Rankiong the Catholic high schools
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Anonymous
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[quote=Anonymous]8:39 - Thank you again for taking the time to share some of your experience with GP. It has been some of the most helpful insight I have recieved. May I ask what are some of your complaints about the school? And in your opinion what, if anything, they could do to improve the school especially in the academic area?[/quote]
Complaints? I thought the faculty at GP had too much power. Too much of a voice. Led by a core of long-tenured veterans they seemed to be running the place. The result was bigger salaries and fewer classes to teach. I would have preferred to see more younger teachers cycle through; especially recent GP grads. I thought that would have given more energy to the place and maybe raised the academic bar for the students in the middle and at the bottom of the class. That problem appears to be being solved through recent retirements and departures. They needed to clean house in some of the departments. I can't say this ever slowed down the top students. While some see teacher turnover as a negative, I thought that GP should have found a way to thin out the herd of teachers who had retired in place. My second concern would be in the area of who gets admitted to GP. For many years, GP sought out and admitted and gave financial aid to the brightest from the many Catholic grammar schools. So smart kids from modest economics means raised the level of the classes. With the hangover from the recent large expenditures in facilities and the strain this has put on budgets --- especially the financial aid budget --- I'm concerned that we may see more rich, dumb kids and fewer smarter kids who need financial aid. It was a wonderful experience for our boys. There was never a day they weren't straining at the bit to get to school. And the relationships built there go on after. I believe that in Washington, its more important where you go to high school than where you go to college. High school is where your life-long friendships are formed. Wedding albums almost always contain photos of the GP grads attending in a group shot with the groom. |
Anonymous
| Too perfect. Whoever said Georgetown Prep is the better option and that everyone who applies to Gonzaga "gets in" is showing their true colors. Both assertions are far from the truth and are more indicative of the writer's bias than fact. |
Anonymous
| I wonder if more people would have chimed in on this thread if "ranking" had been spelled correctly. |
Anonymous
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Troll. That is obviously a typo. Go away.
DC are just starting the school years so we are far away from looking at HS. This has been an interetsing and helpful thread. Thansk everyone for your input. |
Anonymous
What schools did u friend decide on? |
Anonymous
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I thought I would shed light on what your child's reputation would be amongst his/her peers. I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but it is honestly what people would think based on each school.
Visitation: smart enough, athletic, legacy, slightly snobby, school spirit (though there is debate about just how genuine their spirit is as a lot of students complain about the school) Holton Arms: not Catholic (just for your reference), girls wear the tinniest skirt but they are SMART and have a great college office, generally athletic, socialize with Landon mostly Stone Ridge: extremely smart girls who are very nice (opposite of the cliquey high school experience) who go to amazing colleges, not super athletic, seen as "irrelevant" in terms of the social scene Holy Child: nice girls who love one another, athletics are not very good, the education is fine, but pales in comparison to the others Holy Cross: these girls party hard and know all the guys in the area, the education is okay though they do not have 100% go to college every year, very athletic NCS: not Catholic (just for your reference), athletic for sure, smart but sometimes catty and very competitive Gonzaga: extremely athletic, good college placing, tend to hang out only with Visitation girls Georgetown Prep: athletic, also great college counseling, nice guys Landon: not Catholic (just for your reference), not necessarily a Montgomery County favorite for all their scandals, but most of the boys there are really nice but seen as irrelevant as they hang out exclusively with Holton girls St. John's: the only thing I know about them is that their college counseling is not very good, from what I hear I recently graduated from Stone Ridge after attending for 14 years. It was honestly the best choice for me and I am so thankful that my parents sent me to SR. It really is an impressive institution with teachers who care about the students knowledge- not just grades. I would pick Stone Ridge for any girl. My class was so loving and caring of one another, and I have made lifelong friends. There were days where I wish I went to an easier school and was more relevant in socializing, but it was all worth it in the end. I attend a top 15 university, which can be credited so much to my education. |
Anonymous
This has all the makings of a legendary DCUM smackdown. Catholic school parents take no prisoners. Have at it, ladies! |
Anonymous
| SR girl, have you been thinking about this thread since it started in 2011? What were you, a junior? For an "extremely smart girl," you come across as someone extremely concerned about social perception. My question is: did SR foster that or try to temper it? Either way, you need to work on it. Thank you for your post. It was extremely illuminating. |
Anonymous
| A sad day for SR. |
Anonymous
| I think it is an accurate assessment. Not everyone will like, but where is it wrong? |
Anonymous
It is not wrong because you said "among his/her peers". We know kids are a little delusional. When you grow up and have a job you will realize all this prattling is for naught. Catholic schools have a mission for all. Most kids go to K-8 together and then don't all of a sudden have a rivalry with their life long friends because they no longer go to the same school. We all grow up to be successful contributing members no matter which school we chose or our best friend chose. It will take years for this realization, but you age ends in -teen, don't rush it. |
Anonymous
So when PP matures into a wise adult she'll become a DCUM message board poster like you. Judging from the threads here, that is not the pinnacle of maturity. |
Anonymous
Or she will become you (and send her kids to an IAC school)
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Anonymous
| The SR girl is delusional in her description of her own school in comparison to the girls schools on her list that are far more rigorous academically and far more competitive for admission. Hysterical that she calls SR girls "extremely smart" but glosses over the academic superiority of NCS, Holton, and Visi (in order of excellence). Her perception of her own school and fellow SR students is, not unpredictably, very different than others views on SR and SR girls. |
Anonymous
If you dislike Gonzaga, that's fine. But it is VERY hard to get in these days. They have a lot of spots, but a TON of applications which are increasing every year. |