Flint Hill and St. Stephens

[Anonymous]

Filled out the apps for these schools. DS likes FHS, but DH has a higher opinion of SSSA (He has had friends who have gone there). I don't really know what to think. DS says he does not like old-line culture at SSSA. I kind of agree with him. The school seems kind of old line Alexandria to me which isn't really DS. Secondary school counselor says he has a good shot at both. I also suspect FH may be a better school academically than SSSA (not a popular opinion on DCUM) and seems more diverse.

Also not really related, is it actually true that FH is some offshoot of SSSA or is that an urban legend?

[Anonymous]

Those schools are miles apart. How wolf you get there? Travel time should be taken into consideration.

[Anonymous]

FH isn't an offshoot really, it was more along the lines of Til Hazel (wealthy developer & trustee of st Stephens) being very against the merger w/ st Agnes so he basically funded the start of FH. I believe he took some of the top athletes, dir of Dev & a few others w/ him. I went to st Agnes at the time but my memory of the details is hazy. I didn't love st Agnes but my understanding is that FH never held a candle to SSSAS academically. At the time, some of the weaker students from st Agnes & st stephens switched to FH.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I have a new 9th grader -- not from Alexandria -- at SSSAS. DC loves it. And to my mind, the HS doesn't feel old line Alexandria, at least at the events I have gone to. Not sure what grade you are looking for. There are new 9th graders from DC, Fairfax, Arlington, McLean, Herndon, Vienna, etc., -- in addition to Alexandria. The new head is really impressive. Good luck -- I am sure your DC will be happy wherever he ends up!

[Anonymous]

I've never heard anyone (but OP) suggest that FH is stronger than SSSAS academically, but personally I'd focus on fit.

[Anonymous]

OP here. What struck me about SSSAS is that it was the only school we looked at that did not offer multivariable calculus and/or linear algebra. The only other school that did not offer this class was Episcopal which we did not look at.

That is interesting about Til Hazel. I just dug up some articles in Wapo about it. DH objects to FHS because he thinks it's still playing "catch up" to other area schools.

[Anonymous]

SSSAS is among the most homogeneous student bodies out there. Almost everyone is from Alexandria or the Fort Hunt area.

[Anonymous]

Kinda OT but what's with everyone's obsession with muiltivariable calculus/linear algebra? Both here and much moreso in the AAP posters seem to make a prerequisite of a gifted HS student the ability to find success in accelerated mathematics. I know things have changed somewhat since we were kids, but unless your DC is looking at a STEM field, is there any reason to think that some level success in HS with calculus (AB or BC) isn't good enough for selective colleges?

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP. The NW DC private where my DCs are does not offer these courses and the kids get into good schools, but it seems the privates in Nova offer these courses. Perhaps because of all the tech types in the Tysons area whereas SSSAS and Alexandria have always struck me more as filled with lawyers and real estate types as opposed to the Nova techies that you might find at Potomac, Madeira or Flint Hill.

I can't believe that whole split between those schools occurred 25ish years ago. Man do I feel old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. What struck me about SSSAS is that it was the only school we looked at that did not offer multivariable calculus and/or linear algebra. The only other school that did not offer this class was Episcopal which we did not look at.

That is interesting about Til Hazel. I just dug up some articles in Wapo about it. DH objects to FHS because he thinks it's still playing "catch up" to other area schools.

Episcopal offers linear algebra.

[Anonymous]

You know when Episcopal is offering Linear Algebra that you need to start looking into why your kids are not taking these courses...

IMHO SSSAS seems to me like the Alexandria gentry school ie the EHS southern gentleman's slightly more urbane cousin. FHS strikes me as the nouveau riche Nova school. That said when my kids play FHS they seem to have a lot of Asians which may account for the advanced math courses. They also have some kids who take algebra I part 2 Freshman year. Does any other school do this?

[Anonymous]

If Fairfax County offers higher-level math than schools in DC or Alexandria, I wonder if that might be related to the high number of kids in FCPS who take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. By the time those kids hit 11th and 12th grade, assuming they take a math class every year, they need courses that some of us didn't even take in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know when Episcopal is offering Linear Algebra that you need to start looking into why your kids are not taking these courses...

IMHO SSSAS seems to me like the Alexandria gentry school ie the EHS southern gentleman's slightly more urbane cousin. FHS strikes me as the nouveau riche Nova school. That said when my kids play FHS they seem to have a lot of Asians which may account for the advanced math courses. They also have some kids who take algebra I part 2 Freshman year. Does any other school do this?

You didn't really just say that, did you?

[Anonymous]

FHS is "so-so" academically. Even thought FH has been trying to get away from being called a "Learning Center" school, they still are and cater to students who need additional help. Didn't the Hazel Family insist the Learning Center be an integral part of the school? It isn't going away... it is an essential part of the school even thought FHS is trying to stop people from saying it. It is the school that kids go to who can't make it in public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SSSAS is among the most homogeneous student bodies out there. Almost everyone is from Alexandria or the Fort Hunt area.

But not everyone. When I went there, there were at least 3 other kids in my grade from Chevy Chase, MD, and probably 10 from DC. That was in a class of 65 or so.