Sherwood High School in Olney/Sandy Spring

[Anonymous]

I am trying to weigh my options (if they exist!) in moving away from the Downcounty Consortium of high schools. I live only a few blocks from the Walter Johnson cluster (we're currently in the Einstein cluster), but moving to a similar small SF house there would cost at least $100,000 more.

While moving farther from the city isn't ideal for me, I'm trying to find a school where I have fewer safety and academic concerns, and don't have to move into a condo. We can afford about $400,000. Sherwood may fit the bill, but I know very little about it.

There's not much on these boards about it, except concern about a boundary issue, which I'd like to know more about.

Any parents here have children at Sherwood? Best points? Concerns? What neighborhoods should I look in for a townhouse or small SF home?

[Anonymous]

We moved from Silver Spring to Olney/Brookeville for the safe and affordable neighborhoods, family-friendly atmosphere, and great schools. Our kids are young, but they will one day go to Sherwood. All of my neighbors sent their kids Sherwood -- some currently have kids there, and others have kids who either graduated or will start there next year. One of my neighbors works at Sherwood. Everything I've heard has been very positive. If you have $400k to spend, you may be able to find a SFH in Tanterra or Olney Mill. You can definitely find a TH for less than that -- but you should be careful when researching TH neighborhoods (IMHO, I'd steer clear of Hallowell -- lots of those homes have become rentals). When doing research be sure to include Brookeville as well (20833) b/c the part that borders Olney feeds into Sherwood.

[Anonymous]

Take a look at Derwood too. It feeds to Magruder high school, and you could almost walk to the metro.

[Anonymous]

Sherwood opted out of the Northeast Consortium (Blake, Paint Branch, Springbrook). They wanted to keep their community intact, so to speak.

If you are familiar with the Downcounty Consortium, the NE Consortium works the same way. Each school offers a specific program, and students in the area select which school is their number one choice. They don't all get into their first choice school, however. It is a numbers game for the most part.

Unfortunately, Sherwood kids are locked out of some pretty good programs. Until recently, however, Springbrook opened up the IB program to incoming 9th graders in the Sherwood cluster, but I believe that's the only exception. And its only open to incoming 9th graders. So, as a Sherwood student, if you decide in 10th grade that you would like to enroll in the IB program, it's not an option. There are only two feeder middle schools - Farquhar and Rosa Parks. Parks, I believe, is split in articulation - with some students in the Magruder cluster. Magruder has a more "cosmopolitan edge" to it.

Having lived in the Olney area, I can say that it's a nice community, although it's fairly insulated. You may face a bit of culture shock moving from the downcounty area to Olney. I'd seriously spend a day in Olney. Drive around, do some shopping, grab a bite to eat. Just get a feel for the community. Brookeville has more wealth in general, but there are definitely McMansions in the Sandy Spring area, too.

Williamsburg Village is actually a beautiful community - mainly 1/2 acre lots, older and established community, lovely non-cookie cutter homes. You could get a bargain in this economy.

[Anonymous]

I live in the Olney/Brookeville area, and I love it. I was born and raised in MoCo and grew up in Silver Spring. Ever since Olney really started to grow back in the 70s and 80s it somehow got the yuppie enclave label. Having lived here, I just have to say that I don't see it. It is a lovely, safe, affordable, family-friendly area. There is diversity -- both racial and socioeconomic -- just not to the point of other areas such as downtown Silver Spring. Olney doesn't have any Title I schools at this point. I don't think that makes it some sort of lily white snobby community. Williamsburg Village is lovely -- we almost bought a home there -- but I don't think you can find anything in that neighborhood for $400k. If you look there, be sure the home has been well maintained and updated. Those homes are older, and some sellers have done a better job than others in terms of maintenance. I live in Brookeville Knolls, a neighborhood that borders Tanterra and Olney Mill. All of these neighborhoods are nice -- built with walking trails, parks, neighborhood pools, etc. Tanterra and Olney Mill are less expensive than Brookeville Knolls. With regards to academic opportunities at Sherwood and other schools: (1) RE clusters and school choice: everyone I know hasn't had luck getting into their first choice and most end up at their neighborhood school anyway. The whole cluster idea just doesn't work the way it was intended, primarily b/c parents in questionable school districts obviously want their kids to go to the better school in the cluster -- and not everyone can (obviously). (2) RE IB: It's not all it's cracked up to be, and it certainly isn't for everyone. (3) I know kids who graduated from Sherwood and received academic and athletic scholarships to top ranked colleges; I know someone who works there; I know kids who go there now; I plan to send my kids there; BOTTOM LINE: It seems to be a great school in a great area of the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in the Olney/Brookeville area, and I love it. I was born and raised in MoCo and grew up in Silver Spring. Ever since Olney really started to grow back in the 70s and 80s it somehow got the yuppie enclave label. Having lived here, I just have to say that I don't see it. It is a lovely, safe, affordable, family-friendly area. There is diversity -- both racial and socioeconomic -- just not to the point of other areas such as downtown Silver Spring. Olney doesn't have any Title I schools at this point. I don't think that makes it some sort of lily white snobby community. Williamsburg Village is lovely -- we almost bought a home there -- but I don't think you can find anything in that neighborhood for $400k. If you look there, be sure the home has been well maintained and updated. Those homes are older, and some sellers have done a better job than others in terms of maintenance. I live in Brookeville Knolls, a neighborhood that borders Tanterra and Olney Mill. All of these neighborhoods are nice -- built with walking trails, parks, neighborhood pools, etc. Tanterra and Olney Mill are less expensive than Brookeville Knolls. With regards to academic opportunities at Sherwood and other schools: (1) RE clusters and school choice: everyone I know hasn't had luck getting into their first choice and most end up at their neighborhood school anyway. The whole cluster idea just doesn't work the way it was intended, primarily b/c parents in questionable school districts obviously want their kids to go to the better school in the cluster -- and not everyone can (obviously). (2) RE IB: It's not all it's cracked up to be, and it certainly isn't for everyone. (3) I know kids who graduated from Sherwood and received academic and athletic scholarships to top ranked colleges; I know someone who works there; I know kids who go there now; I plan to send my kids there; BOTTOM LINE: It seems to be a great school in a great area of the county.

problems with items 1 and 2:
I believe there may be a racial undercurrent in item one. Define better. And I bet that if I examine Schools at a Glance for certain schools in a specific cluster, I'll see some major differences with FARMS, ESOL, and ethnicity.

IB is definitely not for everyone. It's for students who are hard working and dedicated. To say that "it's not all it's cracked up to be" is an ignorant statement. It's definitely challenging and very global in its approach to instruction. And these observations are coming from an educator trained and experienced in AP.

So to the OP - Ignore statements with no backing. FWIW, Olney is indeed a lovely community, but it definitely has its drawbacks like any other.

[Anonymous]

I'm the previous poster that you are taking issue with. RE #1, no racial undertones intended. As parents we can all rank the best HSs in the county -- there are no surprises. So the cluster concept doesn't work as intended b/c it is easy to identify the "best" school in the cluster and obviously most families will want their kids there. All I'm saying is don't buy a home in an area where you aren't thrilled with the neighborhood HS and assume that your kid will magically wind up in the best school in the cluster -- it doesn't happen. And the IB issue: IB isn't for everyone, so if your kid isn't IB caliber, then I don't see why IB should play a role in your neighborhood selection. Is it b/c some folks think that sending your non-IB kid to a school with IB-kids is beneficial? My comment was posted b/c a PP had said that Sherwood doesn't have IB -- so what? Most of our kids aren't eligible for it anyway. And I have friends who went to public HSs and did IB and THEY say it isn't all it's cracked up to be and THEY say they don't plan to push their kids to do it. FWIW, my friends are Asian and they were pushed hard by their parents -- and they don't intend to do the same with their kids. I went to private school so I didn't do IB -- I did AP -- and in retrospect AP wasn't all it's cracked up to be either.