When will Hardy Middle School be as attractive as Deal Middle School?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uh, lots of kids at Deal get cut after tryouts for sports cause there are not enough spots for interested students. For high school I understand that but in middle school most students should be accommodated If they have the interest. Just too many kids. And if my athletic Hardy kid wants to play a sport that is not offered at Hardy he will try out for the deal team because that is permissible. And I would add that school sports are not the gold standard anymore. It's all about leagues and travel teams now. And finally, the mayor and chancellor made a big deal about how they were investing in all middle schools this upcoming school year to increase sport offerings. Anyway, not sure sports is the best argument why Deal is great and Hardy is not.

Then you would think that Hardy would expand its sports offerings to compete with Deal in these circumstances.

Not.

The year I spent listening to the Hardy principal when our DC was an IB feeder 5th grader, and then as the smiling head-nodding "current parent" to other IB feeder 5th grade parents, she just kept comparing the Hardy schedule, size, clubs etc to Deal. She is an excellent sales person. In reality we were experiencing horrible mediocrity and expectations to rise to... mediocrity. The only exception is that Hardy has just as many (may even have had more) District-wide overall and division science fair winners as Deal even though the student body is far smaller. Of course I never actually heard that from the principal herself or read about it in her endless self-absorbed "Middle School Moments" (usually about her sons who attend a private boys school - the last one was about buying her son's last blue blazer and tuxedo for prom - how many Hardy families will be BUYING a tuxedo for their 17yo?!). Anyway, there is a mile-long list of reasons why sports cannot be added or clubs or courses. The school finally added a student council midway through this academic year and a new 7th grade English teacher who started in January is organizing a play for the first time. Maybe a yearbook or student newspaper might happen at some point (or...not).

The science fair highlights one of the huge drawbacks of Deal's size: for every such event or competition, Deal is only allowed to send the same number of kids as every other school, even though Deal is the size of 4 or 5 of them. So if a school can send 4 kids to an event, you have a 1:25 chance at Hardy and a 1:125 chance at Deal. Same with sports teams. The coaches say they could field 2 or 3 competitive teams, but are only allowed to have one. This city is unbalanced and it is hurting kids everywhere.

I recently heard that Deal has three baseball teams. Is that accurate? I was under the impression that this meant three school teams, but perhaps I misunderstood and the person who told me meant there are three Little League teams of deal kids?

Yes there are 3 at Deal - baseball squads A, B and C. That means ~45-54 kids can play.

I think they had multiple teams in other sports as well.

[Anonymous]

Yikes! 3 sets of full time coaches, too?

[Anonymous]

Is that new this year then? The coaches were all about this problem during orientation in 2015.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yikes! 3 sets of full time coaches, too?

Well, why not? You know they have more teachers and assistant principals than small schools too, right? Deal is the equivalent of 4 schools in one building, so it needs the staff of 4 schools.

[Anonymous]

So are they all full time and qualified or do some teams get the assistants and volunteers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uh, lots of kids at Deal get cut after tryouts for sports cause there are not enough spots for interested students. For high school I understand that but in middle school most students should be accommodated If they have the interest. Just too many kids. And if my athletic Hardy kid wants to play a sport that is not offered at Hardy he will try out for the deal team because that is permissible. And I would add that school sports are not the gold standard anymore. It's all about leagues and travel teams now. And finally, the mayor and chancellor made a big deal about how they were investing in all middle schools this upcoming school year to increase sport offerings. Anyway, not sure sports is the best argument why Deal is great and Hardy is not.

Then you would think that Hardy would expand its sports offerings to compete with Deal in these circumstances.

Not.

The year I spent listening to the Hardy principal when our DC was an IB feeder 5th grader, and then as the smiling head-nodding "current parent" to other IB feeder 5th grade parents, she just kept comparing the Hardy schedule, size, clubs etc to Deal. She is an excellent sales person. In reality we were experiencing horrible mediocrity and expectations to rise to... mediocrity. The only exception is that Hardy has just as many (may even have had more) District-wide overall and division science fair winners as Deal even though the student body is far smaller. Of course I never actually heard that from the principal herself or read about it in her endless self-absorbed "Middle School Moments" (usually about her sons who attend a private boys school - the last one was about buying her son's last blue blazer and tuxedo for prom - how many Hardy families will be BUYING a tuxedo for their 17yo?!). Anyway, there is a mile-long list of reasons why sports cannot be added or clubs or courses. The school finally added a student council midway through this academic year and a new 7th grade English teacher who started in January is organizing a play for the first time. Maybe a yearbook or student newspaper might happen at some point (or...not).

The science fair highlights one of the huge drawbacks of Deal's size: for every such event or competition, Deal is only allowed to send the same number of kids as every other school, even though Deal is the size of 4 or 5 of them. So if a school can send 4 kids to an event, you have a 1:25 chance at Hardy and a 1:125 chance at Deal. Same with sports teams. The coaches say they could field 2 or 3 competitive teams, but are only allowed to have one. This city is unbalanced and it is hurting kids everywhere.

I recently heard that Deal has three baseball teams. Is that accurate? I was under the impression that this meant three school teams, but perhaps I misunderstood and the person who told me meant there are three Little League teams of deal kids?

Yes there are 3 at Deal - baseball squads A, B and C. That means ~45-54 kids can play.

I think they had multiple teams in other sports as well.

Which?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So are they all full time and qualified or do some teams get the assistants and volunteers?

Coach in DCPS isn't a full-time job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uh, lots of kids at Deal get cut after tryouts for sports cause there are not enough spots for interested students. For high school I understand that but in middle school most students should be accommodated If they have the interest. Just too many kids. And if my athletic Hardy kid wants to play a sport that is not offered at Hardy he will try out for the deal team because that is permissible. And I would add that school sports are not the gold standard anymore. It's all about leagues and travel teams now. And finally, the mayor and chancellor made a big deal about how they were investing in all middle schools this upcoming school year to increase sport offerings. Anyway, not sure sports is the best argument why Deal is great and Hardy is not.

Then you would think that Hardy would expand its sports offerings to compete with Deal in these circumstances.

Not.

The year I spent listening to the Hardy principal when our DC was an IB feeder 5th grader, and then as the smiling head-nodding "current parent" to other IB feeder 5th grade parents, she just kept comparing the Hardy schedule, size, clubs etc to Deal. She is an excellent sales person. In reality we were experiencing horrible mediocrity and expectations to rise to... mediocrity. The only exception is that Hardy has just as many (may even have had more) District-wide overall and division science fair winners as Deal even though the student body is far smaller. Of course I never actually heard that from the principal herself or read about it in her endless self-absorbed "Middle School Moments" (usually about her sons who attend a private boys school - the last one was about buying her son's last blue blazer and tuxedo for prom - how many Hardy families will be BUYING a tuxedo for their 17yo?!). Anyway, there is a mile-long list of reasons why sports cannot be added or clubs or courses. The school finally added a student council midway through this academic year and a new 7th grade English teacher who started in January is organizing a play for the first time. Maybe a yearbook or student newspaper might happen at some point (or...not).

The science fair highlights one of the huge drawbacks of Deal's size: for every such event or competition, Deal is only allowed to send the same number of kids as every other school, even though Deal is the size of 4 or 5 of them. So if a school can send 4 kids to an event, you have a 1:25 chance at Hardy and a 1:125 chance at Deal. Same with sports teams. The coaches say they could field 2 or 3 competitive teams, but are only allowed to have one. This city is unbalanced and it is hurting kids everywhere.

I recently heard that Deal has three baseball teams. Is that accurate? I was under the impression that this meant three school teams, but perhaps I misunderstood and the person who told me meant there are three Little League teams of deal kids?

Yes there are 3 at Deal - baseball squads A, B and C. That means ~45-54 kids can play.

I think they had multiple teams in other sports as well.

Which?

Soccer & Basketball

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uh, lots of kids at Deal get cut after tryouts for sports cause there are not enough spots for interested students. For high school I understand that but in middle school most students should be accommodated If they have the interest. Just too many kids. And if my athletic Hardy kid wants to play a sport that is not offered at Hardy he will try out for the deal team because that is permissible. And I would add that school sports are not the gold standard anymore. It's all about leagues and travel teams now. And finally, the mayor and chancellor made a big deal about how they were investing in all middle schools this upcoming school year to increase sport offerings. Anyway, not sure sports is the best argument why Deal is great and Hardy is not.

Then you would think that Hardy would expand its sports offerings to compete with Deal in these circumstances.

Not.

The year I spent listening to the Hardy principal when our DC was an IB feeder 5th grader, and then as the smiling head-nodding "current parent" to other IB feeder 5th grade parents, she just kept comparing the Hardy schedule, size, clubs etc to Deal. She is an excellent sales person. In reality we were experiencing horrible mediocrity and expectations to rise to... mediocrity. The only exception is that Hardy has just as many (may even have had more) District-wide overall and division science fair winners as Deal even though the student body is far smaller. Of course I never actually heard that from the principal herself or read about it in her endless self-absorbed "Middle School Moments" (usually about her sons who attend a private boys school - the last one was about buying her son's last blue blazer and tuxedo for prom - how many Hardy families will be BUYING a tuxedo for their 17yo?!). Anyway, there is a mile-long list of reasons why sports cannot be added or clubs or courses. The school finally added a student council midway through this academic year and a new 7th grade English teacher who started in January is organizing a play for the first time. Maybe a yearbook or student newspaper might happen at some point (or...not).

The part about the play is really sad. Hardy has a kick-ass theater, a lot of schools would kill for it. I had no idea they didn't use it for plays.

I don't know what's going on now but when my kid was at Hardy under Pope she acted in Shakespeare plays. This must have been some change at a later time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uh, lots of kids at Deal get cut after tryouts for sports cause there are not enough spots for interested students. For high school I understand that but in middle school most students should be accommodated If they have the interest. Just too many kids. And if my athletic Hardy kid wants to play a sport that is not offered at Hardy he will try out for the deal team because that is permissible. And I would add that school sports are not the gold standard anymore. It's all about leagues and travel teams now. And finally, the mayor and chancellor made a big deal about how they were investing in all middle schools this upcoming school year to increase sport offerings. Anyway, not sure sports is the best argument why Deal is great and Hardy is not.

Then you would think that Hardy would expand its sports offerings to compete with Deal in these circumstances.

Not.

The year I spent listening to the Hardy principal when our DC was an IB feeder 5th grader, and then as the smiling head-nodding "current parent" to other IB feeder 5th grade parents, she just kept comparing the Hardy schedule, size, clubs etc to Deal. She is an excellent sales person. In reality we were experiencing horrible mediocrity and expectations to rise to... mediocrity. The only exception is that Hardy has just as many (may even have had more) District-wide overall and division science fair winners as Deal even though the student body is far smaller. Of course I never actually heard that from the principal herself or read about it in her endless self-absorbed "Middle School Moments" (usually about her sons who attend a private boys school - the last one was about buying her son's last blue blazer and tuxedo for prom - how many Hardy families will be BUYING a tuxedo for their 17yo?!). Anyway, there is a mile-long list of reasons why sports cannot be added or clubs or courses. The school finally added a student council midway through this academic year and a new 7th grade English teacher who started in January is organizing a play for the first time. Maybe a yearbook or student newspaper might happen at some point (or...not).

The part about the play is really sad. Hardy has a kick-ass theater, a lot of schools would kill for it. I had no idea they didn't use it for plays.

I don't know what's going on now but when my kid was at Hardy under Pope she acted in Shakespeare plays. This must have been some change at a later time.

Well I should say I know that she was in one play. Don't know if that happened regularly or not. I just remember that between her English class, the play, and her summer camp at Shakespeare Theater, she was getting a lot of Shakespeare which was the opposite of what people were saying at the time - that school systems were moving away from classic works in favor of modern stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once Hardy ceases to be a pan-DC school and reaches 75-80%+ IB enrollment, it will be seen as approaching Deal's league. Not before.

You're assuming that "Deal's league" is something for which to be aspired. Not everyone's standards are that low. It's a gigantic zoo, and many families prefer smaller and more intimate. (No, not a Hardy or Deal family, but as someone who went to private schools I can't understand why anyone would be so braggadocious about Deal.)

Hilarious. I attended "gigantic zoos" and got a solid education, and went onward to a top university, followed by a successful career. Moreover, I found the bottom 99% to be much more enjoyable company, and am thankful my parents didn't entomb with dreary snobs like yourself.

[Anonymous]

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Agreed. Deal is a good school, not a great school and at some point (which I think happened about 200 students ago) the law of diminishing returns kicks in. Having a middle school with 1500+ kids is not ideal. At first, the big student body works because it yields lots of per-pupil $ which means you can have all sorts of clubs and electives and sports and activities. Great. But then you also have the problems that really big schools have. The team model that Deal uses to try and make a big school feel small it admirable and creative but it's still a gargantuan school where the staff can't possibly know ever kid. In middle school, I think that is precisely the time when children need to know that they are known.

I just looked up the enrollment forecasts for MoCo middle schools for 17-18 and Westland and Pyle are both over 1500. Hardy is our MS and friends and DH keep saying we should rent a house in Bethesda for the MS years. I agree that DCPS is sliding backwards and the days of a Fenty-like mayor trying to make DC a viable alternative to MoCo are over and likely will never return. But i can't see that such a huge school size anywhere will help with the problems we have seen with Hardy and a teach-to-the-middle mentality. And my ES-age kids have been commenting on the endless drilling by their teachers for PARCC / the school is anxious to keeps its high scores. (I would not be be surprised to see some of the local real estate agents underwriting the math club aimed at coaching kids who scored 4s who could reach a 5 with extra tutoring. Houses in our 'hood have multiple offers after one day - but then their kids have to face Hardy.)

It wasn't Fenty who cared about the schools, it was the Chair of the Education Committee - David Catania. DC is still racist and voted Bowwow Mayor (well, she did have the D next to her name and many people only vote reflexively). Catania was an Independent. He was much better on schools (Bowwow is already raping the schools with her new budget), but he's gay and white and couldn't win against the DC machine. As a result, the schools are going downhill. We got what we deserved.

and yet he managed to serve years as an At Large Councilman for 13 years and win re-election 3 times

[Anonymous]

If Hardy had advanced classes (e.g., at least English and Math) set for 6th grade students, and not just in 7th and 8th grades, I would be pretty excited for the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Hardy had advanced classes (e.g., at least English and Math) set for 6th grade students, and not just in 7th and 8th grades, I would be pretty excited for the school.

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Hardy had advanced classes (e.g., at least English and Math) set for 6th grade students, and not just in 7th and 8th grades, I would be pretty excited for the school.

+100

me too.