Has anyone been unhappy with Gonzaga?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The neighborhood around the school isn’t great

But great for service opportunities.

This.This. This.

Ms. Murphy's social justice class changed my son. He experienced sadness and a broken system but arrived at the end with humility, more humble and a desire to make a difference as an adult in the large world in front of him. He walked the streets of DC to feed the homeless and assisted in the homeless shelter (in the basement of St. Als). How many boys get to witness daily this level of kindness from a community? I know this all starts in the home but young men can be deterred by so many factors but Gonzaga leveled up.

Who’s an example of why people don’t like Gonzaga. They’re homeless people everywhere not just in DC.

They are homeless shelters literally everywhere.

Every school has service.

You can see from this post how they think it’s “different“ for them, and it’s not.

This constant back patting is one of my pet peeves about GZ. I think it’s great that they do outreach to the homeless but they think they are special for doing so. They seem to be doing it more for their image than to truly help people in need.

As a previous poster said, many schools also help at homeless shelters and soup kitchens, and do outreach to those in need. Also, it is easy to help the homeless and then turn around at the end of the day and go back to your mansion in Virginia where you can wash your hands of it all. Some GZ families are so busy bragging about helping the homeless that they forget that many kids live in neighborhoods where they interact with homeless people and the issues that go with it every day. For some kids, experiencing the “grit” of the city is not a mere novelty, but it is life.

I am happy that GZ emphasizes service and having a shelter onsite, but they need to humble themselves a bit. There is more to DC than just Eye Street.

I don’t have a kid at GZ but I live in the city and somewhat near GZ by H St. NE

You just cannot compare the homeless and poor in that whole area by GZ to just any isolated homeless shelter other schools might visit. There is a huge difference of a blighted and poor neighborhood to just some isolated shelter. The school is actually in this community and living it and serving it everyday. It’s not like the kids are going to a homeless shelter once a month.

If you don’t understand what I am saying then you are in your bubble and have not lived or been around much of the homeless community.

GZ doesn’t just talk the talk once a month or few times a year. They walk the walk and it is their reality daily because they are physically in it.

I applaud them and they are doing a lot more than what outsiders believe.

I'm not a GZ booster, but agree. Although it's a great school, there are plenty of legitimate critiques of Gonzaga, which is what the OP was looking for, but their dedication to service is not one of them.

that's not the critique though, it's that they think they do more. They don't all the schools are dedicated to service. It's no different.

Please you think the homeless are in shelters in the rest of the country... for example you think Wheaton triangle doesn't have homeless on every corner.

GZ oh boy.

I’m the PP from H St and sorry but you are proving your ignorance. They are running a homeless shelter. Do you even know what that all entails??

They are absolutely doing a ton more than other schools whose kids visit a shelter a few times a year. No other private school in the DMV are getting their hands dirty, managing the huge challenges of this, being actually responsible for serving the homeless and meeting all their needs, etc…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The neighborhood around the school isn’t great

But great for service opportunities.

This.This. This.

Ms. Murphy's social justice class changed my son. He experienced sadness and a broken system but arrived at the end with humility, more humble and a desire to make a difference as an adult in the large world in front of him. He walked the streets of DC to feed the homeless and assisted in the homeless shelter (in the basement of St. Als). How many boys get to witness daily this level of kindness from a community? I know this all starts in the home but young men can be deterred by so many factors but Gonzaga leveled up.

Who’s an example of why people don’t like Gonzaga. They’re homeless people everywhere not just in DC.

They are homeless shelters literally everywhere.

Every school has service.

You can see from this post how they think it’s “different“ for them, and it’s not.

This constant back patting is one of my pet peeves about GZ. I think it’s great that they do outreach to the homeless but they think they are special for doing so. They seem to be doing it more for their image than to truly help people in need.

As a previous poster said, many schools also help at homeless shelters and soup kitchens, and do outreach to those in need. Also, it is easy to help the homeless and then turn around at the end of the day and go back to your mansion in Virginia where you can wash your hands of it all. Some GZ families are so busy bragging about helping the homeless that they forget that many kids live in neighborhoods where they interact with homeless people and the issues that go with it every day. For some kids, experiencing the “grit” of the city is not a mere novelty, but it is life.

I am happy that GZ emphasizes service and having a shelter onsite, but they need to humble themselves a bit. There is more to DC than just Eye Street.

I don’t have a kid at GZ but I live in the city and somewhat near GZ by H St. NE

You just cannot compare the homeless and poor in that whole area by GZ to just any isolated homeless shelter other schools might visit. There is a huge difference of a blighted and poor neighborhood to just some isolated shelter. The school is actually in this community and living it and serving it everyday. It’s not like the kids are going to a homeless shelter once a month.

If you don’t understand what I am saying then you are in your bubble and have not lived or been around much of the homeless community.

GZ doesn’t just talk the talk once a month or few times a year. They walk the walk and it is their reality daily because they are physically in it.

I applaud them and they are doing a lot more than what outsiders believe.

I'm not a GZ booster, but agree. Although it's a great school, there are plenty of legitimate critiques of Gonzaga, which is what the OP was looking for, but their dedication to service is not one of them.

that's not the critique though, it's that they think they do more. They don't all the schools are dedicated to service. It's no different.

Please you think the homeless are in shelters in the rest of the country... for example you think Wheaton triangle doesn't have homeless on every corner.

GZ oh boy.

I’m the PP from H St and sorry but you are proving your ignorance. They are running a homeless shelter. Do you even know what that all entails??

They are absolutely doing a ton more than other schools whose kids visit a shelter a few times a year. No other private school in the DMV are getting their hands dirty, managing the huge challenges of this, being actually responsible for serving the homeless and meeting all their needs, etc…

You realize some kids go to school with homeless kids, and are friends with them right?

You’re making much to do about nothing.

I am a multigenerational GZ family, and you don’t represent us well. I feel like the new families drink more Kool aid than the ones that have been around for decades. You have no experience with other schools. And you have blinders on.

[Anonymous]

I was at a Gonzaga soccer game where three kids on the bench got yellow cards. How do you even do that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The neighborhood around the school isn’t great

But great for service opportunities.

This.This. This.

Ms. Murphy's social justice class changed my son. He experienced sadness and a broken system but arrived at the end with humility, more humble and a desire to make a difference as an adult in the large world in front of him. He walked the streets of DC to feed the homeless and assisted in the homeless shelter (in the basement of St. Als). How many boys get to witness daily this level of kindness from a community? I know this all starts in the home but young men can be deterred by so many factors but Gonzaga leveled up.

Who’s an example of why people don’t like Gonzaga. They’re homeless people everywhere not just in DC.

They are homeless shelters literally everywhere.

Every school has service.

You can see from this post how they think it’s “different“ for them, and it’s not.

This constant back patting is one of my pet peeves about GZ. I think it’s great that they do outreach to the homeless but they think they are special for doing so. They seem to be doing it more for their image than to truly help people in need.

As a previous poster said, many schools also help at homeless shelters and soup kitchens, and do outreach to those in need. Also, it is easy to help the homeless and then turn around at the end of the day and go back to your mansion in Virginia where you can wash your hands of it all. Some GZ families are so busy bragging about helping the homeless that they forget that many kids live in neighborhoods where they interact with homeless people and the issues that go with it every day. For some kids, experiencing the “grit” of the city is not a mere novelty, but it is life.

I am happy that GZ emphasizes service and having a shelter onsite, but they need to humble themselves a bit. There is more to DC than just Eye Street.

I don’t have a kid at GZ but I live in the city and somewhat near GZ by H St. NE

You just cannot compare the homeless and poor in that whole area by GZ to just any isolated homeless shelter other schools might visit. There is a huge difference of a blighted and poor neighborhood to just some isolated shelter. The school is actually in this community and living it and serving it everyday. It’s not like the kids are going to a homeless shelter once a month.

If you don’t understand what I am saying then you are in your bubble and have not lived or been around much of the homeless community.

GZ doesn’t just talk the talk once a month or few times a year. They walk the walk and it is their reality daily because they are physically in it.

I applaud them and they are doing a lot more than what outsiders believe.

I'm not a GZ booster, but agree. Although it's a great school, there are plenty of legitimate critiques of Gonzaga, which is what the OP was looking for, but their dedication to service is not one of them.

that's not the critique though, it's that they think they do more. They don't all the schools are dedicated to service. It's no different.

Please you think the homeless are in shelters in the rest of the country... for example you think Wheaton triangle doesn't have homeless on every corner.

GZ oh boy.

I’m the PP from H St and sorry but you are proving your ignorance. They are running a homeless shelter. Do you even know what that all entails??

They are absolutely doing a ton more than other schools whose kids visit a shelter a few times a year. No other private school in the DMV are getting their hands dirty, managing the huge challenges of this, being actually responsible for serving the homeless and meeting all their needs, etc…

You realize some kids go to school with homeless kids, and are friends with them right?

You’re making much to do about nothing.

I am a multigenerational GZ family, and you don’t represent us well. I feel like the new families drink more Kool aid than the ones that have been around for decades. You have no experience with other schools. And you have blinders on.

I am the PP and don’t have any kids at GZ so absolutely no skin in the game at all. It is not nothing. The school is servicing its community and credit should be given where credit is due.

It’s too bad you don’t see that. I do as an outsider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The neighborhood around the school isn’t great

But great for service opportunities.

This.This. This.

Ms. Murphy's social justice class changed my son. He experienced sadness and a broken system but arrived at the end with humility, more humble and a desire to make a difference as an adult in the large world in front of him. He walked the streets of DC to feed the homeless and assisted in the homeless shelter (in the basement of St. Als). How many boys get to witness daily this level of kindness from a community? I know this all starts in the home but young men can be deterred by so many factors but Gonzaga leveled up.

Who’s an example of why people don’t like Gonzaga. They’re homeless people everywhere not just in DC.

They are homeless shelters literally everywhere.

Every school has service.

You can see from this post how they think it’s “different“ for them, and it’s not.

This constant back patting is one of my pet peeves about GZ. I think it’s great that they do outreach to the homeless but they think they are special for doing so. They seem to be doing it more for their image than to truly help people in need.

As a previous poster said, many schools also help at homeless shelters and soup kitchens, and do outreach to those in need. Also, it is easy to help the homeless and then turn around at the end of the day and go back to your mansion in Virginia where you can wash your hands of it all. Some GZ families are so busy bragging about helping the homeless that they forget that many kids live in neighborhoods where they interact with homeless people and the issues that go with it every day. For some kids, experiencing the “grit” of the city is not a mere novelty, but it is life.

I am happy that GZ emphasizes service and having a shelter onsite, but they need to humble themselves a bit. There is more to DC than just Eye Street.

I don’t have a kid at GZ but I live in the city and somewhat near GZ by H St. NE

You just cannot compare the homeless and poor in that whole area by GZ to just any isolated homeless shelter other schools might visit. There is a huge difference of a blighted and poor neighborhood to just some isolated shelter. The school is actually in this community and living it and serving it everyday. It’s not like the kids are going to a homeless shelter once a month.

If you don’t understand what I am saying then you are in your bubble and have not lived or been around much of the homeless community.

GZ doesn’t just talk the talk once a month or few times a year. They walk the walk and it is their reality daily because they are physically in it.

I applaud them and they are doing a lot more than what outsiders believe.

I'm not a GZ booster, but agree. Although it's a great school, there are plenty of legitimate critiques of Gonzaga, which is what the OP was looking for, but their dedication to service is not one of them.

that's not the critique though, it's that they think they do more. They don't all the schools are dedicated to service. It's no different.

Please you think the homeless are in shelters in the rest of the country... for example you think Wheaton triangle doesn't have homeless on every corner.

GZ oh boy.

I’m the PP from H St and sorry but you are proving your ignorance. They are running a homeless shelter. Do you even know what that all entails??

They are absolutely doing a ton more than other schools whose kids visit a shelter a few times a year. No other private school in the DMV are getting their hands dirty, managing the huge challenges of this, being actually responsible for serving the homeless and meeting all their needs, etc…

You realize some kids go to school with homeless kids, and are friends with them right?

You’re making much to do about nothing.

I am a multigenerational GZ family, and you don’t represent us well. I feel like the new families drink more Kool aid than the ones that have been around for decades. You have no experience with other schools. And you have blinders on.

I am the PP and don’t have any kids at GZ so absolutely no skin in the game at all. It is not nothing. The school is servicing its community and credit should be given where credit is due.

It’s too bad you don’t see that. I do as an outsider.

Ignore the PP who claims multigenerational legacy. I sincerely doubt it. They are most likely a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say needing to have the student body work on humility, arrogance, and entitlement is a problem. I wish other G parents would see this as well and make a concerted effort to fix this issue. But unfortunately in my experience that awareness from parents is rare, so my hats to you, PP.

You can generally tell if a Gonzaga parent has drank the kool aid if they have the following on their post: “Eagles Fly High”, “God is Purple”, or seem to think AMDG is only for Gonzaga (!) and not the motto of the Jesuits (and therefore used at every Jesuit grade school, high school, and university).

NP here. GMAB. I have a kid at Gonzaga as well as other kids at other DMV independent private schools. Your angst is not unique to Gonzaga and basically could describe many current student at most of the DMV privates for being (Landon, St. Albans, NCS, Potomac, SJC, Visi, Holton, SSSAS, Maret, etc). If you're going to single out Gonzaga, which has a much more socio economically and racially diverse student body than other DMV privates, then be specific as to why it's unique to Gonzaga. Because they have school spirit? Because they drink purple kool aid and have school pride? What makes them particularly more arrogant and entitled than their peers at Landon or St. Albans or another all boys school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say needing to have the student body work on humility, arrogance, and entitlement is a problem. I wish other G parents would see this as well and make a concerted effort to fix this issue. But unfortunately in my experience that awareness from parents is rare, so my hats to you, PP.

You can generally tell if a Gonzaga parent has drank the kool aid if they have the following on their post: “Eagles Fly High”, “God is Purple”, or seem to think AMDG is only for Gonzaga (!) and not the motto of the Jesuits (and therefore used at every Jesuit grade school, high school, and university).

NP here. GMAB. I have a kid at Gonzaga as well as other kids at other DMV independent private schools. Your angst is not unique to Gonzaga and basically could describe many current student at most of the DMV privates for being (Landon, St. Albans, NCS, Potomac, SJC, Visi, Holton, SSSAS, Maret, etc). If you're going to single out Gonzaga, which has a much more socio economically and racially diverse student body than other DMV privates, then be specific as to why it's unique to Gonzaga. Because they have school spirit? Because they drink purple kool aid and have school pride? What makes them particularly more arrogant and entitled than their peers at Landon or St. Albans or another all boys school?

This is true. GZ is much more diverse than other privates in terms of race and SES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS graduated a few years ago. He had a positive experience and for the most part, we were happy with his experience and the school. Our DS was a recruited athlete which is why we sent him to Gonzaga. Our two other children attended our local public high school.

No school is perfect and I have complaints about our public high school.

The main thing I didn't like about Gonzaga was the entitled air about many of the boys: At every single football game I attended, I saw visibly drunk Gonzaga students. I have gone to our local high school football games for over 20 years and very rarely see drunk students. The boys at Gonzaga are extremely polite to adults but I noticed at many events, there was always a significant number of boys who did not clean up after themselves - dirty plates/napkins would be left on tables instead of being thrown into the trash cans. At our public high school, I've witnessed students being extremely rude to adults but they know to clean up after themselves. I witnessed unsportsmanlike behavior at several Gonzaga sporting events. Again, something I rarely saw when my other two played for our local high school.

Gonzaga boys are mostly entitled jerks fueled by parents who think boys will be boys. Not the brightest bulbs

Sporting events I have witnessed disgusting behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say needing to have the student body work on humility, arrogance, and entitlement is a problem. I wish other G parents would see this as well and make a concerted effort to fix this issue. But unfortunately in my experience that awareness from parents is rare, so my hats to you, PP.

You can generally tell if a Gonzaga parent has drank the kool aid if they have the following on their post: “Eagles Fly High”, “God is Purple”, or seem to think AMDG is only for Gonzaga (!) and not the motto of the Jesuits (and therefore used at every Jesuit grade school, high school, and university).

NP here. GMAB. I have a kid at Gonzaga as well as other kids at other DMV independent private schools. Your angst is not unique to Gonzaga and basically could describe many current student at most of the DMV privates for being (Landon, St. Albans, NCS, Potomac, SJC, Visi, Holton, SSSAS, Maret, etc). If you're going to single out Gonzaga, which has a much more socio economically and racially diverse student body than other DMV privates, then be specific as to why it's unique to Gonzaga. Because they have school spirit? Because they drink purple kool aid and have school pride? What makes them particularly more arrogant and entitled than their peers at Landon or St. Albans or another all boys school?

This is true. GZ is much more diverse than other privates in terms of race and SES.

The data I've seen don't bear that out with regard to race. Nor do the optics at public events.

https://projects.propublica.org/private-school-demographics/states/dc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The neighborhood around the school isn’t great

But great for service opportunities.

This.This. This.

Ms. Murphy's social justice class changed my son. He experienced sadness and a broken system but arrived at the end with humility, more humble and a desire to make a difference as an adult in the large world in front of him. He walked the streets of DC to feed the homeless and assisted in the homeless shelter (in the basement of St. Als). How many boys get to witness daily this level of kindness from a community? I know this all starts in the home but young men can be deterred by so many factors but Gonzaga leveled up.

Who’s an example of why people don’t like Gonzaga. They’re homeless people everywhere not just in DC.

They are homeless shelters literally everywhere.

Every school has service.

You can see from this post how they think it’s “different“ for them, and it’s not.

This constant back patting is one of my pet peeves about GZ. I think it’s great that they do outreach to the homeless but they think they are special for doing so. They seem to be doing it more for their image than to truly help people in need.

As a previous poster said, many schools also help at homeless shelters and soup kitchens, and do outreach to those in need. Also, it is easy to help the homeless and then turn around at the end of the day and go back to your mansion in Virginia where you can wash your hands of it all. Some GZ families are so busy bragging about helping the homeless that they forget that many kids live in neighborhoods where they interact with homeless people and the issues that go with it every day. For some kids, experiencing the “grit” of the city is not a mere novelty, but it is life.

I am happy that GZ emphasizes service and having a shelter onsite, but they need to humble themselves a bit. There is more to DC than just Eye Street.

I don’t have a kid at GZ but I live in the city and somewhat near GZ by H St. NE

You just cannot compare the homeless and poor in that whole area by GZ to just any isolated homeless shelter other schools might visit. There is a huge difference of a blighted and poor neighborhood to just some isolated shelter. The school is actually in this community and living it and serving it everyday. It’s not like the kids are going to a homeless shelter once a month.

If you don’t understand what I am saying then you are in your bubble and have not lived or been around much of the homeless community.

GZ doesn’t just talk the talk once a month or few times a year. They walk the walk and it is their reality daily because they are physically in it.

I applaud them and they are doing a lot more than what outsiders believe.

I'm not a GZ booster, but agree. Although it's a great school, there are plenty of legitimate critiques of Gonzaga, which is what the OP was looking for, but their dedication to service is not one of them.

that's not the critique though, it's that they think they do more. They don't all the schools are dedicated to service. It's no different.

Please you think the homeless are in shelters in the rest of the country... for example you think Wheaton triangle doesn't have homeless on every corner.

GZ oh boy.

I’m the PP from H St and sorry but you are proving your ignorance. They are running a homeless shelter. Do you even know what that all entails??

They are absolutely doing a ton more than other schools whose kids visit a shelter a few times a year. No other private school in the DMV are getting their hands dirty, managing the huge challenges of this, being actually responsible for serving the homeless and meeting all their needs, etc…

You realize some kids go to school with homeless kids, and are friends with them right?

You’re making much to do about nothing.

I am a multigenerational GZ family, and you don’t represent us well. I feel like the new families drink more Kool aid than the ones that have been around for decades. You have no experience with other schools. And you have blinders on.

I am the PP and don’t have any kids at GZ so absolutely no skin in the game at all. It is not nothing. The school is servicing its community and credit should be given where credit is due.

It’s too bad you don’t see that. I do as an outsider.

I’m not saying that they should get credit for the service they do. I’m just saying all the schools do great services. It’s not different or better or more amazing.

I had one of the mom say to me oh my gosh, I’m so glad we go to Gonzaga this Kairos is amazing. And I was like yes all the ADW schools do it seems to be amazing. We didn’t do when we went here so I have no personal experience .

They were like is our Kairos different, nope same as everyone else. (Minus the vandalism)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say needing to have the student body work on humility, arrogance, and entitlement is a problem. I wish other G parents would see this as well and make a concerted effort to fix this issue. But unfortunately in my experience that awareness from parents is rare, so my hats to you, PP.

You can generally tell if a Gonzaga parent has drank the kool aid if they have the following on their post: “Eagles Fly High”, “God is Purple”, or seem to think AMDG is only for Gonzaga (!) and not the motto of the Jesuits (and therefore used at every Jesuit grade school, high school, and university).

NP here. GMAB. I have a kid at Gonzaga as well as other kids at other DMV independent private schools. Your angst is not unique to Gonzaga and basically could describe many current student at most of the DMV privates for being (Landon, St. Albans, NCS, Potomac, SJC, Visi, Holton, SSSAS, Maret, etc). If you're going to single out Gonzaga, which has a much more socio economically and racially diverse student body than other DMV privates, then be specific as to why it's unique to Gonzaga. Because they have school spirit? Because they drink purple kool aid and have school pride? What makes them particularly more arrogant and entitled than their peers at Landon or St. Albans or another all boys school?

This is true. GZ is much more diverse than other privates in terms of race and SES.

The data I've seen don't bear that out with regard to race. Nor do the optics at public events.

https://projects.propublica.org/private-school-demographics/states/dc

ADW has the numbers somewhere on their site and GZ (surprisingly) was the least diverse. Actually Prep was more diverse which was a big surprise.

And since PP mentioned Landon it’s way more diverse with respect to race, no data on income is published.

Diversity is definitely not the strength.

[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:The neighborhood around the school isn’t great

But great for service opportunities.

This.This. This.

Ms. Murphy's social justice class changed my son. He experienced sadness and a broken system but arrived at the end with humility, more humble and a desire to make a difference as an adult in the large world in front of him. He walked the streets of DC to feed the homeless and assisted in the homeless shelter (in the basement of St. Als). How many boys get to witness daily this level of kindness from a community? I know this all starts in the home but young men can be deterred by so many factors but Gonzaga leveled up.

Who’s an example of why people don’t like Gonzaga. They’re homeless people everywhere not just in DC.

They are homeless shelters literally everywhere.

Every school has service.

You can see from this post how they think it’s “different“ for them, and it’s not.

This constant back patting is one of my pet peeves about GZ. I think it’s great that they do outreach to the homeless but they think they are special for doing so. They seem to be doing it more for their image than to truly help people in need.

As a previous poster said, many schools also help at homeless shelters and soup kitchens, and do outreach to those in need. Also, it is easy to help the homeless and then turn around at the end of the day and go back to your mansion in Virginia where you can wash your hands of it all. Some GZ families are so busy bragging about helping the homeless that they forget that many kids live in neighborhoods where they interact with homeless people and the issues that go with it every day. For some kids, experiencing the “grit” of the city is not a mere novelty, but it is life.

I am happy that GZ emphasizes service and having a shelter onsite, but they need to humble themselves a bit. There is more to DC than just Eye Street.

I don’t have a kid at GZ but I live in the city and somewhat near GZ by H St. NE

You just cannot compare the homeless and poor in that whole area by GZ to just any isolated homeless shelter other schools might visit. There is a huge difference of a blighted and poor neighborhood to just some isolated shelter. The school is actually in this community and living it and serving it everyday. It’s not like the kids are going to a homeless shelter once a month.

If you don’t understand what I am saying then you are in your bubble and have not lived or been around much of the homeless community.

GZ doesn’t just talk the talk once a month or few times a year. They walk the walk and it is their reality daily because they are physically in it.

I applaud them and they are doing a lot more than what outsiders believe.

I'm not a GZ booster, but agree. Although it's a great school, there are plenty of legitimate critiques of Gonzaga, which is what the OP was looking for, but their dedication to service is not one of them.

that's not the critique though, it's that they think they do more. They don't all the schools are dedicated to service. It's no different.

Please you think the homeless are in shelters in the rest of the country... for example you think Wheaton triangle doesn't have homeless on every corner.

GZ oh boy.

I’m the PP from H St and sorry but you are proving your ignorance. They are running a homeless shelter. Do you even know what that all entails??

They are absolutely doing a ton more than other schools whose kids visit a shelter a few times a year. No other private school in the DMV are getting their hands dirty, managing the huge challenges of this, being actually responsible for serving the homeless and meeting all their needs, etc…

You realize some kids go to school with homeless kids, and are friends with them right?

You’re making much to do about nothing.

I am a multigenerational GZ family, and you don’t represent us well. I feel like the new families drink more Kool aid than the ones that have been around for decades. You have no experience with other schools. And you have blinders on.

I am the PP and don’t have any kids at GZ so absolutely no skin in the game at all. It is not nothing. The school is servicing its community and credit should be given where credit is due.

It’s too bad you don’t see that. I do as an outsider.

Ignore the PP who claims multigenerational legacy. I sincerely doubt it. They are most likely a troll.

Nope … We are the Irish that started this but not exactly happy about the direction it’s going.

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Anonymous wrote:The neighborhood around the school isn’t great

But great for service opportunities.

This.This. This.

Ms. Murphy's social justice class changed my son. He experienced sadness and a broken system but arrived at the end with humility, more humble and a desire to make a difference as an adult in the large world in front of him. He walked the streets of DC to feed the homeless and assisted in the homeless shelter (in the basement of St. Als). How many boys get to witness daily this level of kindness from a community? I know this all starts in the home but young men can be deterred by so many factors but Gonzaga leveled up.

Who’s an example of why people don’t like Gonzaga. They’re homeless people everywhere not just in DC.

They are homeless shelters literally everywhere.

Every school has service.

You can see from this post how they think it’s “different“ for them, and it’s not.

This constant back patting is one of my pet peeves about GZ. I think it’s great that they do outreach to the homeless but they think they are special for doing so. They seem to be doing it more for their image than to truly help people in need.

As a previous poster said, many schools also help at homeless shelters and soup kitchens, and do outreach to those in need. Also, it is easy to help the homeless and then turn around at the end of the day and go back to your mansion in Virginia where you can wash your hands of it all. Some GZ families are so busy bragging about helping the homeless that they forget that many kids live in neighborhoods where they interact with homeless people and the issues that go with it every day. For some kids, experiencing the “grit” of the city is not a mere novelty, but it is life.

I am happy that GZ emphasizes service and having a shelter onsite, but they need to humble themselves a bit. There is more to DC than just Eye Street.

I don’t have a kid at GZ but I live in the city and somewhat near GZ by H St. NE

You just cannot compare the homeless and poor in that whole area by GZ to just any isolated homeless shelter other schools might visit. There is a huge difference of a blighted and poor neighborhood to just some isolated shelter. The school is actually in this community and living it and serving it everyday. It’s not like the kids are going to a homeless shelter once a month.

If you don’t understand what I am saying then you are in your bubble and have not lived or been around much of the homeless community.

GZ doesn’t just talk the talk once a month or few times a year. They walk the walk and it is their reality daily because they are physically in it.

I applaud them and they are doing a lot more than what outsiders believe.

I'm not a GZ booster, but agree. Although it's a great school, there are plenty of legitimate critiques of Gonzaga, which is what the OP was looking for, but their dedication to service is not one of them.

that's not the critique though, it's that they think they do more. They don't all the schools are dedicated to service. It's no different.

Please you think the homeless are in shelters in the rest of the country... for example you think Wheaton triangle doesn't have homeless on every corner.

GZ oh boy.

I’m the PP from H St and sorry but you are proving your ignorance. They are running a homeless shelter. Do you even know what that all entails??

They are absolutely doing a ton more than other schools whose kids visit a shelter a few times a year. No other private school in the DMV are getting their hands dirty, managing the huge challenges of this, being actually responsible for serving the homeless and meeting all their needs, etc…

You realize some kids go to school with homeless kids, and are friends with them right?

You’re making much to do about nothing.

I am a multigenerational GZ family, and you don’t represent us well. I feel like the new families drink more Kool aid than the ones that have been around for decades. You have no experience with other schools. And you have blinders on.

I am the PP and don’t have any kids at GZ so absolutely no skin in the game at all. It is not nothing. The school is servicing its community and credit should be given where credit is due.

It’s too bad you don’t see that. I do as an outsider.

Ignore the PP who claims multigenerational legacy. I sincerely doubt it. They are most likely a troll.

Nope … We are the Irish that started this but not exactly happy about the direction it’s going.

Did you just post 4 times in a row?

[Anonymous]

Our son is at Gonzaga. A few thoughts::

- It is a big school that is many different things to many different people. There are many that take the service orientation of the Jesuits very seriously and others that could care less. There are some whose idea of service and moral behavior is not even remotely aligned with mine (or with the Jesuits').

-The McKenna Center is real. It legitimately serves members of the community in need. It is not run by the school. It is under the Jesuits who also run the school. It seems like students could conceivably go through their entire four years without stepping foot inside, but it is a relatively convenient way to complete some of their service hours. It seems as if some students really connect to the Center and their mission, others have varying levels of interaction with the Center and the people it serves, and some students may bring in a few cans of food for a food drive every once in a while but have no other interaction. As with many things, the opportunity is there for them if they want to take advantage of it.

-It is wonderful to have school spirit and traditions, but does God really need to bleed purple? Some of it seems a little over the top to the point of being offputting. And if it leads to denigration of others (e.g., opposing teams), it's a problem.

-There is a heck of a lot of money flowing through that school, so even with the service requirements and orientation, a boy could still exist in a pretty isolated bubble of privilege. There is no guarantee that Gonzaga turns out "A Man For Others".

-A lot of the annual service requirement is through two dedicated service days held during the school day every year. I'm sure there is a power in performing service with peers, but this system actually gives students credit for a lot more service hours than they actually perform, means students don't have to be maximally intentional about fulfilling their service hours, and may sometimes be drawn away from the people they are serving by the people they are serving with. Ironically, a DC public school student performing their minimum service hours (100) in good faith may end up with more actual time performing service than a Gonzaga grad who did the minimum.

- Gonzaga does have a lot of amazing opportunities. I doubt many boys who go there regret it.

[Anonymous]

The school does a very good job of turning freshmen boys into men by the time they graduate, which leads to a lot of student and parent pride. It’s different than the other Catholic high schools in that regard. This causes most parents to overlook or not talk about the downsides.

For us the downsides are; it’s expensive (obviously), picking your kid up from practice at 5:30 and driving back to the Maryland suburbs is not fun, it sorta has a mid Atlantic preppy golf shirt/khakis/boat shoes vibe where a lot of the kids do go to southern schools and join fraternities, sports team can be hard to make for a kid without natural abilities/attributes, my kid constantly complains about the quality of the school lunches so we spend a decent amount at the quick serve spots nearby…which are actually very good.

But these downsides are really nit picky when you kids high school experience is so positive. We wouldn’t change a thing.