Why is everyone at Holton-Arms leaving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even Landon was posting about limited spots. This is definitely not a first. This is DC and people move suddenly and spaces become available.

+1. This conversation happens every year Nearly every school continues admissions into this summer, they're just not all direct/clear about it. I would guess that it's less about families leaving DC and individual spaces popping up (although that definitely happens too), but more general practicality. If an applicant calls your school in May and they would definitely get in during the regular cycle anyway, it's silly to make them wait a year if you can avoid it.

(A few schools do say, we're absolutely full and not considering anyone, but I think that's more common with places like GDS and Potomac that are known to have strict neighborhood agreements)

Doesn't Holton also have a strict neighborhood agreement though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even Landon was posting about limited spots. This is definitely not a first. This is DC and people move suddenly and spaces become available.

+1. This conversation happens every year Nearly every school continues admissions into this summer, they're just not all direct/clear about it. I would guess that it's less about families leaving DC and individual spaces popping up (although that definitely happens too), but more general practicality. If an applicant calls your school in May and they would definitely get in during the regular cycle anyway, it's silly to make them wait a year if you can avoid it.

(A few schools do say, we're absolutely full and not considering anyone, but I think that's more common with places like GDS and Potomac that are known to have strict neighborhood agreements)

Doesn't Holton also have a strict neighborhood agreement though?

Yup 🤨🤔

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:right from the website. historically joining the school after the admissions cycle was not advertised.....I am curious which grades have space.

"Limited spaces are available for 2026–2027 in select grades. Come visit us and see for yourself how rigor and joy go hand in hand at Holton."

This is crazy. Must be a first over the past 10 years.

You're obviously not in the marketing/sales field, are you? Manufactured scarcity is not an unusual tactic to employ when attracting people to something? Stay calm, carry on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What on earth does Youngkin have to do with a private school in Maryland?

He sent his daughter to NCS, I do not think he is connected to Holton.

Where he sends his daughter to school has nothing to do with his relationship with Penny, Kavanaugh, or the board.

I have no idea why people give Trump associates the benefit of the doubt. Putting unqualified people in places of power to carry out agendas is about as Trumper as it gets.

Collegiate (Richmond) and PE had a falling out because she had a "LIBERAL" agenda for the school. This association with Kavanaugh is laughable. Marriott's send their children to a lot of DMV schools.

Younkin has nothing to do with Holton. Try Georgetown Prep.

You're just repeating Penny's spin about why she was asked to leave. She wasn't too liberal for Collegiate. She is not liberal at all. She is incompetent though. Collegiate know, St Paul's knows, And people at Holton know now too.

Why don't you go find some Collegiate parents and ask them for yourself.

[Anonymous]

You should see all the people who leave Bullis every year. It’s like Guatemala over there.

[Anonymous]

Happy Holton parent —my daughter is entering 9th grade and she has great friends and loves her teachers. No big drama yet and we haven’t heard of anyone outside of this board disliking her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Happy Holton parent —my daughter is entering 9th grade and she has great friends and loves her teachers. No big drama yet and we haven’t heard of anyone outside of this board disliking her.

Only the troll teacher dislike Holton, but she continues working there, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a candid conversation with my DD’s advisor recently, and I coaxed some details about Penny that shed insights about the school’s inner workings. Penny is socially awkward. She exhibits a nervous energy that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Penny knows the upper-school teachers are aware of her quirks, so she overcompensates. Sadly, teachers simply do not trust her, and they are not buying into her leadership.

My DD is has had a wonderful experience at Holton thus far, so I have no big stake in this debate—at least not yet. However, I do worry about losing star faculty who know how to balance professional relationships with high standards.

But back to the conversation with my DD’s advisor. Faculty morale is not good right now. And when morale tanks, so, too, does instruction inside the classroom. For those on here touting the classic mantra, “The beatings will not cease until morale improves,” you might want to re-examine your reasoning. Top-down business models do not work in a school. Administration cannot fire their way out of this problem. Ordinary teachers may be replaceable. Good teachers are hard to find. And they insist upon a professional culture that prioritize professional respect among all constituencies. Penny, in her haste to establish her authority, has missed this critical point.

The Board needs to step in. Hire an outside party to conduct an internal audit. Interview key stakeholders. Gather data. And chart a plan forward. Status quo will only bring more instability and frustration.

If HOS is as “vindictive” as some described, how do you think the advisors feel right now seeing this post. Please stop sharing this type of sourcing if you care about the staff and faculty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a candid conversation with my DD’s advisor recently, and I coaxed some details about Penny that shed insights about the school’s inner workings. Penny is socially awkward. She exhibits a nervous energy that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Penny knows the upper-school teachers are aware of her quirks, so she overcompensates. Sadly, teachers simply do not trust her, and they are not buying into her leadership.

My DD is has had a wonderful experience at Holton thus far, so I have no big stake in this debate—at least not yet. However, I do worry about losing star faculty who know how to balance professional relationships with high standards.

But back to the conversation with my DD’s advisor. Faculty morale is not good right now. And when morale tanks, so, too, does instruction inside the classroom. For those on here touting the classic mantra, “The beatings will not cease until morale improves,” you might want to re-examine your reasoning. Top-down business models do not work in a school. Administration cannot fire their way out of this problem. Ordinary teachers may be replaceable. Good teachers are hard to find. And they insist upon a professional culture that prioritize professional respect among all constituencies. Penny, in her haste to establish her authority, has missed this critical point.

The Board needs to step in. Hire an outside party to conduct an internal audit. Interview key stakeholders. Gather data. And chart a plan forward. Status quo will only bring more instability and frustration.

If HOS is as “vindictive” as some described, how do you think the advisors feel right now seeing this post. Please stop sharing this type of sourcing if you care about the staff and faculty.

Only a bunch of parents and troll teachers read DCUM. So I wouldn’t worry too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even Landon was posting about limited spots. This is definitely not a first. This is DC and people move suddenly and spaces become available.

+1. This conversation happens every year Nearly every school continues admissions into this summer, they're just not all direct/clear about it. I would guess that it's less about families leaving DC and individual spaces popping up (although that definitely happens too), but more general practicality. If an applicant calls your school in May and they would definitely get in during the regular cycle anyway, it's silly to make them wait a year if you can avoid it.

(A few schools do say, we're absolutely full and not considering anyone, but I think that's more common with places like GDS and Potomac that are known to have strict neighborhood agreements)

Doesn't Holton also have a strict neighborhood agreement though?

Holton has a fixed limit on number of students based on its occupancy permit, not a neighborhood agreement (though neighbors certainly are invited have a say in what the county approves).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a candid conversation with my DD’s advisor recently, and I coaxed some details about Penny that shed insights about the school’s inner workings. Penny is socially awkward. She exhibits a nervous energy that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Penny knows the upper-school teachers are aware of her quirks, so she overcompensates. Sadly, teachers simply do not trust her, and they are not buying into her leadership.

My DD is has had a wonderful experience at Holton thus far, so I have no big stake in this debate—at least not yet. However, I do worry about losing star faculty who know how to balance professional relationships with high standards.

But back to the conversation with my DD’s advisor. Faculty morale is not good right now. And when morale tanks, so, too, does instruction inside the classroom. For those on here touting the classic mantra, “The beatings will not cease until morale improves,” you might want to re-examine your reasoning. Top-down business models do not work in a school. Administration cannot fire their way out of this problem. Ordinary teachers may be replaceable. Good teachers are hard to find. And they insist upon a professional culture that prioritize professional respect among all constituencies. Penny, in her haste to establish her authority, has missed this critical point.

The Board needs to step in. Hire an outside party to conduct an internal audit. Interview key stakeholders. Gather data. And chart a plan forward. Status quo will only bring more instability and frustration.

If HOS is as “vindictive” as some described, how do you think the advisors feel right now seeing this post. Please stop sharing this type of sourcing if you care about the staff and faculty.

Then what should people do? The school is bleeding teachers. The total just for this year has not even been fully reported yet. They are watering down the curriculum --- for what?!

Again, there is no alternate vision. Just loss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a candid conversation with my DD’s advisor recently, and I coaxed some details about Penny that shed insights about the school’s inner workings. Penny is socially awkward. She exhibits a nervous energy that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Penny knows the upper-school teachers are aware of her quirks, so she overcompensates. Sadly, teachers simply do not trust her, and they are not buying into her leadership.

My DD is has had a wonderful experience at Holton thus far, so I have no big stake in this debate—at least not yet. However, I do worry about losing star faculty who know how to balance professional relationships with high standards.

But back to the conversation with my DD’s advisor. Faculty morale is not good right now. And when morale tanks, so, too, does instruction inside the classroom. For those on here touting the classic mantra, “The beatings will not cease until morale improves,” you might want to re-examine your reasoning. Top-down business models do not work in a school. Administration cannot fire their way out of this problem. Ordinary teachers may be replaceable. Good teachers are hard to find. And they insist upon a professional culture that prioritize professional respect among all constituencies. Penny, in her haste to establish her authority, has missed this critical point.

The Board needs to step in. Hire an outside party to conduct an internal audit. Interview key stakeholders. Gather data. And chart a plan forward. Status quo will only bring more instability and frustration.

If HOS is as “vindictive” as some described, how do you think the advisors feel right now seeing this post. Please stop sharing this type of sourcing if you care about the staff and faculty.

NP here, I strongly disagree. The only way to take down a tyrant is to expose them. If the emperor has no clothes, someone saying it is the only thing that will break the spell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a candid conversation with my DD’s advisor recently, and I coaxed some details about Penny that shed insights about the school’s inner workings. Penny is socially awkward. She exhibits a nervous energy that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Penny knows the upper-school teachers are aware of her quirks, so she overcompensates. Sadly, teachers simply do not trust her, and they are not buying into her leadership.

My DD is has had a wonderful experience at Holton thus far, so I have no big stake in this debate—at least not yet. However, I do worry about losing star faculty who know how to balance professional relationships with high standards.

But back to the conversation with my DD’s advisor. Faculty morale is not good right now. And when morale tanks, so, too, does instruction inside the classroom. For those on here touting the classic mantra, “The beatings will not cease until morale improves,” you might want to re-examine your reasoning. Top-down business models do not work in a school. Administration cannot fire their way out of this problem. Ordinary teachers may be replaceable. Good teachers are hard to find. And they insist upon a professional culture that prioritize professional respect among all constituencies. Penny, in her haste to establish her authority, has missed this critical point.

The Board needs to step in. Hire an outside party to conduct an internal audit. Interview key stakeholders. Gather data. And chart a plan forward. Status quo will only bring more instability and frustration.

If HOS is as “vindictive” as some described, how do you think the advisors feel right now seeing this post. Please stop sharing this type of sourcing if you care about the staff and faculty.

NP here, I strongly disagree. The only way to take down a tyrant is to expose them. If the emperor has no clothes, someone saying it is the only thing that will break the spell.

It would be nice to expose the troll teachers as well.

[Anonymous]

They aren't troll teachers. There are professionals who care about the school and have serious concerns about the way it is being "run" and looted.

[Anonymous]

You all have such terrible problems