Saying no to Sidwell

[Anonymous]

Our family likes Quaker education, including schools outside this area - but I certainly wouldn't think it's for everyone...that's why Sidwell's popularity bewilders me a little.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our family likes Quaker education, including schools outside this area - but I certainly wouldn't think it's for everyone...that's why Sidwell's popularity bewilders me a little.

Lots of us don't think Sidwell is really Quaker. They espouse Quaker values, but then they suck up to the rich and famous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would note, based on recollection from the long thread from last year that Sidwell baseball won the City tournament (against St. Albans and Maret as well as Wilson), won the DC Wrestling tournament (against the other DC schools), won their basketball league, soccer league, girls soccer was nationally ranked, many D1 athletes in recent years including this year's senior class.

I am not sure what the poster is inferring, but that is a lot of success for the past few months.

In looking at the website, an alum won multiple grammies a few weeks ago, and there are other platitudes. This is a bizarre suggestion. At the same time, no one is suggesting the school is an athletic powerhouse like DeMatha or Prep.

I have kids at the Cathedral schools, and perhaps I am human Kryptonite to STA/NCS sports, because every game I've gone to recently where STA/NCS played Sidwell, Sidwell won. Last year -- Sidwell beat STA en route to winning the city baseball championship. This fall -- saw Sidwell boys' soccer beat STA and Sidwell Girls' soccer beat NCS to win the league title (the star Sidwell girls' player is going to Duke on a soccer scholarship, as I recall). This winter, saw Sidwell boys' basketball beat St. Albans and then saw that they beat Georgetown Prep too. Although I wasn't at the DC wrestling tournament (so don't blame me, Bulldogs!) I also read that Sidwell won the DC wrestling title.

So, while I would never say that Sidwell sports are better than St. Albans or NCS from top to bottom (despite my bad luck record for STA/NCS vs. Sidwell matches), it just seems odd that somebody is always saying that Sidwell has no athletic program whatsoever. Within their constraints (co-ed school, not that large) they have some excellent teams, some average teams, and some weaker teams.

I have posted before on the big anti-Sidwell sports thread (mainly directed at Sidwell's football team), and there seems to be one repeat poster who always says stuff like "Sidwell parents are circling the wagons" etc. I'm just an observer from down Wisconsin Avenue but somebody's got an axe to grind -- if anyone is truly interested in Sidwell and concerned about the athletics piece I'd advise them to check out the specific sport and not buy into the negative hype on DCUM.

And on the academic side of things the school is great, which one would think is the reason people are applying in the first place!

[Anonymous]

Why on earth is this thread four pages long? Say yes if you like the school, say no if you like another school better. Be polite either way.

[Anonymous]

Why are you reading this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its flattering to be accepted to Sidwell because so many people covet this school, but we are going to be turning down the K spot they offered us for our child. There was no paperwork to send back if you DON'T want to accept the offer, so whats the best way to let them know that you are declining? Should you call or email? We have never been through this before, so I wanted to check on the proper etiquette.

LOL. That is funny. Actually, if you look I'm sure you will see that the contract has a deadline date to return by ( March 21st probably). It should say , in writing, that to not return will result in loss of the spot. Of course, the better thing is to call them or write a letter so that they can offer to someone else.

[Anonymous]

For a lot of us, the fact that Sidwell doesn't bow down to the mighty athlete, and doesn't seem to have much of a jock culture is one of the big reasons we chose it. It's not really a bad thing for schools to focus on actual learning.

[Anonymous]

As a total aside and so maybe should be posted in a different place, but all the talk about these school's sports programs always bewilders me a little. High school sports in this area isn't really that amazing anywhere in the sense that yes a handful of students will go on to play college sports but very few of them will be professional athletes or Olympiads. Most will enjoy the team spirit, competition and small pond high school excitement around games. Is that all something to really get so worked up about? Maybe I'm missing something. Aren't all these activites supposed to be because they are fun, hard work, teach integrity and team building, competitiveness, social skills, and sportsmanship?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our family likes Quaker education, including schools outside this area - but I certainly wouldn't think it's for everyone...that's why Sidwell's popularity bewilders me a little.

Lots of us don't think Sidwell is really Quaker. They espouse Quaker values, but then they suck up to the rich and famous.

Right, like the other private schools don't suck up to the rich and famous. Please!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so if Sidwell is not the top school in the area, then what is?

For the whole picture (academics, athletics, social life, college matriculation), I'd put these schools ahead of Sidwell:

STA
Holton
NCS
Potomac (maybe)

yadda, yadda, yadda... whatever

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so if Sidwell is not the top school in the area, then what is?

For the whole picture (academics, athletics, social life, college matriculation), I'd put these schools ahead of Sidwell:

STA
Holton
NCS
Potomac (maybe)

yadda, yadda, yadda... whatever

Great rebuttal.

[Anonymous]

I am sorry, but any private school that costs $25K+ per year is an exclusive place that would gladly suck up to the rich and famous. Sidwell only gets the most attention because of the high profile kids that go there. And I am sure that many of those parents choose the school because of its history of being able to deal well with security concerns for their children, not because its the most amazing & perfect place ever. IMO. No school is perfect! If you don't want to send your child there, then don't. If you have $33K to spend on one year of education and over a half million over a lifetime (K-12), then spend your money and be happy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For a lot of us, the fact that Sidwell doesn't bow down to the mighty athlete, and doesn't seem to have much of a jock culture is one of the big reasons we chose it. It's not really a bad thing for schools to focus on actual learning.

Yeah, because excellence in the classroom and on the athletic field are mutually exclusive things ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a lot of us, the fact that Sidwell doesn't bow down to the mighty athlete, and doesn't seem to have much of a jock culture is one of the big reasons we chose it. It's not really a bad thing for schools to focus on actual learning.

Yeah, because excellence in the classroom and on the athletic field are mutually exclusive things ...

It may be. In part, deep learning is a function of time. The more students have to split their time, and mental efforts, among different activities, the less time they have to focus on academics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For a lot of us, the fact that Sidwell doesn't bow down to the mighty athlete, and doesn't seem to have much of a jock culture is one of the big reasons we chose it. It's not really a bad thing for schools to focus on actual learning.

I'm also a Sidwell parent, and I have a slightly different view. While Sidwell doesn't have a "jock culture", it does have a very active and vital athletics program with many kids participating in a variety of sports at different levels. For our kids, who are both athletic and intellectually curious students with a passion to learn, that's been a great thing about the school. They have learned as much on the playing fields and through having leadership positions on sports teams, as they have in the classroom.