John Eaton Open House - Wed. 10/22 9:15

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current Eaton Parent. We love the school and so do my kids. The staff and administration are outstanding and I feel our children are well served. Eaton is a diverse school with a great mix of IB and OB students and I laugh when I hear questions from other parents concerning the OB population. I am an IB parent and many of our best friends are from OB. The OB families are just as committed to Eaton as the IB families and the children are outstanding and help elevate the school. Eaton is a jewel in DC just the mention of closing it is a joke. As far a Deal is concerned yes it is a great school but I am enthusiastic about Hardy and excited by the prospect of sending my kids there.......and we have a right to go to Deal under the grandfathering provision. Just wanted to offer a viewpoint from an existing parent.

Most of the Eaton families I know strongly oppose the forced move to Hardy. Why would 't they? Hardy is just not of the same quality as Deal. EAton is really getting shafted here -- what the Ward 3 rep on the boundary committee termed unfortunate "collateral damage." Moreover, because the IB population is only 40% or so, the school's political influence is weak -- no elected official really is there to stand for the school. What priority does Mary Cheh place on standing up for Eaton's interests versus those of Janney or Murch where a much higher percentage of parents are ward 3 voters? I think this had a lot to do with Eaton being made the little sacrificial lamb in the redistricting process.

I am the PP and I couldn't agree with you more about Eaton and the political atmosphere. There is no doubt Cheh does nothing for our school! Just ask her about "all she did for the parking situation". Having a large OB population does mean politically we get the short stick. I was appalled by the "Collateral Damage" comment made made by Matt Frumin. There is no doubt Eaton would love to retain it dual feeder option to Deal and Hardy. I am just saying as a current parent don't be surprised when more people begin to choose Hardy. It is a quickly improving school with strong leadership that has many attributes, such as its small size, that many see as advantageous. This is not to take anything from Deal.

[Anonymous]

Eaton is doing some amazing things! The thought of shutting down this great school...saddens me We are IB for Janney, but chose Eaton due to the warm, caring nurturing environment combined with a strong group of teachers and administrators

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eaton is doing some amazing things! The thought of shutting down this great school...saddens me We are IB for Janney, but chose Eaton due to the warm, caring nurturing environment combined with a strong group of teachers and administrators

I don't see them shutting down Eaton. But after many years of upward trajectory, it does face a serious challenge with the planned move from Deal to Hardy. Eaton has achieved a good balance between OOB enrollment and IB enrollment. It still could be more evenly balanced, but the current mix is reflects both a diverse student body and one which anchors the school to Cleveland Park and brings community backing (though not necessarily a lot of political support as a PP noted). Unfortunately, I think that that balance may change again as more IB kids pass on Eaton entirely or leave before the end of 5th grade. Unlike a number of OOB families who have separate geographical rights to go to Deal and therefore will continue to have a chlice of public middle schools, the CP/McLean Gardens kids will have to go to Hardy if charters or private schools are not available to them.