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Comparing all boys schools in the area.
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Anonymous
| PP, your question is a little fuzzy--do you mean parent AND student social events, or just student events? |
Anonymous
| Also, mainly because of location, the STA/NCS relationship is closer than any of the other boys' schools to a given girls schools. As previously mentioned, everyone is in a co-Ed English class junior year. Co-Ed Chinese language program. Many co-Ed electives. Co-Ed chorus and theater and orchestra. Certain sports (most notably cross-country, swimming, and track compete together). A co-ed newspaper. Don't get me wrong, STA still feels very all-boy lots of the time, but the opportunity for non-forced interaction with girls is very good. |
Anonymous
| OP here again, I meant both but mainly the student events because I want it to be mainly an "all boys school experience" but that mix of having interaction with girls inter-school is good I believe. |
Anonymous
|
The STA/NCS relationship actually predates high school as they have joint classes and opprotunities in middle school as well (8th grade ethics course, middle school play, chorus, certain sports, band and dances of course).
I know OP is looking for 9th grade but it isn't as if it just starts up in 11th. |
Anonymous
| I'm sure there are some Landon/Holton parents who can weigh in, but from my general observation of the private school scene, by HS a lot of the inter school interaction is not necessarily formalized. So yes, Landon does have dances and Landon boys go to dances thrown by girls schools, but you will also see a LOT of girls going to boy school athletic events (not as much the other way, that's our societal culture though). The Bethesda/Potomac summer job scene is also a way kids connect. |
Anonymous
I'm a joke? My DS does not attend Landon yet does have a large contingent of entitled arrogant fools as classmates. Perhaps you are one of their parents. |
Anonymous
| No, actually I don't have anyone at any of these schools (yet). But your biased comments toward Sidwell are very telling. I know kids at the other schools you trashed, especially a number from GP. They are outstanding gentlemen and well mannered. Certainly don't strike me as the kinds that would even want to be "9:30 Club". But gentlemen definitely. I see no arrogance at all. And despite your expert opinion, they have "alot going for them". |
Anonymous
| FOCUS ON THE QUESTION. Jeez sometimes it strikes me on how some parents get off topic and try to talk about other schools in a disrespectful way without knowing much about the school. |
Anonymous
So a parent without a DS or DD in high school now is an expert on high school students. There is wide variation in presentation to random adults known through school or socially versus peers. Clueless. |
Anonymous
You seem to assume that the first PP was praising Sidwell kids for their "too cool" attitude, and then take offense because you assume some sort of pro-Sidwell bias. But I'm not so sure the original description was meant as praise. |
Anonymous
| why are we talking about sidwell on this topic? the question is in regard to boys schools. last time I checked Sidwell is coed. |
Anonymous
| Well said PP. |
Anonymous
|
There was a new letter posted by the Headmaster of Landon speculating some changes for the upcoming school year. OP might find this interesting, as well as the rest of the community.
Letter to the Community Posted 08/19/2010 10:02AM August 2010 To the Community, This has been a very busy summer at Landon, a summer that has involved serious introspection. We have committed to ourselves, first, to take the time to study and learn from the past (and some mistakes that were made); second, to initiate some adjustments and realignments, refocusing our priorities with regard to programs, systems and procedures; and, third, to execute and implement key initiatives to improve and enhance the Landon experience. We began by inviting parents, faculty and alumni to join conversations about the future of Landon. You shared your thoughts with candor and made clear your expectations. I want you to know that we have heard you. We know there is work to be done to be sure we are living up to our School’s stated values and goals, and we are taking steps to address those issues. While we are taking this opportunity to implement change, one thing remains clear. Our School’s fundamental values of respect and honesty, our Code of Character with its Civility and Honor Codes, already provide the framework we need to help our boys become young men of character. The principles on which this School was founded almost 85 years ago do engender the qualities of integrity and excellence that characterize thousands of Landon alumni as well as our students themselves. I am confident that these values serve us well and that Landon remains an outstanding educational institution. But we must be vigilant in holding our boys, our faculty and all members of our community to the highest standards, and that’s what we intend to do. To accomplish this, I have made some personnel changes for fall that will put individual talents to work in areas where they can serve best. You will see changes in the leadership of our Upper School (Ehren Federowicz, Acting Head of Upper School, and Hans Farnstrom, Assistant Head of Upper School) and our Athletics Department (Michael Derwinski, Acting Athletic Director, and Paul Padalino, Acting Associate Athletic Director) as well as the arrival of our new Lower School Head, Chris Robertson. Neil Phillips will serve as Assistant Headmaster. In addition, we have identified six areas where change is indicated: the disciplinary system, faculty/staff accountability, athletics, communications, gender equity and the school-parent partnership. While we want to address each of these initiatives effectively, some have received more urgent attention while others will play out more once the school year begins on September 7. (See the summary below.) I ask for your continued support as we take these steps to strengthen our School. I believe Landon will emerge stronger when we work in partnership to educate the 688 talented and deserving boys who enter our doors this fall. We owe it to them to get it right going forward. Sincerely, David Armstrong Headmaster David_Armstrong@landon.net Strengthening Our School – Six Initiatives 1. Disciplinary System Initiative – To ensure we live up to the principles of our Code of Character, we have restructured the Upper School disciplinary process. Our goal is help boys clearly understand what is expected of them and to hold them accountable. We want to be fair and consistent in the administration of our policies and to develop a positive school culture founded on responsibility and trust. The process for addressing Honor Code violations has been in place; a new system is now in place to deal with infractions against the Civility Code and other School Rules. The Upper School Dean of Student Discipline (Harry Murphy) and a Disciplinary Committee will be supported by the Dean of Student Life (David Smith) and two Form Advisors (James Foreman and Andy Katz). 2. Faculty/Staff Accountability Initiative – To clarify expectations for the behavior of Landon personnel and to hold faculty and staff accountable, a three-step plan is now in place. Division Heads have met with any faculty members whose past performance has not met School standards. Second, during Orientation, teachers will meet to review standards, establish clear guidelines and discuss the consequences of non-compliance. Third, a committee of faculty and administrators will fully implement evaluation programs already in place and monitor progress. The Assistant Head of Upper School (Hans Farnstrom) will focus on faculty accountability and improvement. Division Heads (Chris Robertson and Doug Norry) will do so in Lower and Middle School. CFO/COO Tim Harrison and Registrar Lisa Goenner lead the staff process. 3. Athletics Initiative – To be certain Landon’s athletics program is supporting the broader mission of the School and adhering to our Code of Character, Neil Phillips and Ed Sundt will oversee a comprehensive Athletic Department external review. They will also head a national search for a new Athletic Director. An outside consultant will assess policies and delivery of the athletics program in all divisions. He/she will also look at the place of athletics in school life. Among our goals are a recommitment to the teacher-coach-mentor model and strict adherence to the principles of positive coaching. Michael Derwinski has been named Acting Athletic Director; Paul Padalino is Acting Associate Athletic Director. 4. Communications Initiative – To improve communications, we are looking at three key areas: sharing news within and across divisions; communicating more effectively with boys and parents; and telling the Landon story to the broader community. Weekly parent e-newsletters sent each Thursday from the Division Heads, and available in the Parent Portal, will share important news. So that you learn news of the School from Landon, not the media or other sources, the Headmaster will provide additional updates. We are stepping up our efforts, both on our website and also via social media and other traditional outlets, to share Landon’s good news. A task force of parents and alumni with expertise in PR/communications will be advising this effort. 5. Gender Equity Initiative – To identify and address areas of weakness across school culture, program, policy and practice regarding respectful treatment of girls and women, Carole Kerns, our Director of Lower School Admissions, and Jamie Kirkpatrick, our Director of College Counseling, are chairing a task force of representatives from the broader Landon community, including students and parents. The committee will draw on resources outside the school (e.g. women’s advocacy groups, NAIS and others) to facilitate positive change where needed in culture, curriculum, extra-curricular activities, cross-registration and community service. We also want to expand our cooperative partnership with Holton-Arms and other schools at all three division levels. It will be a priority to identify senior administrative and leadership opportunities for women. 6. Parent Partnership Initiative - To ensure a healthy, constructive and mutually supportive alliance with parents, we will focus on three key areas: partnership opportunities; parental support for Landon’s mission; and School support for parent needs. With assistance from the Landon Fathers Club, the Landon Mothers Association and informal parent groups, we will cultivate and support student service activities, improve communications and expand involvement, and reaffirm expectations of both the school and the parents. Parents will be asked for increased diligence regarding off-campus/outside-of-school-hours activities and for constructive responses to disciplinary issues. We will also work together to address drug and alcohol awareness, technology and social networking issues, and improved understanding of school policies and procedures. |
Anonymous
| That's a lot of stuff to tackle pp. |
Anonymous
| Good letter. Bold. |