

Interested in STA that’s why

Mmmkay…
That Sidwell rejection letter still stings, huh?

Did not apply or even consider it.

Sure, but your salty posts say otherwise.

Wow this Sidwell parent is really bizarre and has an ego issue. No sorry we are not and have never been interested in Sidwell. My son is quite preppy and very athletic and Sidwell did not appeal to him or any of his friends going through the process. That’s okay isn’t it? Why are you so invested in these topics? Weird. I looked at this post because of STA in the title.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason why more presidential and vice presidential children have attended Sidwell is because the Secret Service found it easier to secure..

Sidwell may be better known because of the Obama girls but that doesn’t make it a better school. It’s cruising on its reputation. It has serious issues including a weak college counseling office. STA has its issues, too, but it is overall a better run school with stronger teachers in the Upper School.

I say that as a parent with kids at both schools. Sidwell needs to get its administrative act together and the HOS needs to stop with the blatant favoritism for politically connected families.

And yet the Secret Service managed to successfully secure St. Andrews for FOUR years[b].

The truth is the Clintons, Obamas, Nixons, Gores, Bidens, etc all chose the school that was best for their children. If they had wanted St. Andrews, GDS, Maret, etc the Secret Service would have made it work.
.

Are you stupid or something? St. Andrew’s is suburban and does not have the National Cathedral - which on purpose welcomes thousands of people to the Cathedral Close- sitting on its campus..

The Obamas wanted GDS but the Secret Service found the campuses difficult to secure because of the private housing that abuts both the Upper and what used to be the Lower School campus.

Security in the age of Nixon was a little different. Tricia Nixon attended Horace Mann, a public school. Amy Carter attended Stevens and Hardy. The Bidens have no school-age children.

Ah, the urban myth resurfaces. “The Obamas wanted GDS.”

If the Obamas had wanted GDS, the Obamas would have gotten GDS. They did not make that choice.

I heard they actually wanted NCS for their girls but security is difficult.

GDS and NCS boosters are still pushing these myths. Michelle Obama stated in several interviews that they wanted a coed school for their daughters (like the one they attended in Chicago).

Al Gore’s daughters attended NCS while he was a sitting VP—with Secret Service protection. If the Obamas had wanted NCS, they would have selected NCS.

Nope things changed and became more dangerous and the Close is open and public and very difficult to contain. Clinton’s and Obamas wanted NCS. NCS and STA have long been the most prestigious schools in the area.

LOL, the Clintons always preferred Sidwell. Hillary is/was best friend with Marian Wright Edelman who sent her kids there. This is common knowledge. Let's not pull a Trumpian memory hole with such easily verifiable facts.

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/06/us/new-presidency-president-elect-clintons-pick-private-school-capital-for-their.html

Thanks for posting The NY Times article. For those of you in the back, here are a few pertinent quotes:

“He said the question of where the Secret Service would find it easiest to protect Chelsea was not an issue in the Clintons' decision.”

“The Clintons said in a statement that "after many family discussions and careful consideration" they had chosen Sidwell, because "as parents, we believe this decision is best for our daughter at this time in her life based on our changing circumstances.”“

“Mr. Stephanopoulos said Chelsea and her mother visited Sidwell on Sunday and met with students and administrators. While they considered several public and private schools in the Washington area, this was the only one they chose to tour.”

Omg my gosh! No one cares! Literally no one!

Is that why you just posted? Because you don’t care? 🙄

Sidwell was never on our list of schools or on the lists of most people we know. Too many families we know there are unhappy. Some left. We did not consider it.

So why are you reading and commenting on this thread? You should just scroll past threads with Sidwell in the name since it was never on your list of schools and you “did not consider it.” 😆

Interested in STA that’s why

Mmmkay…
That Sidwell rejection letter still stings, huh?

Did not apply or even consider it.

Sure, but your salty posts say otherwise.

Wow this Sidwell parent is really bizarre and has an ego issue. No sorry we are not and have never been interested in Sidwell. My son is quite preppy and very athletic and Sidwell did not appeal to him or any of his friends going through the process. That’s okay isn’t it? Why are you so invested in these topics? Weird. I looked at this post because of STA in the title.

It’s more than ok that you’re not interested in Sidwell. No one at Sidwell misses your “preppy” son—lol. STA and athletics…interesting choice.

I think you’re bizarre to keep commenting on Sidwell if you’re really only interested in STA. No one asked your opinion about Sidwell, and you really have no basis for one since your children don’t attend the school and you never considered it. It doesn’t even sound like your son attends STA. If he does, my sympathies to STA.
Move along.

[Anonymous]

New poster here. We are very interested in St. Albans. The next entry year for us would be 7 and then 9th. We are very happy in our parochial catholic school and plan to be there through 8th grade. What are the benefits to applying in 7th vs. 9th? For those with kids at the school, would love to hear your experience at the middle school level and high school level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. We are very interested in St. Albans. The next entry year for us would be 7 and then 9th. We are very happy in our parochial catholic school and plan to be there through 8th grade. What are the benefits to applying in 7th vs. 9th? For those with kids at the school, would love to hear your experience at the middle school level and high school level.

If you're set on STA, the one advantage to applying in 7th is getting two chances at a spot. My son and several others we know applied twice (7th and 9th). My kid had straight As, travel sport, arts extracurriculars, etc but 7th grade spots our year were almost all hooked kids (siblings, legacy, etc). He applied again in 9th and got in. Others years may have more unhooked spots available for 7th--it varies a lot. You won't know until you apply because STA (or any school) isn't going to come out and tell you this but if you end up joining a class you're figure out who joined and when.

I think the middle school experience is pretty rigorous but my kid did fine joining the school in 9th from public (even from virtual learning in public). If we could do it all over again I would have loved to have sent him earlier simply because we really like the school and it's been fantastic for him! The 4 years of high school go very quickly. That said, he is still quite good friends with his middle school friends (who now all attend different high schools) and it's very nice to have these friends and social world. The kids who join earlier have their STA friends and that's it. I will say the negative of this on the 9th grade end is that it can take a year or so to make friends. I feel like girls (I have one of them) hit a new school and immediately want to connect. Boys warm up to each other over time and shared experiences. It took my son until 10th grade to really find his people. It's also more difficult to enter an "ongoing" class in 9th grade. I can be easier for boys to enter a high school where everyone is new in 9th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. We are very interested in St. Albans. The next entry year for us would be 7 and then 9th. We are very happy in our parochial catholic school and plan to be there through 8th grade. What are the benefits to applying in 7th vs. 9th? For those with kids at the school, would love to hear your experience at the middle school level and high school level.

If you're set on STA, the one advantage to applying in 7th is getting two chances at a spot. My son and several others we know applied twice (7th and 9th). My kid had straight As, travel sport, arts extracurriculars, etc but 7th grade spots our year were almost all hooked kids (siblings, legacy, etc). He applied again in 9th and got in. Others years may have more unhooked spots available for 7th--it varies a lot. You won't know until you apply because STA (or any school) isn't going to come out and tell you this but if you end up joining a class you're figure out who joined and when.

I think the middle school experience is pretty rigorous but my kid did fine joining the school in 9th from public (even from virtual learning in public). If we could do it all over again I would have loved to have sent him earlier simply because we really like the school and it's been fantastic for him! The 4 years of high school go very quickly. That said, he is still quite good friends with his middle school friends (who now all attend different high schools) and it's very nice to have these friends and social world. The kids who join earlier have their STA friends and that's it. I will say the negative of this on the 9th grade end is that it can take a year or so to make friends. I feel like girls (I have one of them) hit a new school and immediately want to connect. Boys warm up to each other over time and shared experiences. It took my son until 10th grade to really find his people. It's also more difficult to enter an "ongoing" class in 9th grade. I can be easier for boys to enter a high school where everyone is new in 9th.

Thanks so much for sharing this information. I really appreciate it. Did you find that your son was behind/had to play catch up on anything starting in 9th? Do you recall how many new students joined in 9th in the year your son started?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. We are very interested in St. Albans. The next entry year for us would be 7 and then 9th. We are very happy in our parochial catholic school and plan to be there through 8th grade. What are the benefits to applying in 7th vs. 9th? For those with kids at the school, would love to hear your experience at the middle school level and high school level.

If you're set on STA, the one advantage to applying in 7th is getting two chances at a spot. My son and several others we know applied twice (7th and 9th). My kid had straight As, travel sport, arts extracurriculars, etc but 7th grade spots our year were almost all hooked kids (siblings, legacy, etc). He applied again in 9th and got in. Others years may have more unhooked spots available for 7th--it varies a lot. You won't know until you apply because STA (or any school) isn't going to come out and tell you this but if you end up joining a class you're figure out who joined and when.

I think the middle school experience is pretty rigorous but my kid did fine joining the school in 9th from public (even from virtual learning in public). If we could do it all over again I would have loved to have sent him earlier simply because we really like the school and it's been fantastic for him! The 4 years of high school go very quickly. That said, he is still quite good friends with his middle school friends (who now all attend different high schools) and it's very nice to have these friends and social world. The kids who join earlier have their STA friends and that's it. I will say the negative of this on the 9th grade end is that it can take a year or so to make friends. I feel like girls (I have one of them) hit a new school and immediately want to connect. Boys warm up to each other over time and shared experiences. It took my son until 10th grade to really find his people. It's also more difficult to enter an "ongoing" class in 9th grade. I can be easier for boys to enter a high school where everyone is new in 9th.

Thanks so much for sharing this information. I really appreciate it. Did you find that your son was behind/had to play catch up on anything starting in 9th? Do you recall how many new students joined in 9th in the year your son started?

He was definitely a bit behind in English (especially writing) but he came from virtual public. I'm not sure he could have learned less in this regard during middle school (in public). That said, he caught up and in general his grades are really good.
There are about 20-25 kids added to the grade in 9th, depending on the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. We are very interested in St. Albans. The next entry year for us would be 7 and then 9th. We are very happy in our parochial catholic school and plan to be there through 8th grade. What are the benefits to applying in 7th vs. 9th? For those with kids at the school, would love to hear your experience at the middle school level and high school level.

If you're set on STA, the one advantage to applying in 7th is getting two chances at a spot. My son and several others we know applied twice (7th and 9th). My kid had straight As, travel sport, arts extracurriculars, etc but 7th grade spots our year were almost all hooked kids (siblings, legacy, etc). He applied again in 9th and got in. Others years may have more unhooked spots available for 7th--it varies a lot. You won't know until you apply because STA (or any school) isn't going to come out and tell you this but if you end up joining a class you're figure out who joined and when.

I think the middle school experience is pretty rigorous but my kid did fine joining the school in 9th from public (even from virtual learning in public). If we could do it all over again I would have loved to have sent him earlier simply because we really like the school and it's been fantastic for him! The 4 years of high school go very quickly. That said, he is still quite good friends with his middle school friends (who now all attend different high schools) and it's very nice to have these friends and social world. The kids who join earlier have their STA friends and that's it. I will say the negative of this on the 9th grade end is that it can take a year or so to make friends. I feel like girls (I have one of them) hit a new school and immediately want to connect. Boys warm up to each other over time and shared experiences. It took my son until 10th grade to really find his people. It's also more difficult to enter an "ongoing" class in 9th grade. I can be easier for boys to enter a high school where everyone is new in 9th.

Thanks so much for sharing this information. I really appreciate it. Did you find that your son was behind/had to play catch up on anything starting in 9th? Do you recall how many new students joined in 9th in the year your son started?

He was definitely a bit behind in English (especially writing) but he came from virtual public. I'm not sure he could have learned less in this regard during middle school (in public). That said, he caught up and in general his grades are really good.
There are about 20-25 kids added to the grade in 9th, depending on the year.

Thank you. If I may ask one more question?

Could you share the top three things you love about the school. We haven't toured it yet, but I've been following the school via their website updates and videos for years, and the school really pulls on my heart strings. It seems so very intentional in its approach. We are also considering boarding school, but this is one of the schools in this area that might change our mind on pursuing the boarding school route (both my husband and I went to boarding schools in the US and England, respectively, hence the reason we are open to boarding schools).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. We are very interested in St. Albans. The next entry year for us would be 7 and then 9th. We are very happy in our parochial catholic school and plan to be there through 8th grade. What are the benefits to applying in 7th vs. 9th? For those with kids at the school, would love to hear your experience at the middle school level and high school level.

k

Are you in 6th now? I hear that is a very tough class of parents. It can make a difference in your experience at a school like STA where parents are very hands on in parties and activities all the way through….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. We are very interested in St. Albans. The next entry year for us would be 7 and then 9th. We are very happy in our parochial catholic school and plan to be there through 8th grade. What are the benefits to applying in 7th vs. 9th? For those with kids at the school, would love to hear your experience at the middle school level and high school level.

k

Are you in 6th now? I hear that is a very tough class of parents. It can make a difference in your experience at a school like STA where parents are very hands on in parties and activities all the way through….

Can you please elaborate a bit more on this? I've always assumed that we likely wouldn't interact with many parents since we'd be enrolling in middle school/high-school. Posters on dcurbanmom always state that by that age, the kids are managing their own hangouts etc.

To answer your question, we are currently in 5th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. We are very interested in St. Albans. The next entry year for us would be 7 and then 9th. We are very happy in our parochial catholic school and plan to be there through 8th grade. What are the benefits to applying in 7th vs. 9th? For those with kids at the school, would love to hear your experience at the middle school level and high school level.

If you're set on STA, the one advantage to applying in 7th is getting two chances at a spot. My son and several others we know applied twice (7th and 9th). My kid had straight As, travel sport, arts extracurriculars, etc but 7th grade spots our year were almost all hooked kids (siblings, legacy, etc). He applied again in 9th and got in. Others years may have more unhooked spots available for 7th--it varies a lot. You won't know until you apply because STA (or any school) isn't going to come out and tell you this but if you end up joining a class you're figure out who joined and when.

I think the middle school experience is pretty rigorous but my kid did fine joining the school in 9th from public (even from virtual learning in public). If we could do it all over again I would have loved to have sent him earlier simply because we really like the school and it's been fantastic for him! The 4 years of high school go very quickly. That said, he is still quite good friends with his middle school friends (who now all attend different high schools) and it's very nice to have these friends and social world. The kids who join earlier have their STA friends and that's it. I will say the negative of this on the 9th grade end is that it can take a year or so to make friends. I feel like girls (I have one of them) hit a new school and immediately want to connect. Boys warm up to each other over time and shared experiences. It took my son until 10th grade to really find his people. It's also more difficult to enter an "ongoing" class in 9th grade. I can be easier for boys to enter a high school where everyone is new in 9th.

Thanks so much for sharing this information. I really appreciate it. Did you find that your son was behind/had to play catch up on anything starting in 9th? Do you recall how many new students joined in 9th in the year your son started?

He was definitely a bit behind in English (especially writing) but he came from virtual public. I'm not sure he could have learned less in this regard during middle school (in public). That said, he caught up and in general his grades are really good.
There are about 20-25 kids added to the grade in 9th, depending on the year.

Thank you. If I may ask one more question?

Could you share the top three things you love about the school. We haven't toured it yet, but I've been following the school via their website updates and videos for years, and the school really pulls on my heart strings. It seems so very intentional in its approach. We are also considering boarding school, but this is one of the schools in this area that might change our mind on pursuing the boarding school route (both my husband and I went to boarding schools in the US and England, respectively, hence the reason we are open to boarding schools).

You could board at STA if you really wanted to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. We are very interested in St. Albans. The next entry year for us would be 7 and then 9th. We are very happy in our parochial catholic school and plan to be there through 8th grade. What are the benefits to applying in 7th vs. 9th? For those with kids at the school, would love to hear your experience at the middle school level and high school level.

If you're set on STA, the one advantage to applying in 7th is getting two chances at a spot. My son and several others we know applied twice (7th and 9th). My kid had straight As, travel sport, arts extracurriculars, etc but 7th grade spots our year were almost all hooked kids (siblings, legacy, etc). He applied again in 9th and got in. Others years may have more unhooked spots available for 7th--it varies a lot. You won't know until you apply because STA (or any school) isn't going to come out and tell you this but if you end up joining a class you're figure out who joined and when.

I think the middle school experience is pretty rigorous but my kid did fine joining the school in 9th from public (even from virtual learning in public). If we could do it all over again I would have loved to have sent him earlier simply because we really like the school and it's been fantastic for him! The 4 years of high school go very quickly. That said, he is still quite good friends with his middle school friends (who now all attend different high schools) and it's very nice to have these friends and social world. The kids who join earlier have their STA friends and that's it. I will say the negative of this on the 9th grade end is that it can take a year or so to make friends. I feel like girls (I have one of them) hit a new school and immediately want to connect. Boys warm up to each other over time and shared experiences. It took my son until 10th grade to really find his people. It's also more difficult to enter an "ongoing" class in 9th grade. I can be easier for boys to enter a high school where everyone is new in 9th.

Thanks so much for sharing this information. I really appreciate it. Did you find that your son was behind/had to play catch up on anything starting in 9th? Do you recall how many new students joined in 9th in the year your son started?

He was definitely a bit behind in English (especially writing) but he came from virtual public. I'm not sure he could have learned less in this regard during middle school (in public). That said, he caught up and in general his grades are really good.
There are about 20-25 kids added to the grade in 9th, depending on the year.

Thank you. If I may ask one more question?

Could you share the top three things you love about the school. We haven't toured it yet, but I've been following the school via their website updates and videos for years, and the school really pulls on my heart strings. It seems so very intentional in its approach. We are also considering boarding school, but this is one of the schools in this area that might change our mind on pursuing the boarding school route (both my husband and I went to boarding schools in the US and England, respectively, hence the reason we are open to boarding schools).

You could board at STA if you really wanted to.

Yes, I saw that. If we go the boarding school route, we'd want a school that is majority boarding. Something like St. Andrews School in Delaware or Lawrenceville in NJ (this of course is assuming he'd get in).