Personalities of Arlington Diocese High Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DJO has a reputation that Yorktown families send kids there when they think they need more structure and are potential troublemakers.

I’ve never heard this. I know multiple families who chose DJO over Yorktown and none of the kids are trouble makers. The reasons I have heard for choosing it over YT are Catholic education, smaller size, and learning center for kids with learning differences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DJO has a reputation that Yorktown families send kids there when they think they need more structure and are potential troublemakers.

I’ve never heard this. I know multiple families who chose DJO over Yorktown and none of the kids are trouble makers. The reasons I have heard for choosing it over YT are Catholic education, smaller size, and learning center for kids with learning differences.

+1

[Anonymous]

PVI is very heavy on sports and on any type of performing arts: drama, music, etc. Those students’ accomplishments are always publicly lauded. My PVI student and some friends are very into STEM and that is sort of pushed into the corners at PVI. No one pays much attention to it and they are def in the minority. They just go about their business but no one supports them in the way the student body supports all of the sports teams or the myriad performing arts groups. (On the plus side, these STEM kids do get a lot of personal attention from the *amazing* engineering teacher and other higher level math and science teachers.) For better or for worse, being a STEM type is definitely a “Big fish in a small pond” type of situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PVI is very heavy on sports and on any type of performing arts: drama, music, etc. Those students’ accomplishments are always publicly lauded. My PVI student and some friends are very into STEM and that is sort of pushed into the corners at PVI. No one pays much attention to it and they are def in the minority. They just go about their business but no one supports them in the way the student body supports all of the sports teams or the myriad performing arts groups. (On the plus side, these STEM kids do get a lot of personal attention from the *amazing* engineering teacher and other higher level math and science teachers.) For better or for worse, being a STEM type is definitely a “Big fish in a small pond” type of situation.

How would you like them to be recognized?

[Anonymous]

All the Catholic MAGA families from our local Catholic K-8 chose to attend Oakcrest or The Heights for high school. There are some who feel the diocesan high schools are accepting of secular life and are just mainstream. For example, BI students are known to be accepting of LGBTQ students, and I am sure other diocesan schools are similar and not judgmental.

BI and DJO are alike in more ways than they are different in my experience. Rigor can be found at all the diocesan high schools, if your student tests into the rigorous classes. Exceptional students can be found anywhere too (no matter what a snobby PP says!).

[Anonymous]

That obviously varies by guide and the questions the people touring ask. Our guide happened to play sports but we really only talked about the sports in lieu of PE requirement. We talked about all kids of classes and ECs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they're all similar, with some slight differences in "personalities" ...

My kid went to DJO. We also looked at Ireton. The others were a bit too far away for us but we know families with kids there.

My sense was that the academics are very similar, but in terms of extracurriculars DJO was slightly more sports-focused and Ireton was more arts/music/drama focused. PVI seems more like DJO in that respect.

They're all good schools and I'm sure my kid would have been happy at any of them, however.

I was just talking to a friend who toured both schools (we're at a different school altogether). She said that at the DJO tour the student guide talked exclusively about sports. BI was about the labs and other facilities, academics, and arts. Sounds like what you describe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the Catholic MAGA families from our local Catholic K-8 chose to attend Oakcrest or The Heights for high school. There are some who feel the diocesan high schools are accepting of secular life and are just mainstream. For example, BI students are known to be accepting of LGBTQ students, and I am sure other diocesan schools are similar and not judgmental.

BI and DJO are alike in more ways than they are different in my experience. Rigor can be found at all the diocesan high schools, if your student tests into the rigorous classes. Exceptional students can be found anywhere too (no matter what a snobby PP says!).

Freshman parent who follows the DJO Decisions IG page to get a sense of outplacement. At least one student used they pronouns. There are many Catholics who are far more accepting than you think, regardless of formal doctrine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the Catholic MAGA families from our local Catholic K-8 chose to attend Oakcrest or The Heights for high school. There are some who feel the diocesan high schools are accepting of secular life and are just mainstream. For example, BI students are known to be accepting of LGBTQ students, and I am sure other diocesan schools are similar and not judgmental.

BI and DJO are alike in more ways than they are different in my experience. Rigor can be found at all the diocesan high schools, if your student tests into the rigorous classes. Exceptional students can be found anywhere too (no matter what a snobby PP says!).

I totally agree! Nice to hear of an accepting and open community

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DJO has a reputation that Yorktown families send kids there when they think they need more structure and are potential troublemakers.

This reputation is 20yrs out of date.