GDS High School Assemblies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You signed up for it by sending your kid to GDS, a school whose reputation is well known.

OP here. Few comments have said this.

Actually no. I did not sign up for this. I signed up for a high school run by Kevin Barr, not this excuse for an administration. The school wasn’t like this even 5 years ago. Those who remember know.

Except Kevin Barr was just one person who worked with a lot of different administrators, including HOS and divisional directors.

[Anonymous]

It's the worst and what is wrong with our current world. Your boys are not racist or sexist. Enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's the worst and what is wrong with our current world. Your boys are not racist or sexist. Enough.

I'd say what Trump and Project 2025 will likely do is a lot worse, but you do you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's the worst and what is wrong with our current world. Your boys are not racist or sexist. Enough.

I'd say what Trump and Project 2025 will likely do is a lot worse, but you do you.

Total non-sequiter and ad-hominem attack. We can hold two thoughts at once: 1) GDS has lost the thread on assemblies 2) Nobody likes Project 2025

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can your kid skip assemblies? Is the content shared in advance? If I felt they were centered around something I didn’t want the kids to be exposed to I’d tell them not to go, or be sick that afternoon. There are so many great things about the school, I’m sure there must be a way to get around this if it rubs you the wrong way without giving everything else up?

My child graduated from GDS not long ago and used to avoid most of the assemblies like the plague. Would find somewhere to hide and do homework or study. My child also learned that there often are reasonable grounds to disagree and debate the prevailing orthodoxy at the school, even if those views are not always welcome within the four walls of the school.

[Anonymous]

From what I've heard from my daughter the school is not doing a great job with having discussions about current topics. As I was reading the school newspaper, The Augur Bit, I saw this article: https://theaugurbit.com/2024/11/10/we-need-school-led-civil-discourse/. Super good for the student that wrote this for standing up and trying to create change.

[Anonymous]

From what I've heard from my daughter the school is not doing a great job with having discussions about current topics. As I was reading the school newspaper, The Augur Bit, I saw this article: https://theaugurbit.com/2024/11/10/we-need-school-led-civil-discourse/. Super good for the student that wrote this for standing up and trying to create change.

I agree this kid has also written other articles criticizing the school's way of teaching kids about current issues in the world, and that is very important for a school like GDS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son goes to GDS and we see first hand that among his friend group that in their words are " sick of DEI calling them racists".

and sexists...

Exactly. I think they stopped using terms like patriarchy and toxic masculinity officially in the last year. It doesn't stop their assemblies programming from getting speakers on the "DEI Grift Circuit" from being speakers nearly every week.

"But we had a Fox News speaker once..." Come on, GDS. Do better. Take away assemblies programming from the DEI office.

Stop the stupid clubs vs. affinity groups designation (clubs get nary any budget but affinity groups get big budgets) - see student paper article today
https://theaugurbit.com/2024/11/10/new-christian-students-union-seeks-affinity-group-status/

You reap what you sow. You have a HS full of (yes full of) boys who were raised in liberal homes, went to GDS for liberal values, and were called toxic masculine and racist for 2 years. And you jam DEI assemblies EVERY single week. What do you expect will happen?

Part of the problem but whistling past the graveyard and pretending to be part of a (fake) solution.

Meanwhile as a parent, I have to undo the stupid boy rage concocted because they can't program assemblies without the DEI office agreeing on each one.

This is why more long time GDS stalwart teachers are talking about leaving after this year. Just watch. These are beloved teachers across subject areas who feel stifled in their ability to present balanced views.

Meanwhile, as a parent, you knew what you were getting into and send your kid there every day anyway. Have you actually gone to the school to complain? You need to be part of the solution, not a bystander.

We keep going over the same ground on this thread. You keep saying I knew what I was getting into 15 years ago when I chose to send my kids there. It was not the same school. Sounds like you disagree.

DP actually. GDS has been on this trajectory for at least 12 years which is when we first looked at it. You didn’t see it back then? How could you have missed it? The thread keeps going over the same ground because it is hard to see how you can complain when you have taken no action to either leave or try to right the ship.

I’m a new poster here who started my child at GDS in 3rd grade who is now in high school. I didn’t know to look at the content of HS assemblies. He had an accommodation so spent most of time discussing that and other academic-focused issues in the lower school. Remember they used to be separate campuses so didn’t spend much time dissecting upper school DEI topics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Y’all need to read the recent NYTimes article on DEI at Michigan. It sounds like GDS is similar. But the number of boys supporting Trump does shock me.

Because you're not paying attention to what has happened/is happening to gen z boys online. Red pills all the way down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can your kid skip assemblies? Is the content shared in advance? If I felt they were centered around something I didn’t want the kids to be exposed to I’d tell them not to go, or be sick that afternoon. There are so many great things about the school, I’m sure there must be a way to get around this if it rubs you the wrong way without giving everything else up?

My child graduated from GDS not long ago and used to avoid most of the assemblies like the plague. Would find somewhere to hide and do homework or study. My child also learned that there often are reasonable grounds to disagree and debate the prevailing orthodoxy at the school, even if those views are not always welcome within the four walls of the school.

Same. My kid graduated GDS in the last year or two and made a point to skip the assemblies for the same reason. They have apparently cracked down on that behavior this year and throw out big punishments for kids who skip and are caught.

For my kid, skipping these assemblies was what kept them a bit sane in a sea of religious GDS orthodoxy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know how the GDS high school assemblies are programmed? Like literally who picks the speakers? Last I was aware the DEI office did.

Today’s assembly speaker mentioned the following according to my high schooler there

- saying we are about to enter an apocalypse because of trump

- and we need to stand w trans and native americans and gaza

- said gaza is colonization by israel

- demanding reparations for African Americans


To hold this assembly (especially this week) is the most tone def thing I’ve ever heard. To not have a speaker who at least counters that view is really shocking.

This school. 15 years as a parent here and it continues to surprise me how they own goal on things like this constantly.

Academics and teachers are great in high school. The administration is bad.

Sign me up!

Me too! I never would have considered private for my kids but this is amazing. Let’s go!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son goes to GDS and we see first hand that among his friend group that in their words are " sick of DEI calling them racists".

NP. GDS has a large percentage of Jewish students so I think some of the stances against Israel and against Jewish students in the US (who are not even Israeli) have turned many Jewish kids towards Trump and the GOP. I don’t agree but I get it.

[Anonymous]

Many many Jews are against what Israel is doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can your kid skip assemblies? Is the content shared in advance? If I felt they were centered around something I didn’t want the kids to be exposed to I’d tell them not to go, or be sick that afternoon. There are so many great things about the school, I’m sure there must be a way to get around this if it rubs you the wrong way without giving everything else up?

My child graduated from GDS not long ago and used to avoid most of the assemblies like the plague. Would find somewhere to hide and do homework or study. My child also learned that there often are reasonable grounds to disagree and debate the prevailing orthodoxy at the school, even if those views are not always welcome within the four walls of the school.

Same. My kid graduated GDS in the last year or two and made a point to skip the assemblies for the same reason. They have apparently cracked down on that behavior this year and throw out big punishments for kids who skip and are caught.

For my kid, skipping these assemblies was what kept them a bit sane in a sea of religious GDS orthodoxy.

Sounds great for him.