Holton Arms

[Anonymous]

The science and math programs are superior at Holton. They're one of the only schools in the country to have an engineering class for girls and the class has been widely reported. There are numerous math/science whizes at Holton. Holton gets kids of all ethnic backgrounds ... many of whom have parents who came to the US specifically for their math/science expertise. Those parents are comfortable sending their kids to Holton. One very prominent example is a Korean man who came to this country at age 17 with no English and no money and is now a billionaire...started out studying engineering here and has been a successful businessman. Many of the multi-ethnic parents are the true American Dream success stories who value Holton.

[Anonymous]

My DD just started in 3rd grade and loves the science class. A Google search of Holton-Arms Science turned up this posting about a student who was admitted to a highly selective science program. I am thinking that whoever thought the science was beneath them was mistaken or biased.

http://www.facebook.com/notes/holton-arms-school/sophomore-selected-for-prestigious-summer-science-program/450365797188

[Anonymous]

I don't know where people get some of this stuff. I would dare them to take one of the h.s. math or science classes at Holton...they're not easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There were several math whizes in my daughter's class at Holton. They are used to dealing with super smart kids.

Our experience with lower school math has been mixed. Sometimes my daughter just wants to scream because of the repetition, even though she is in the "special" math group. She is very advanced mathematically and not much accommodation is made. Maybe the situation will change when she gets into middle or high school, but right now we can only keep her 'alive' and interested mathematically through outside courses. No school is perfect though. We are that Holton seems to be a rather nurturing environment. This can be a huge relief to very gifted children who often find themselves rejected and marginalized by peers (for many reasons).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9:06 - PP here ... yes, Iwould consider myself perceptive. So is my DD, as well. And I have further based my impressions on information about many schools, and many conversations with parents who have experienced class dynamics at Holton and other schools, not all of which have been positive.

No school is perfect. That's for sure. My daughter has encountered some special "clubs" created by kids in her lower school class that were not inclusive. However, teachers are responsive. I think that makes all the difference. Guidance, discussion, and learning to understand the world and get along with each other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know where people get some of this stuff. I would dare them to take one of the h.s. math or science classes at Holton...they're not easy.

My impression about Holton is that there is a world of difference between what happens in lower school and what happens in middle and upper school when it comes to academics. With that said, we need to note that lower school kids have a lot of other fish to fry at that age.

[Anonymous]

PP, could you please elaborate on the differences between LS and MS and MS and US? Thank you in advance.

OP, my DD is in 6th grade and we are impressed by each and every one of her teachers. The school is very well rounded and balanced from my point of view. We feel very fortunate to find a school with so many gifted teachers. Interestingly, HAS has a reputation of not cherry-picking however, our girls seem to hold their own when it comes time to apply for college. I attribute that to their very high caliber of teachers w/o taking anything away from other schools. We are all just trying to raise our children using our best judgement. Good luck, OP!

[Anonymous]

I think there seem to be more opportunities to advance in math after 7th grade. If you are very advanced in LS, the best they can do is the small special math groups. No way to advance beyond the LS wall, especially in the earlier grades. Just my perspective.

[Anonymous]

What Holton does offer is balance, though. Music, drama, language arts, etc. All of those are important. There a math and science schools in the area, but balance is important, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, could you please elaborate on the differences between LS and MS and MS and US? Thank you in advance.

OP, my DD is in 6th grade and we are impressed by each and every one of her teachers. The school is very well rounded and balanced from my point of view. We feel very fortunate to find a school with so many gifted teachers. Interestingly, HAS has a reputation of not cherry-picking however, our girls seem to hold their own when it comes time to apply for college. I attribute that to their very high caliber of teachers w/o taking anything away from other schools. We are all just trying to raise our children using our best judgement. Good luck, OP!

I'm interested in what this means. They accept a small portion of kids who apply, so how is that not cherry-picking? My sense was that they just don't place as much emphasis on testing as at other schools - they're more interested in the big picture a student has to offer.

[Anonymous]

10:44 here. 13:44, your understanding is precisely what I meant. Thank you for the clarification.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, could you please elaborate on the differences between LS and MS and MS and US? Thank you in advance.

OP, my DD is in 6th grade and we are impressed by each and every one of her teachers. The school is very well rounded and balanced from my point of view. We feel very fortunate to find a school with so many gifted teachers. Interestingly, HAS has a reputation of not cherry-picking however, our girls seem to hold their own when it comes time to apply for college. I attribute that to their very high caliber of teachers w/o taking anything away from other schools. We are all just trying to raise our children using our best judgement. Good luck, OP!

I'm interested in what this means. They accept a small portion of kids who apply, so how is that not cherry-picking? My sense was that they just don't place as much emphasis on testing as at other schools - they're more interested in the big picture a student has to offer.

Not true. They look at test scores. They even administer the ERB as part of the admission process. It is true they look for more than the test scores, but that test has considerable weight in the admissions process. They have to make sure your child can handle the work.

[Anonymous]

PP, my child was not a stellar test taker, except on one test out of a battery of about 6 she took (including the Holton ERB), and she got in to Holton. They are in the process of making her into a stellar test taker. Why did she get in? We can't ever know, but I think it is because she is very poised and can act very confident (which helped at the in-person evaluations) and is simply dogged in her approach to life. You can discern that from spending some time with her, but for admissions purposes, it was ably articulated in a reccomendation from a sports coach who has worked with her for years. She exudes the impression that she will win at everything ... maybe it will be like the tortoise, after a lot of consistent effort, but if you spend any time with her at all, you see that she is plenty smart and won't give up, even though her admissions test scores are not all great. So if you have a special daughter, don't obsess about test scores and apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:9:06 - PP here ... yes, Iwould consider myself perceptive. So is my DD, as well. And I have further based my impressions on information about many schools, and many conversations with parents who have experienced class dynamics at Holton and other schools, not all of which have been positive.

No school is perfect. That's for sure. My daughter has encountered some special "clubs" created by kids in her lower school class that were not inclusive. However, teachers are responsive. I think that makes all the difference. Guidance, discussion, and learning to understand the world and get along with each other.

My daughter has encountered some of these "clubs" too. She also says that other girls literally "get in her face" at school to tell her things she cannot do (for example, has to turn off her computer now, must put down her book, ...). My daughter's not disruptive, so I don't understand what this can be about other than bullying. I do believe the school tries. I'm not sure it's effective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:9:06 - PP here ... yes, Iwould consider myself perceptive. So is my DD, as well. And I have further based my impressions on information about many schools, and many conversations with parents who have experienced class dynamics at Holton and other schools, not all of which have been positive.

No school is perfect. That's for sure. My daughter has encountered some special "clubs" created by kids in her lower school class that were not inclusive. However, teachers are responsive. I think that makes all the difference. Guidance, discussion, and learning to understand the world and get along with each other.

My daughter has encountered some of these "clubs" too. She also says that other girls literally "get in her face" at school to tell her things she cannot do (for example, has to turn off her computer now, must put down her book, ...). My daughter's not disruptive, so I don't understand what this can be about other than bullying. I do believe the school tries. I'm not sure it's effective.

I've seen some of this too, but talking with the school (teachers, guidance counselor) helps. Where it really comes out is at parties and other student get togethers, where the teachers aren't there. You can really see how some of these children behave towards other children (even in front and despite of all of the parents, who sit seemingly oblivious, but probably taking in all in). Everyone handles things differently, I guess. I'm glad the school seems to pay attention to parental and student concerns though.