Sidwell - why don't many families in nw dc apply to sidwell, even though it is one of the top 2?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The lower school is a pain in the ass to get to if you live in the city. Sure, it's downtown Bethesda, but that's still a LONG way from cleveland park or even AU park for a daily commute, and then you have to drive all the way back into the city for work-- DURING RUSH HOUR!.

There is a bus from the DC campus.

It's also something like 3 blocks from the Metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

@23:59, sports are important but you favor NPS and St. Patricks?

Yes, as they are only through grades 6/8, and they both have very good exmissions at middle school age to the schools we are interested in that have both strong academics and strong athletics: Landon, Holton, STA and NCS and NE boarding schools. I know one of them also has strong exmissions to Sidwell but that is irrelevant to us. Also, the Phys Ed programs and teachers are really respectable, really good Gyms, playgrounds and its super easy to supplement athletics at the younger ages. (Stoddert, Headfirst, Next Level, private tennis/swim clubs, etc...)

Sidwell is really a local school like Field, Maret, GDS. Not as rigorous as NCS and STA . Private school is not the same as Prep school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The lower school is a pain in the ass to get to if you live in the city. Sure, it's downtown Bethesda, but that's still a LONG way from cleveland park or even AU park for a daily commute, and then you have to drive all the way back into the city for work-- DURING RUSH HOUR!.

There is a bus from the DC campus.

It's also something like 3 blocks from the Metro.

It's Sidwell's bus service. It's door to door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

@23:59, sports are important but you favor NPS and St. Patricks?

Yes, as they are only through grades 6/8, and they both have very good exmissions at middle school age to the schools we are interested in that have both strong academics and strong athletics: Landon, Holton, STA and NCS and NE boarding schools. I know one of them also has strong exmissions to Sidwell but that is irrelevant to us. Also, the Phys Ed programs and teachers are really respectable, really good Gyms, playgrounds and its super easy to supplement athletics at the younger ages. (Stoddert, Headfirst, Next Level, private tennis/swim clubs, etc...)

So you are interested in single sex schools, which is very different than what Sidwell offers. All of the supplemental activities are ones which students from basically all of the schools participate in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

@23:59, sports are important but you favor NPS and St. Patricks?

Yes, as they are only through grades 6/8, and they both have very good exmissions at middle school age to the schools we are interested in that have both strong academics and strong athletics: Landon, Holton, STA and NCS and NE boarding schools. I know one of them also has strong exmissions to Sidwell but that is irrelevant to us. Also, the Phys Ed programs and teachers are really respectable, really good Gyms, playgrounds and its super easy to supplement athletics at the younger ages. (Stoddert, Headfirst, Next Level, private tennis/swim clubs, etc...)

So you are interested in single sex schools, which is very different than what Sidwell offers. All of the supplemental activities are ones which students from basically all of the schools participate in.

But if there were an equally strong academic & athletic school in WDC we would be interested, there just is not. The co-ed schools are not strong athletically (GDS, Sidwell, Maret, Field) and we consider that an important part of the educational experience i.e. character building, and learning cooperation and team dynamics as well a healthy release from stressful academics and the benfits of learning to lose and win gracefully with true sportmanship. Several Co-Ed Boarding Schools offer both so we will be looking at those. As for "supplemental activities" in which students of all these schools (k-8) particpate, yes, and that is great, but, in latter years the sports should be part of the educational facility/environment and Sidwell, and others, does not offer truly strong athletic teams and sportsmanship and we view that as a weakness.

[Anonymous]

Oh, I should add, its not just athletics, its other things as well that we find unappealing about Sidwell so that should not be discounted. I think its great that people pick schools for different reasons, hopefully reasons based on their children and their family values. It would be a boring and bland world if everyone liked the same thing. I really dont want to turn this into a Sidwell-bashing thread, I am just attempting to adress OP's question. I know many familes who, like us, just are not attracted to Sidwell and never bothered to apply or even look. Different strokes and all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, 19:34, I'm sure that you like to think of yourself as urbane, but "just a bit over the DC line in Bethesda" is still to burby for many of us....

I hope you don't live west of the park. That would make this a hard position to maintain.

[Anonymous]

I live in boundaries for a wonderful public elementary school that I feel has advantages that Sidwell lacks, such as economic diversity. Like many NWDC parents, I chose my home based upon school district, because I value what a local public school education has to offer. If we were to apply to a private school, it would be Maret or Aidan, which are at least close by. Driving or even Metroing up to Sidwell and then back to work is burdensome for a full-time working parent, which is one reason I''d never consider it. But I probably wouldn't anyway, because kindergarten, and probably even high school, is just too young to be wrapped up in an elite school mentality.

[Anonymous]

My point, which I readily concede was not one of earthshattering importance, was that if it's too far for you, fine, it's too far. But to cast this as an urban/suburban distinction is a little silly.

[Anonymous]

Oh yes, and don't forget about the bus!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

But if there were an equally strong academic & athletic school in WDC we would be interested, there just is not. The co-ed schools are not strong athletically (GDS, Sidwell, Maret, Field) and we consider that an important part of the educational experience i.e. character building, and learning cooperation and team dynamics as well a healthy release from stressful academics and the benfits of learning to lose and win gracefully with true sportmanship. Several Co-Ed Boarding Schools offer both so we will be looking at those. As for "supplemental activities" in which students of all these schools (k-8) particpate, yes, and that is great, but, in latter years the sports should be part of the educational facility/environment and Sidwell, and others, does not offer truly strong athletic teams and sportsmanship and we view that as a weakness.

Right, but the reason the single sex schools have "better" athletics is because they have twice as many kids to choose from to field teams. However, I wouldn't discount the team lessons learned at co-ed schools. The same sportsmanship is displayed, the same lessons of cooperation and release of stressful academics takes place. The schools all have good facilities, Sidwell for example has a new gym on the lower school campus, and is constructing a new gym with everything but a swimming pool on the Wisconsin Avenue campus.

When a school like Sidwell finishes #3 in the city in Boy's Soccer, and is constantly in the upper division of most, if not all of the girl sports (which compete with Holton and NCS), I am not sure what more you can expect from an athletic department?

Methinks there are other issues you might have with coed schools, or with places like Sidwell, but are using athletics as a reason to suggest inferiority for the institution.

[Anonymous]

I am not suggesting it is inferior, just that it is not for us. And, you are correct, there are other reasons in addition to athletics (and regardless of a #3 city-ranking in soccer Sidwell is just not an athletic powerhouse) and those reasons are the type of school it is, the values most stressed, and the hype it gets. To us, just not appealing. Still, I would never deny the excellency of its academics and the quality of its exmissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But if there were an equally strong academic & athletic school in WDC we would be interested, there just is not. The co-ed schools are not strong athletically (GDS, Sidwell, Maret, Field) and we consider that an important part of the educational experience i.e. character building, and learning cooperation and team dynamics as well a healthy release from stressful academics and the benfits of learning to lose and win gracefully with true sportmanship. Several Co-Ed Boarding Schools offer both so we will be looking at those. As for "supplemental activities" in which students of all these schools (k-8) particpate, yes, and that is great, but, in latter years the sports should be part of the educational facility/environment and Sidwell, and others, does not offer truly strong athletic teams and sportsmanship and we view that as a weakness.

Right, but the reason the single sex schools have "better" athletics is because they have twice as many kids to choose from to field teams. However, I wouldn't discount the team lessons learned at co-ed schools. The same sportsmanship is displayed, the same lessons of cooperation and release of stressful academics takes place. The schools all have good facilities, Sidwell for example has a new gym on the lower school campus, and is constructing a new gym with everything but a swimming pool on the Wisconsin Avenue campus.

When a school like Sidwell finishes #3 in the city in Boy's Soccer, and is constantly in the upper division of most, if not all of the girl sports (which compete with Holton and NCS), I am not sure what more you can expect from an athletic department?

Methinks there are other issues you might have with coed schools, or with places like Sidwell, but are using athletics as a reason to suggest inferiority for the institution.

Sidwell is in a different athletic league for boys than Bullis, SSSA, STA. The latter are in the IAC and Sidwell is in the MAC [does recruit for basketball and sometimes soccer unlike STA]. Teenagers say Sidwell has less work academically also.

go to DCsportsfan.com to get a clear picture on high school sports.

[Anonymous]

Do Sidwell or STA athletes often go on to play college varsity sports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do Sidwell or STA athletes often go on to play college varsity sports?

STA Lacrosse players do, and at the best schools.