Landon vs. Georgetown Prep Upper School
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Anonymous
I'm an ex-Prep parent (3 boys over 8 years), who lives in one of the Zip Codes from which both schools draw heavily. I'd agree that the ideas and opinions on this board aren't on the same planet with what I have heard. I'll agree that there's a good amount of antipathy between Landon and Prep but that all stems from 1.) the fierce athletic rivalry that exists, 2.) the off-campus, weekend unpleasantries that have occurred, and 3.) the insular natures of both schools. It's a clash of cultures between two schools whose athletic programs have brought them into proximity, but which are fundamentally different. GP parents -- in my experience -- don't know anything about the Landon curriculum or how non-athletes are treated at Landon or any of this stuff. It's not a school they ever considered sending their kids to. If there were no Prep, their boys would be at Gonzaga or maybe the Heights or St. Anselms or even Saint John's. These are people who are committed to Catholic education and not "private schools" per se. My own knowledge about Landon -- outside of athletics -- is that it's on Wilson Lane and that's about it. I can find the gym easily, but what is in those other buildings is a mystery to me. It's conceivable to me that some of the posters here may have had boys who have attended one of these schools and had a bad experience. That happens, I'm sure. But its the exception, not the rule. People are bright enough to understand that. The whole premise of this conversation is very odd. Which is better, GP or Landon? How would one be qualified to answer that? Exactly one person on here had a boy go to each school. He or she said they both had good experiences. Everybody else on here seems to have an axe to grind. Or, they can speak to their expereince at one of the schools. If there really are people who are considering both schools -- a rarity, in my experience -- they might better ask, "What type of boy does best and what type might struggle?" |
Anonymous
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PP - very well said.
I find this thread very entertaining. |
Anonymous
wrong |
Anonymous
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[b][i]..."What type of boy does best and what type might struggle?"... [/i][/b]
GP parents thank you for your postings. We are considering Prep and would appreciate further information about the academic and social enviroment at the school. A good starting point would be answering the question suggested by a previous Prep parent who posted above: "What type of boy does best and what type might struggle?" |
Anonymous
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[quote=Anonymous][b][i]..."What type of boy does best and what type might struggle?"... [/i][/b]
GP parents thank you for your postings. We are considering Prep and would appreciate further information about the academic and social enviroment at the school. A good starting point would be answering the question suggested by a previous Prep parent who posted above: "What type of boy does best and what type might struggle?" [/quote] Honestly, I think this is a difficult question to answer. My 1st son was all-out jock and struggled a little academically, but I think that was more personality/lack of focus, etc. He graduated and is attending a very fine university. Sports is still a big deal to him -- mostly intramurals -- but he is not d1 lax bro. He learned [u]how to become a student[/u] at GP, he learned how to study independently and (thank God) he learned how to ask for help when he needed it! But it took all 4 years for this revelation! Son#2 is very artistic and musical, not heavy into sports, but loves the environment and has friends in all areas (jocks, drama, artists, etc). Whether we/he learned from the mistakes of #1, this one is much more proactive when it comes to coursework and goes to meet teachers often about material/reviews, etc. Most teachers are readily available to meet before, during and after school for help. But it is up to the boy to go get it. They don't like hand-holding parents. It has been a good experience for both of them. There is a heavy emphasis on self-discipline and self-motivation with respect to homework and studying -- maybe that is what some refer to as "homework driven". To me, it is very much like my college years in that no teacher is gong to remind you what the homework is, or what day is test day, etc. Of the few boys I've known who were "trouble", I think they'd be trouble anywhere with the exception of a military boarding school. Socially, it has been a wonderful experience for our family. The commitment to volunteerism and social services is real and encouraged through out all 4 years. The diversity is something we did not have at the grade school level and both boys recognized this early on. |
Anonymous
| Prep vs Landon IAC Championships for lacrosse and baseball. Time to compare sportsmanship and both community's classiness. Should be interesting. |
Anonymous
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Prep 7 Landon 6 (IAC lacrosse championship final).
Landonites are devastated. It is their reason for being. This was their year. Top ranking, 18 game win streak, heavy favorites, big lead in the game.... And then, their world fell in. There are now suicidial tendencies. |
Anonymous
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Our son's freshman year at Prep has been "good". We expect it to get better.
We are not Catholic (we also applied to Landon). The academics are challenging. There is substantial homework, but our son is taught to think for himself. When there are challenges in a class, he must reach out for help himself (always available). The school does not call mommy to let her know he needs to do better. He is learning to be a man. It is a competitive environment, not for the weak of heart. But, isn't that life? We have seen a steady improvement and growth in our son. As I say, we expect this to continue. He is an athlete, but not a star athlete. This past year's freshman class at Prep has a class that is "off the chart" athletically. The results have shown on the ball fields. Although not Catholic, we appreciate the spiritual basis of the school. We find that it soundly promotes good character and values. |
Anonymous
| i don't mean this in a snarky way at all. I'm really curious. What are the pros- not the cons - of sending a very smart kid to a very sports oriented school. My son is not partiuclarly athletic andI worry that he won't be thrive socially in schools dominated by athletics. The backstory is that my son has been bullied but we are committed to single sex education. |
Anonymous
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18:24
Not sure if you are a Prep parent, or a product of Prep but you sound like an idiot. Relive your glory days buddy. It sounds like it was a great game and Prep pulled off an upset. |
Anonymous
IME, kids who are not athletic need to have a passion in another area such as art, music or drama to be happy at a school dominated by athletics. |
Anonymous
Right on que! Talk about a case in point. 18:24 talks about how important winning is the the Landonites. And 00:15 comes on, calls him and "idiot", suggests he is somehow trying to relive his glory days (How?) and attempts to devalue the GP win by describing it as "an upset". I have never seen a school --- coach/teachers, alums, fans, players and parents --- which is more obsessed with winning and which suffers more in defeat. Some who watched that game have observed that the bigger, faster and more athletic Landon team was hamstrung by their player's concern over the coaching staff's possible reaction to their making a mistake versus just playing the game. That's a tough environment for a high schooler top play in. Maybe this makes men out of boys. But there doesn't appear to be much joy in the athletic experience on Wilson Lane. |
Anonymous
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I believe Landon won the first meeting by 6 goals and from my understand it was not that close of a game. Landon was #1 in the wash post heading into the game and I think Prep was #3 or #4. Prep comes from behind and earns a hard fought victory in OT; common sense tells me, whoever wins the first game especially by that margin has to be the favorite heading into the game. I didn't attend either game this Spring but it sounds like the game this past weekend could have gone either way.
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Anonymous
| Didn't the team with stronger character win? Yes. |
Anonymous
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GP's Director of Institutional Advancement, who is a former relatively high-profile baseball sportswriter (Washington Post, Newark Star-Ledger, NY Newsay) also had an interesting reaction on Twitter to Landon's 2-1 win in the baseball championship.
He characterized the Landonites as reacting to their victory with "less class than Gonzaga and the French, combined." |