Please Tell me about Sidwell Midddle School ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, knowing Sally, I'm betting she had a carefully thought out succession plan in place before any of this went public.

That's not how it works. No handpicking of successors … there will be a full, national search. Highly unlikely it will be an internal hire.

[Anonymous]

I would not see an internal candidate either, but the staff and faculty are strong, so would expect continuity with new leadership.

[Anonymous]

I would not see an internal candidate either, but the staff and faculty are strong, so would expect continuity with new leadership.

The current Upper School principal was moved up last year from within after 20 plus years at Sidwell. However, the school did a national search that resulted in four or five finalists, including Mamadou and one other internal candidate, before making a decision. I would imagine it will be similar for the Middle School and that Sally's opinion will matter.

[Anonymous]

Sidwell had its run. First the Clintons and now the Obamas.
It was good while it lasted and now it's back to earth for Sidwell. Soon they'll be fighting with Norwood and the Heights over MOCO leftovers. The only bright spot might be if Hillary gets elected there's a possibility that Huma and Anthony, The Weiners will move to DC and of course attend Sidwell.

Don't worry Anthony will Tweet about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell had its run. First the Clintons and now the Obamas. It was good while it lasted and now it's back to earth for Sidwell. Soon they'll be fighting with Norwood and the Heights over MOCO leftovers. The only bright spot might be if Hillary gets elected there's a possibility that Huma and Anthony, The Weiners will move to DC and of course attend Sidwell. Don't worry Anthony will Tweet about it.

Yeah, that's what they said after the Roosevelt and Nixon kids graduated too. Maybe they'll somehow manage to avoid a complete collapse.

[Anonymous]

We are new to 6th grade this year. It's been wonderful so far. here are a few random and not so random thoughts:
*rigorous program
*teachers are energetic, hard working, enthusiastic, creative, and highly motivated. I have been impressed with the quality of the assignments. The focus is on problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
*fantastic development of organizational skills. they are really working with 6th graders on how to manage their time. It feels like they are preparing them for 7/8 and beyond.
*fabulous lunches included. sounds silly, but I could never approach the variety and nutritional value of what is served daily.
*after school program has a nice vibe
*Sally Selby is outstanding, a wonderful leader.
*my child feels like all the kids are super nice, really inclusive
*very diverse community.
*terrific welcoming of new families over the summer with many social events large and small so my child felt comfortable walking in the first day.
*6th grade PE every day just before lunch, well thought out, gives kids a chance to rotate through all the sports so they can make choices next year about which teams they'd like to join.
*nice array of clubs to join after school
*my child is very very happy at the school.

[Anonymous]

great to hear. we felt the same way!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell had its run. First the Clintons and now the Obamas. It was good while it lasted and now it's back to earth for Sidwell. Soon they'll be fighting with Norwood and the Heights over MOCO leftovers. The only bright spot might be if Hillary gets elected there's a possibility that Huma and Anthony, The Weiners will move to DC and of course attend Sidwell. Don't worry Anthony will Tweet about it.

Yeah, that's what they said after the Roosevelt and Nixon kids graduated too. Maybe they'll somehow manage to avoid a complete collapse.

GDS will be the go-to school for future first families. They are planning the expanded Tenley campus with VIP security in mind. As you say, Sidwell has had its run.

[Anonymous]

GDS can have that demographic. We'd love it.

[Anonymous]

I can't wait for the secret service to be gone from the school. If that is what GDS wants, then by all means, take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell had its run. First the Clintons and now the Obamas. It was good while it lasted and now it's back to earth for Sidwell. Soon they'll be fighting with Norwood and the Heights over MOCO leftovers. The only bright spot might be if Hillary gets elected there's a possibility that Huma and Anthony, The Weiners will move to DC and of course attend Sidwell. Don't worry Anthony will Tweet about it.

Yeah, that's what they said after the Roosevelt and Nixon kids graduated too. Maybe they'll somehow manage to avoid a complete collapse.

GDS will be the go-to school for future first families. They are planning the expanded Tenley campus with VIP security in mind. As you say, Sidwell has had its run.

Assuming future first families want a GDS-style education for their kids. Believe me, not everyone does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't wait for the secret service to be gone from the school. If that is what GDS wants, then by all means, take it.

There is a belief in some GDS quarters, some would say urban legend, that GDS was the Obamas' first choice. However, the Secret Service nixed GDS on grounds that the layout at the GDS middle school site was not optimal for their security purposes. Sidwell became the fallback because it had worked out well for Chelsea Clinton. Hence, GDS wants to "fix" this problem so that the new combined campus is workable for future high profile students with security details.

[Anonymous]

Great, they can have the hassle!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't wait for the secret service to be gone from the school. If that is what GDS wants, then by all means, take it.

There is a belief in some GDS quarters, some would say urban legend, that GDS was the Obamas' first choice. However, the Secret Service nixed GDS on grounds that the layout at the GDS middle school site was not optimal for their security purposes. Sidwell became the fallback because it had worked out well for Chelsea Clinton. Hence, GDS wants to "fix" this problem so that the new combined campus is workable for future high profile students with security details.

This is such bullshit. I am so tired of hearing the myth that one person on DCUM perpetuates about the Obamas. No one at GDS is actively trying to solicit presidential children. Just because one person says it repeatedly doesn't make it true. I really don't know why I bother but I just had to get that off my chest.

[Anonymous]

Regardless, most people at SFS get over the excitement of having these families at their school pretty quickly and realize that not only is it a hassle but it also tends to attract more families who want to go to the school for the wrong reasons.