Seeking first-person experience in Wakefield

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s a good article in the Post on Wakefield’s crew team that just won the premier Varsity 8 races at the State Championship over schools with much larger programs with more funding. Many of the athletes are on scholarship, and that has opened up the sport to the kids who are less financially well off.

WAY TO GO, WAKEFIELD!!! I'm so proud of, and for, them; and I don't have any connection to crew. Good for them!
Maybe some athletic success will make people think more highly of Wakefield or give it a little respect, since any academic success is always dismissed or discredited.

Here's the article.

Wakefield sweeping the first varsity 8+s really makes these other schools look bad. I'm sure you'll hear Yorktown people say "well we won the states in 4+", but that's not the same. They know this. You drop to 4's when you haven't coached up 8 rowers well enough to compete.

By letting more kids onto the team, they can charge a lower fee per rower. That means each "scholarship" requires fewer dollars. They get a good deal at the Anacostia boathouse, and they don't blow money on extras the way you see with some of the other programs. So the dollars go to hiring coaches, and to expanding the pool of rowers. With a bigger pool, you can fill an 8+ with strong rowers.

everyone in the picture of the story is white though. good intentions but still a long way to go.

One of the 1V girls is a person of color. A few of of the 1V boys are people of color, the Post just didn't use that photo. The team as a whole is tremendously diverse- if you'd been at the Occoquan on Saturday and seen the freshman and novice athletes (newer, younger students who are benefiting from the outreach and inclusive approach and will be the athletes in the top boats in a year or two) you would have seen the whole picture.

Wakefield is a non white majority school. I do know they tried a bit harder this year to recruit more widely. I think at Wakefield we need to be more honest and provide more education on sports. We have to accept that not all parents and students have grown up in the US and in fact some may have arrived to the US in the past month. I don't think it would hurt to explain what sports are on the website and when sending announcements. Think about it - would someone just arriving to the US who might not have had sports at their own school growing up instantly know that Crew means rowing a boat on the water?

They do send announcements and publicize extracurricular activities all the time.
But explaining what the various clubs and activities are on the website would be helpful for all students, as would maintaining the website with only the current/active opportunities instead of burrowing them away in a Canvas course page that not all students sign-up for.

The crew team set up ergs in Town Hall during all lunches before winter training to recruit. They also offer free "green days" in the fall and inexpensive (with scholarship options) learn to row camps in the summer. They also have started going in to the middle school gym classes with ergs to get info to kids even before they start HS. If you have any other constructive ideas on how to get the word out please share!

First when pushing out notices just put Rowing somewhere in parentheses next to Crew
mention it is for men and women - casual observation - some cultures don't embrace sports for girls the same way we do in the US so it might be assumed its for boys only but make it clear it that each team is separate
transportation back and forth to the boathouse - how does it work - if it's just carpool - is it organized? keep in mind that some kids might want to do it but their parents can't communicate well with other parents so no carpool and then it's a no go; maybe ask the school to fund a bus- throw in it's an equity issue so that might help
Try and keep in mind that white liberal leaning parents are the loudest but not the biggest group at the school. Many of the students have parents who are definitely more conservative minded and more religious. Consider these parents look at the photos for the advertised sports and make assumptions and decisions.

The school itself needs to do a better job of explaining why students should participate in sports and clubs. They usually frame it as "get involved in school" but I think a better message for the school community would be "planning for college? - a sport or club activity will need to be included on your college application" See I already know that but if you are a parent or student, didn't grow up here and only arrived a few years or months ago, live in a neighborhood with similarly situation parents and students, and don't speak much English, which one when translated is going to make more sense to you as a parent? I mean " get involved in school" is an abstract idea that might leave some parents and students having no idea what the take away is from that. And no that isn't an absolute of course, but it is generally accepted as standard advice for students planning to go to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s a good article in the Post on Wakefield’s crew team that just won the premier Varsity 8 races at the State Championship over schools with much larger programs with more funding. Many of the athletes are on scholarship, and that has opened up the sport to the kids who are less financially well off.

WAY TO GO, WAKEFIELD!!! I'm so proud of, and for, them; and I don't have any connection to crew. Good for them!
Maybe some athletic success will make people think more highly of Wakefield or give it a little respect, since any academic success is always dismissed or discredited.

Here's the article.

Wakefield sweeping the first varsity 8+s really makes these other schools look bad. I'm sure you'll hear Yorktown people say "well we won the states in 4+", but that's not the same. They know this. You drop to 4's when you haven't coached up 8 rowers well enough to compete.

By letting more kids onto the team, they can charge a lower fee per rower. That means each "scholarship" requires fewer dollars. They get a good deal at the Anacostia boathouse, and they don't blow money on extras the way you see with some of the other programs. So the dollars go to hiring coaches, and to expanding the pool of rowers. With a bigger pool, you can fill an 8+ with strong rowers.

everyone in the picture of the story is white though. good intentions but still a long way to go.

One of the 1V girls is a person of color. A few of of the 1V boys are people of color, the Post just didn't use that photo. The team as a whole is tremendously diverse- if you'd been at the Occoquan on Saturday and seen the freshman and novice athletes (newer, younger students who are benefiting from the outreach and inclusive approach and will be the athletes in the top boats in a year or two) you would have seen the whole picture.

Wakefield is a non white majority school. I do know they tried a bit harder this year to recruit more widely. I think at Wakefield we need to be more honest and provide more education on sports. We have to accept that not all parents and students have grown up in the US and in fact some may have arrived to the US in the past month. I don't think it would hurt to explain what sports are on the website and when sending announcements. Think about it - would someone just arriving to the US who might not have had sports at their own school growing up instantly know that Crew means rowing a boat on the water?

They do send announcements and publicize extracurricular activities all the time.
But explaining what the various clubs and activities are on the website would be helpful for all students, as would maintaining the website with only the current/active opportunities instead of burrowing them away in a Canvas course page that not all students sign-up for.

The crew team set up ergs in Town Hall during all lunches before winter training to recruit. They also offer free "green days" in the fall and inexpensive (with scholarship options) learn to row camps in the summer. They also have started going in to the middle school gym classes with ergs to get info to kids even before they start HS. If you have any other constructive ideas on how to get the word out please share!

First when pushing out notices just put Rowing somewhere in parentheses next to Crew
mention it is for men and women - casual observation - some cultures don't embrace sports for girls the same way we do in the US so it might be assumed its for boys only but make it clear it that each team is separate
transportation back and forth to the boathouse - how does it work - if it's just carpool - is it organized? keep in mind that some kids might want to do it but their parents can't communicate well with other parents so no carpool and then it's a no go; maybe ask the school to fund a bus- throw in it's an equity issue so that might help
Try and keep in mind that white liberal leaning parents are the loudest but not the biggest group at the school. Many of the students have parents who are definitely more conservative minded and more religious. Consider these parents look at the photos for the advertised sports and make assumptions and decisions.

The school itself needs to do a better job of explaining why students should participate in sports and clubs. They usually frame it as "get involved in school" but I think a better message for the school community would be "planning for college? - a sport or club activity will need to be included on your college application" See I already know that but if you are a parent or student, didn't grow up here and only arrived a few years or months ago, live in a neighborhood with similarly situation parents and students, and don't speak much English, which one when translated is going to make more sense to you as a parent? I mean " get involved in school" is an abstract idea that might leave some parents and students having no idea what the take away is from that. And no that isn't an absolute of course, but it is generally accepted as standard advice for students planning to go to college.

what a load of you know what. kids talk. and there's also social media. anyone who can figure out IG can figure out Crew.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s a good article in the Post on Wakefield’s crew team that just won the premier Varsity 8 races at the State Championship over schools with much larger programs with more funding. Many of the athletes are on scholarship, and that has opened up the sport to the kids who are less financially well off.

WAY TO GO, WAKEFIELD!!! I'm so proud of, and for, them; and I don't have any connection to crew. Good for them!
Maybe some athletic success will make people think more highly of Wakefield or give it a little respect, since any academic success is always dismissed or discredited.

Here's the article.

Wakefield sweeping the first varsity 8+s really makes these other schools look bad. I'm sure you'll hear Yorktown people say "well we won the states in 4+", but that's not the same. They know this. You drop to 4's when you haven't coached up 8 rowers well enough to compete.

By letting more kids onto the team, they can charge a lower fee per rower. That means each "scholarship" requires fewer dollars. They get a good deal at the Anacostia boathouse, and they don't blow money on extras the way you see with some of the other programs. So the dollars go to hiring coaches, and to expanding the pool of rowers. With a bigger pool, you can fill an 8+ with strong rowers.

everyone in the picture of the story is white though. good intentions but still a long way to go.

One of the 1V girls is a person of color. A few of of the 1V boys are people of color, the Post just didn't use that photo. The team as a whole is tremendously diverse- if you'd been at the Occoquan on Saturday and seen the freshman and novice athletes (newer, younger students who are benefiting from the outreach and inclusive approach and will be the athletes in the top boats in a year or two) you would have seen the whole picture.

Wakefield is a non white majority school. I do know they tried a bit harder this year to recruit more widely. I think at Wakefield we need to be more honest and provide more education on sports. We have to accept that not all parents and students have grown up in the US and in fact some may have arrived to the US in the past month. I don't think it would hurt to explain what sports are on the website and when sending announcements. Think about it - would someone just arriving to the US who might not have had sports at their own school growing up instantly know that Crew means rowing a boat on the water?

They do send announcements and publicize extracurricular activities all the time.
But explaining what the various clubs and activities are on the website would be helpful for all students, as would maintaining the website with only the current/active opportunities instead of burrowing them away in a Canvas course page that not all students sign-up for.

The crew team set up ergs in Town Hall during all lunches before winter training to recruit. They also offer free "green days" in the fall and inexpensive (with scholarship options) learn to row camps in the summer. They also have started going in to the middle school gym classes with ergs to get info to kids even before they start HS. If you have any other constructive ideas on how to get the word out please share!

First when pushing out notices just put Rowing somewhere in parentheses next to Crew
mention it is for men and women - casual observation - some cultures don't embrace sports for girls the same way we do in the US so it might be assumed its for boys only but make it clear it that each team is separate
transportation back and forth to the boathouse - how does it work - if it's just carpool - is it organized? keep in mind that some kids might want to do it but their parents can't communicate well with other parents so no carpool and then it's a no go; maybe ask the school to fund a bus- throw in it's an equity issue so that might help
Try and keep in mind that white liberal leaning parents are the loudest but not the biggest group at the school. Many of the students have parents who are definitely more conservative minded and more religious. Consider these parents look at the photos for the advertised sports and make assumptions and decisions.[i]

The school itself needs to do a better job of explaining why students should participate in sports and clubs. They usually frame it as "get involved in school" but I think a better message for the school community would be "planning for college? - a sport or club activity will need to be included on your college application" See I already know that but if you are a parent or student, didn't grow up here and only arrived a few years or months ago, live in a neighborhood with similarly situation parents and students, and don't speak much English, which one when translated is going to make more sense to you as a parent? I mean " get involved in school" is an abstract idea that might leave some parents and students having no idea what the take away is from that. And no that isn't an absolute of course, but it is generally accepted as standard advice for students planning to go to college.

Thanks for these very specific and helpful suggestions. Also, please know that Wakefield crew has been actively engaged with both the Athletic department and PSTA since similar concerns about representation were raised after last year's success by the team - the result of which has been a very intentional and deliberate - albeit imperfect - effort to increase access and reduce/remove barriers (e.g. transportation).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s a good article in the Post on Wakefield’s crew team that just won the premier Varsity 8 races at the State Championship over schools with much larger programs with more funding. Many of the athletes are on scholarship, and that has opened up the sport to the kids who are less financially well off.

WAY TO GO, WAKEFIELD!!! I'm so proud of, and for, them; and I don't have any connection to crew. Good for them!
Maybe some athletic success will make people think more highly of Wakefield or give it a little respect, since any academic success is always dismissed or discredited.

Here's the article.

Wakefield sweeping the first varsity 8+s really makes these other schools look bad. I'm sure you'll hear Yorktown people say "well we won the states in 4+", but that's not the same. They know this. You drop to 4's when you haven't coached up 8 rowers well enough to compete.

By letting more kids onto the team, they can charge a lower fee per rower. That means each "scholarship" requires fewer dollars. They get a good deal at the Anacostia boathouse, and they don't blow money on extras the way you see with some of the other programs. So the dollars go to hiring coaches, and to expanding the pool of rowers. With a bigger pool, you can fill an 8+ with strong rowers.

everyone in the picture of the story is white though. good intentions but still a long way to go.

One of the 1V girls is a person of color. A few of of the 1V boys are people of color, the Post just didn't use that photo. The team as a whole is tremendously diverse- if you'd been at the Occoquan on Saturday and seen the freshman and novice athletes (newer, younger students who are benefiting from the outreach and inclusive approach and will be the athletes in the top boats in a year or two) you would have seen the whole picture.

Wakefield is a non white majority school. I do know they tried a bit harder this year to recruit more widely. I think at Wakefield we need to be more honest and provide more education on sports. We have to accept that not all parents and students have grown up in the US and in fact some may have arrived to the US in the past month. I don't think it would hurt to explain what sports are on the website and when sending announcements. Think about it - would someone just arriving to the US who might not have had sports at their own school growing up instantly know that Crew means rowing a boat on the water?

They do send announcements and publicize extracurricular activities all the time.
But explaining what the various clubs and activities are on the website would be helpful for all students, as would maintaining the website with only the current/active opportunities instead of burrowing them away in a Canvas course page that not all students sign-up for.

The crew team set up ergs in Town Hall during all lunches before winter training to recruit. They also offer free "green days" in the fall and inexpensive (with scholarship options) learn to row camps in the summer. They also have started going in to the middle school gym classes with ergs to get info to kids even before they start HS. If you have any other constructive ideas on how to get the word out please share!

First when pushing out notices just put Rowing somewhere in parentheses next to Crew
mention it is for men and women - casual observation - some cultures don't embrace sports for girls the same way we do in the US so it might be assumed its for boys only but make it clear it that each team is separate
transportation back and forth to the boathouse - how does it work - if it's just carpool - is it organized? keep in mind that some kids might want to do it but their parents can't communicate well with other parents so no carpool and then it's a no go; maybe ask the school to fund a bus- throw in it's an equity issue so that might help
Try and keep in mind that white liberal leaning parents are the loudest but not the biggest group at the school. Many of the students have parents who are definitely more conservative minded and more religious. Consider these parents look at the photos for the advertised sports and make assumptions and decisions.

The school itself needs to do a better job of explaining why students should participate in sports and clubs. They usually frame it as "get involved in school" but I think a better message for the school community would be "planning for college? - a sport or club activity will need to be included on your college application" See I already know that but if you are a parent or student, didn't grow up here and only arrived a few years or months ago, live in a neighborhood with similarly situation parents and students, and don't speak much English, which one when translated is going to make more sense to you as a parent? I mean " get involved in school" is an abstract idea that might leave some parents and students having no idea what the take away is from that. And no that isn't an absolute of course, but it is generally accepted as standard advice for students planning to go to college.

what a load of you know what. kids talk. and there's also social media. anyone who can figure out IG can figure out Crew.

+1 Thanks for saying that!
I think people have such low expectations for and from these kids. Just because their parents immigrated from another country, have limited education, don't speak English/speak English proficiently, and may not be as aware of cultural norms here, they think the kids are completely unable to communicate or figure out what's going on. And if someone's culture doesn't embrace these things, why the effort to engage their kids in activities their family values don't embrace? Guidance counselors, particularly at Wakefield, are constantly communicating to students (especially minority students) what colleges are looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s a good article in the Post on Wakefield’s crew team that just won the premier Varsity 8 races at the State Championship over schools with much larger programs with more funding. Many of the athletes are on scholarship, and that has opened up the sport to the kids who are less financially well off.

WAY TO GO, WAKEFIELD!!! I'm so proud of, and for, them; and I don't have any connection to crew. Good for them!
Maybe some athletic success will make people think more highly of Wakefield or give it a little respect, since any academic success is always dismissed or discredited.

Here's the article.

Wakefield sweeping the first varsity 8+s really makes these other schools look bad. I'm sure you'll hear Yorktown people say "well we won the states in 4+", but that's not the same. They know this. You drop to 4's when you haven't coached up 8 rowers well enough to compete.

By letting more kids onto the team, they can charge a lower fee per rower. That means each "scholarship" requires fewer dollars. They get a good deal at the Anacostia boathouse, and they don't blow money on extras the way you see with some of the other programs. So the dollars go to hiring coaches, and to expanding the pool of rowers. With a bigger pool, you can fill an 8+ with strong rowers.

everyone in the picture of the story is white though. good intentions but still a long way to go.

One of the 1V girls is a person of color. A few of of the 1V boys are people of color, the Post just didn't use that photo. The team as a whole is tremendously diverse- if you'd been at the Occoquan on Saturday and seen the freshman and novice athletes (newer, younger students who are benefiting from the outreach and inclusive approach and will be the athletes in the top boats in a year or two) you would have seen the whole picture.

Wakefield is a non white majority school. I do know they tried a bit harder this year to recruit more widely. I think at Wakefield we need to be more honest and provide more education on sports. We have to accept that not all parents and students have grown up in the US and in fact some may have arrived to the US in the past month. I don't think it would hurt to explain what sports are on the website and when sending announcements. Think about it - would someone just arriving to the US who might not have had sports at their own school growing up instantly know that Crew means rowing a boat on the water?

They do send announcements and publicize extracurricular activities all the time.
But explaining what the various clubs and activities are on the website would be helpful for all students, as would maintaining the website with only the current/active opportunities instead of burrowing them away in a Canvas course page that not all students sign-up for.

The crew team set up ergs in Town Hall during all lunches before winter training to recruit. They also offer free "green days" in the fall and inexpensive (with scholarship options) learn to row camps in the summer. They also have started going in to the middle school gym classes with ergs to get info to kids even before they start HS. If you have any other constructive ideas on how to get the word out please share!

First when pushing out notices just put Rowing somewhere in parentheses next to Crew
mention it is for men and women - casual observation - some cultures don't embrace sports for girls the same way we do in the US so it might be assumed its for boys only but make it clear it that each team is separate
transportation back and forth to the boathouse - how does it work - if it's just carpool - is it organized? keep in mind that some kids might want to do it but their parents can't communicate well with other parents so no carpool and then it's a no go; maybe ask the school to fund a bus- throw in it's an equity issue so that might help
Try and keep in mind that white liberal leaning parents are the loudest but not the biggest group at the school. Many of the students have parents who are definitely more conservative minded and more religious. Consider these parents look at the photos for the advertised sports and make assumptions and decisions.

The school itself needs to do a better job of explaining why students should participate in sports and clubs. They usually frame it as "get involved in school" but I think a better message for the school community would be "planning for college? - a sport or club activity will need to be included on your college application" See I already know that but if you are a parent or student, didn't grow up here and only arrived a few years or months ago, live in a neighborhood with similarly situation parents and students, and don't speak much English, which one when translated is going to make more sense to you as a parent? I mean " get involved in school" is an abstract idea that might leave some parents and students having no idea what the take away is from that. And no that isn't an absolute of course, but it is generally accepted as standard advice for students planning to go to college.

what a load of you know what. kids talk. and there's also social media. anyone who can figure out IG can figure out Crew.

+1 Thanks for saying that!
I think people have such low expectations for and from these kids. Just because their parents immigrated from another country, have limited education, don't speak English/speak English proficiently, and may not be as aware of cultural norms here, they think the kids are completely unable to communicate or figure out what's going on. And if someone's culture doesn't embrace these things, why the effort to engage their kids in activities their family values don't embrace? Guidance counselors, particularly at Wakefield, are constantly communicating to students (especially minority students) what colleges are looking for.

So it’s clear you have zero experience on this. The kids you are describing all talk to each other. They are talking to and hanging out with similarly situated kids. Duh. Can you all ever - even once - just look past your own experience and realize it’s not everyone’s? There are some kids and parents don’t ask questions bc they don’t even know what questions to ask or that they can.

Then realize that parents have input into the kids activities. They might not permit the kid to participate if they don’t understand what it is and who it is they are going to be with.

And it’s not low expectations. It’s accepting that not every single person learns quickly from inference and direct communication is useful for many people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s a good article in the Post on Wakefield’s crew team that just won the premier Varsity 8 races at the State Championship over schools with much larger programs with more funding. Many of the athletes are on scholarship, and that has opened up the sport to the kids who are less financially well off.

WAY TO GO, WAKEFIELD!!! I'm so proud of, and for, them; and I don't have any connection to crew. Good for them!
Maybe some athletic success will make people think more highly of Wakefield or give it a little respect, since any academic success is always dismissed or discredited.

Here's the article.

Wakefield sweeping the first varsity 8+s really makes these other schools look bad. I'm sure you'll hear Yorktown people say "well we won the states in 4+", but that's not the same. They know this. You drop to 4's when you haven't coached up 8 rowers well enough to compete.

By letting more kids onto the team, they can charge a lower fee per rower. That means each "scholarship" requires fewer dollars. They get a good deal at the Anacostia boathouse, and they don't blow money on extras the way you see with some of the other programs. So the dollars go to hiring coaches, and to expanding the pool of rowers. With a bigger pool, you can fill an 8+ with strong rowers.

everyone in the picture of the story is white though. good intentions but still a long way to go.

One of the 1V girls is a person of color. A few of of the 1V boys are people of color, the Post just didn't use that photo. The team as a whole is tremendously diverse- if you'd been at the Occoquan on Saturday and seen the freshman and novice athletes (newer, younger students who are benefiting from the outreach and inclusive approach and will be the athletes in the top boats in a year or two) you would have seen the whole picture.

Wakefield is a non white majority school. I do know they tried a bit harder this year to recruit more widely. I think at Wakefield we need to be more honest and provide more education on sports. We have to accept that not all parents and students have grown up in the US and in fact some may have arrived to the US in the past month. I don't think it would hurt to explain what sports are on the website and when sending announcements. Think about it - would someone just arriving to the US who might not have had sports at their own school growing up instantly know that Crew means rowing a boat on the water?

They do send announcements and publicize extracurricular activities all the time.
But explaining what the various clubs and activities are on the website would be helpful for all students, as would maintaining the website with only the current/active opportunities instead of burrowing them away in a Canvas course page that not all students sign-up for.

The crew team set up ergs in Town Hall during all lunches before winter training to recruit. They also offer free "green days" in the fall and inexpensive (with scholarship options) learn to row camps in the summer. They also have started going in to the middle school gym classes with ergs to get info to kids even before they start HS. If you have any other constructive ideas on how to get the word out please share!

First when pushing out notices just put Rowing somewhere in parentheses next to Crew
mention it is for men and women - casual observation - some cultures don't embrace sports for girls the same way we do in the US so it might be assumed its for boys only but make it clear it that each team is separate
transportation back and forth to the boathouse - how does it work - if it's just carpool - is it organized? keep in mind that some kids might want to do it but their parents can't communicate well with other parents so no carpool and then it's a no go; maybe ask the school to fund a bus- throw in it's an equity issue so that might help
Try and keep in mind that white liberal leaning parents are the loudest but not the biggest group at the school. Many of the students have parents who are definitely more conservative minded and more religious. Consider these parents look at the photos for the advertised sports and make assumptions and decisions.

The school itself needs to do a better job of explaining why students should participate in sports and clubs. They usually frame it as "get involved in school" but I think a better message for the school community would be "planning for college? - a sport or club activity will need to be included on your college application" See I already know that but if you are a parent or student, didn't grow up here and only arrived a few years or months ago, live in a neighborhood with similarly situation parents and students, and don't speak much English, which one when translated is going to make more sense to you as a parent? I mean " get involved in school" is an abstract idea that might leave some parents and students having no idea what the take away is from that. And no that isn't an absolute of course, but it is generally accepted as standard advice for students planning to go to college.

what a load of you know what. kids talk. and there's also social media. anyone who can figure out IG can figure out Crew.

+1 Thanks for saying that!
I think people have such low expectations for and from these kids. Just because their parents immigrated from another country, have limited education, don't speak English/speak English proficiently, and may not be as aware of cultural norms here, they think the kids are completely unable to communicate or figure out what's going on. And if someone's culture doesn't embrace these things, why the effort to engage their kids in activities their family values don't embrace? Guidance counselors, particularly at Wakefield, are constantly communicating to students (especially minority students) what colleges are looking for.

So it’s clear you have zero experience on this. The kids you are describing all talk to each other. They are talking to and hanging out with similarly situated kids. Duh. Can you all ever - even once - just look past your own experience and realize it’s not everyone’s? There are some kids and parents don’t ask questions bc they don’t even know what questions to ask or that they can.

Then realize that parents have input into the kids activities. They might not permit the kid to participate if they don’t understand what it is and who it is they are going to be with.

And it’s not low expectations. It’s accepting that not every single person learns quickly from inference and direct communication is useful for many people.

Fine. There's always room for improvement in everything. Can you admit that these kids are just as capable as any other of seeing signs posted, hearing the school announcements, attending activities fairs which occur during school hours, seeing ergs set-up in the common spaces, and asking questions? That not all of them exclusively hang out with and only talk to kids exactly like themselves? Some of your suggestions are fine and reasonable. Your venturing into religious and more conservative parents looking at the pictures is strange on multiple levels. And as already stated, guidance counselors constantly talk about what colleges are looking for with individual students, especially when they're going over their course selections for the next year and doing their high school course planning. You should also keep in mind that many of "these kids" you're talking about may not even be looking to go to college, so that isn't a concern to them. If you think everyone should be persuaded to learn about all the sports and consider them, perhaps the argument should be more about getting the most out of your high school experience, developing friendships, challenging yourself and stepping outside your comfort zone and growing as a person, and getting to know/interacting with peers who are different from you.

Also, many of those details are learned at information sessions. I think it's fine to give an explanation of what the activity is (and I believe the school website should be improved greatly in that regard, along with indicating what activities are actually active - it should align with the activities in the Canvas extracurriculars course students have access to....but only if they sign up/accept it. If you want a suggestion: make that a default class for every student so every student has access to it.) But I don't think a flyer necessarily has to have all the details about transportation and everything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s a good article in the Post on Wakefield’s crew team that just won the premier Varsity 8 races at the State Championship over schools with much larger programs with more funding. Many of the athletes are on scholarship, and that has opened up the sport to the kids who are less financially well off.

WAY TO GO, WAKEFIELD!!! I'm so proud of, and for, them; and I don't have any connection to crew. Good for them!
Maybe some athletic success will make people think more highly of Wakefield or give it a little respect, since any academic success is always dismissed or discredited.

Here's the article.

Wakefield sweeping the first varsity 8+s really makes these other schools look bad. I'm sure you'll hear Yorktown people say "well we won the states in 4+", but that's not the same. They know this. You drop to 4's when you haven't coached up 8 rowers well enough to compete.

By letting more kids onto the team, they can charge a lower fee per rower. That means each "scholarship" requires fewer dollars. They get a good deal at the Anacostia boathouse, and they don't blow money on extras the way you see with some of the other programs. So the dollars go to hiring coaches, and to expanding the pool of rowers. With a bigger pool, you can fill an 8+ with strong rowers.

everyone in the picture of the story is white though. good intentions but still a long way to go.

One of the 1V girls is a person of color. A few of of the 1V boys are people of color, the Post just didn't use that photo. The team as a whole is tremendously diverse- if you'd been at the Occoquan on Saturday and seen the freshman and novice athletes (newer, younger students who are benefiting from the outreach and inclusive approach and will be the athletes in the top boats in a year or two) you would have seen the whole picture.

Wakefield is a non white majority school. I do know they tried a bit harder this year to recruit more widely. I think at Wakefield we need to be more honest and provide more education on sports. We have to accept that not all parents and students have grown up in the US and in fact some may have arrived to the US in the past month. I don't think it would hurt to explain what sports are on the website and when sending announcements. Think about it - would someone just arriving to the US who might not have had sports at their own school growing up instantly know that Crew means rowing a boat on the water?

They do send announcements and publicize extracurricular activities all the time.
But explaining what the various clubs and activities are on the website would be helpful for all students, as would maintaining the website with only the current/active opportunities instead of burrowing them away in a Canvas course page that not all students sign-up for.

The crew team set up ergs in Town Hall during all lunches before winter training to recruit. They also offer free "green days" in the fall and inexpensive (with scholarship options) learn to row camps in the summer. They also have started going in to the middle school gym classes with ergs to get info to kids even before they start HS. If you have any other constructive ideas on how to get the word out please share!

First when pushing out notices just put Rowing somewhere in parentheses next to Crew
mention it is for men and women - casual observation - some cultures don't embrace sports for girls the same way we do in the US so it might be assumed its for boys only but make it clear it that each team is separate
transportation back and forth to the boathouse - how does it work - if it's just carpool - is it organized? keep in mind that some kids might want to do it but their parents can't communicate well with other parents so no carpool and then it's a no go; maybe ask the school to fund a bus- throw in it's an equity issue so that might help
Try and keep in mind that white liberal leaning parents are the loudest but not the biggest group at the school. Many of the students have parents who are definitely more conservative minded and more religious. Consider these parents look at the photos for the advertised sports and make assumptions and decisions.

The school itself needs to do a better job of explaining why students should participate in sports and clubs. They usually frame it as "get involved in school" but I think a better message for the school community would be "planning for college? - a sport or club activity will need to be included on your college application" See I already know that but if you are a parent or student, didn't grow up here and only arrived a few years or months ago, live in a neighborhood with similarly situation parents and students, and don't speak much English, which one when translated is going to make more sense to you as a parent? I mean " get involved in school" is an abstract idea that might leave some parents and students having no idea what the take away is from that. And no that isn't an absolute of course, but it is generally accepted as standard advice for students planning to go to college.

what a load of you know what. kids talk. and there's also social media. anyone who can figure out IG can figure out Crew.

+1 Thanks for saying that!
I think people have such low expectations for and from these kids. Just because their parents immigrated from another country, have limited education, don't speak English/speak English proficiently, and may not be as aware of cultural norms here, they think the kids are completely unable to communicate or figure out what's going on. And if someone's culture doesn't embrace these things, why the effort to engage their kids in activities their family values don't embrace? Guidance counselors, particularly at Wakefield, are constantly communicating to students (especially minority students) what colleges are looking for.

So it’s clear you have zero experience on this. The kids you are describing all talk to each other. They are talking to and hanging out with similarly situated kids. Duh. Can you all ever - even once - just look past your own experience and realize it’s not everyone’s? There are some kids and parents don’t ask questions bc they don’t even know what questions to ask or that they can.

Then realize that parents have input into the kids activities. They might not permit the kid to participate if they don’t understand what it is and who it is they are going to be with.

And it’s not low expectations. It’s accepting that not every single person learns quickly from inference and direct communication is useful for many people.

Fine. There's always room for improvement in everything. Can you admit that these kids are just as capable as any other of seeing signs posted, hearing the school announcements, attending activities fairs which occur during school hours, seeing ergs set-up in the common spaces, and asking questions? That not all of them exclusively hang out with and only talk to kids exactly like themselves? Some of your suggestions are fine and reasonable. Your venturing into religious and more conservative parents looking at the pictures is strange on multiple levels. And as already stated, guidance counselors constantly talk about what colleges are looking for with individual students, especially when they're going over their course selections for the next year and doing their high school course planning. You should also keep in mind that many of "these kids" you're talking about may not even be looking to go to college, so that isn't a concern to them. If you think everyone should be persuaded to learn about all the sports and consider them, perhaps the argument should be more about getting the most out of your high school experience, developing friendships, challenging yourself and stepping outside your comfort zone and growing as a person, and getting to know/interacting with peers who are different from you.

Also, many of those details are learned at information sessions. I think it's fine to give an explanation of what the activity is (and I believe the school website should be improved greatly in that regard, along with indicating what activities are actually active - it should align with the activities in the Canvas extracurriculars course students have access to....but only if they sign up/accept it. If you want a suggestion: make that a default class for every student so every student has access to it.) But I don't think a flyer necessarily has to have all the details about transportation and everything else.

My child attends the school, they have friends, this is what their friends have said. At high school level, kids are capable of conveying why their parents object to something.

And like you said, there are very many capable students, but you are also right they aren't looking into college because it is overwhelming and daunting and a process they are familiar with and they are just trying to learn the basics of high school. They also are not looking at trade schools or other programs because unless they know of that through word of mouth the school isn't telling them.

I know you want to pretend there is no difference and brag about how your child attends a diverse school and all that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s a good article in the Post on Wakefield’s crew team that just won the premier Varsity 8 races at the State Championship over schools with much larger programs with more funding. Many of the athletes are on scholarship, and that has opened up the sport to the kids who are less financially well off.

WAY TO GO, WAKEFIELD!!! I'm so proud of, and for, them; and I don't have any connection to crew. Good for them!
Maybe some athletic success will make people think more highly of Wakefield or give it a little respect, since any academic success is always dismissed or discredited.

Here's the article.

Wakefield sweeping the first varsity 8+s really makes these other schools look bad. I'm sure you'll hear Yorktown people say "well we won the states in 4+", but that's not the same. They know this. You drop to 4's when you haven't coached up 8 rowers well enough to compete.

By letting more kids onto the team, they can charge a lower fee per rower. That means each "scholarship" requires fewer dollars. They get a good deal at the Anacostia boathouse, and they don't blow money on extras the way you see with some of the other programs. So the dollars go to hiring coaches, and to expanding the pool of rowers. With a bigger pool, you can fill an 8+ with strong rowers.

everyone in the picture of the story is white though. good intentions but still a long way to go.

One of the 1V girls is a person of color. A few of of the 1V boys are people of color, the Post just didn't use that photo. The team as a whole is tremendously diverse- if you'd been at the Occoquan on Saturday and seen the freshman and novice athletes (newer, younger students who are benefiting from the outreach and inclusive approach and will be the athletes in the top boats in a year or two) you would have seen the whole picture.

Wakefield is a non white majority school. I do know they tried a bit harder this year to recruit more widely. I think at Wakefield we need to be more honest and provide more education on sports. We have to accept that not all parents and students have grown up in the US and in fact some may have arrived to the US in the past month. I don't think it would hurt to explain what sports are on the website and when sending announcements. Think about it - would someone just arriving to the US who might not have had sports at their own school growing up instantly know that Crew means rowing a boat on the water?

They do send announcements and publicize extracurricular activities all the time.
But explaining what the various clubs and activities are on the website would be helpful for all students, as would maintaining the website with only the current/active opportunities instead of burrowing them away in a Canvas course page that not all students sign-up for.

The crew team set up ergs in Town Hall during all lunches before winter training to recruit. They also offer free "green days" in the fall and inexpensive (with scholarship options) learn to row camps in the summer. They also have started going in to the middle school gym classes with ergs to get info to kids even before they start HS. If you have any other constructive ideas on how to get the word out please share!

First when pushing out notices just put Rowing somewhere in parentheses next to Crew
mention it is for men and women - casual observation - some cultures don't embrace sports for girls the same way we do in the US so it might be assumed its for boys only but make it clear it that each team is separate
transportation back and forth to the boathouse - how does it work - if it's just carpool - is it organized? keep in mind that some kids might want to do it but their parents can't communicate well with other parents so no carpool and then it's a no go; maybe ask the school to fund a bus- throw in it's an equity issue so that might help
Try and keep in mind that white liberal leaning parents are the loudest but not the biggest group at the school. Many of the students have parents who are definitely more conservative minded and more religious. Consider these parents look at the photos for the advertised sports and make assumptions and decisions.

The school itself needs to do a better job of explaining why students should participate in sports and clubs. They usually frame it as "get involved in school" but I think a better message for the school community would be "planning for college? - a sport or club activity will need to be included on your college application" See I already know that but if you are a parent or student, didn't grow up here and only arrived a few years or months ago, live in a neighborhood with similarly situation parents and students, and don't speak much English, which one when translated is going to make more sense to you as a parent? I mean " get involved in school" is an abstract idea that might leave some parents and students having no idea what the take away is from that. And no that isn't an absolute of course, but it is generally accepted as standard advice for students planning to go to college.

what a load of you know what. kids talk. and there's also social media. anyone who can figure out IG can figure out Crew.

+1 Thanks for saying that!
I think people have such low expectations for and from these kids. Just because their parents immigrated from another country, have limited education, don't speak English/speak English proficiently, and may not be as aware of cultural norms here, they think the kids are completely unable to communicate or figure out what's going on. And if someone's culture doesn't embrace these things, why the effort to engage their kids in activities their family values don't embrace? Guidance counselors, particularly at Wakefield, are constantly communicating to students (especially minority students) what colleges are looking for.

So it’s clear you have zero experience on this. The kids you are describing all talk to each other. They are talking to and hanging out with similarly situated kids. Duh. Can you all ever - even once - just look past your own experience and realize it’s not everyone’s? There are some kids and parents don’t ask questions bc they don’t even know what questions to ask or that they can.

Then realize that parents have input into the kids activities. They might not permit the kid to participate if they don’t understand what it is and who it is they are going to be with.

And it’s not low expectations. It’s accepting that not every single person learns quickly from inference and direct communication is useful for many people.

Fine. There's always room for improvement in everything. Can you admit that these kids are just as capable as any other of seeing signs posted, hearing the school announcements, attending activities fairs which occur during school hours, seeing ergs set-up in the common spaces, and asking questions? That not all of them exclusively hang out with and only talk to kids exactly like themselves? Some of your suggestions are fine and reasonable. Your venturing into religious and more conservative parents looking at the pictures is strange on multiple levels. And as already stated, guidance counselors constantly talk about what colleges are looking for with individual students, especially when they're going over their course selections for the next year and doing their high school course planning. You should also keep in mind that many of "these kids" you're talking about may not even be looking to go to college, so that isn't a concern to them. If you think everyone should be persuaded to learn about all the sports and consider them, perhaps the argument should be more about getting the most out of your high school experience, developing friendships, challenging yourself and stepping outside your comfort zone and growing as a person, and getting to know/interacting with peers who are different from you.

Also, many of those details are learned at information sessions. I think it's fine to give an explanation of what the activity is (and I believe the school website should be improved greatly in that regard, along with indicating what activities are actually active - it should align with the activities in the Canvas extracurriculars course students have access to....but only if they sign up/accept it. If you want a suggestion: make that a default class for every student so every student has access to it.) But I don't think a flyer necessarily has to have all the details about transportation and everything else.

My child attends the school, they have friends, this is what their friends have said. At high school level, kids are capable of conveying why their parents object to something.

And like you said, there are very many capable students, but you are also right they aren't looking into college because it is overwhelming and daunting and a process they are familiar with and they are just trying to learn the basics of high school. They also are not looking at trade schools or other programs because unless they know of that through word of mouth the school isn't telling them.

I know you want to pretend there is no difference and brag about how your child attends a diverse school and all that.

Absolutely not a factor and completely irrelevant. My experience with the school is that they very much encourage post-secondary plans. But you can't make a horse drink - you can only lead it to water. I just disagree with you that these efforts aren't happening and the various types of information are so inaccessible. Clearly from your anecdote, students talk to each other!