GDS v. Sidwell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just for the record, the Clintons were considering both schools for Chelsea. The deciding factor was that Sidwell's campus was conducive to a more secure drop-off and pick-up (i.e. the daily transition). This was communicated to the Obamas as well.

Chelsea's in her 40s. Probably time to let that go.

LOL

There is no support for the Chelsea anecdote, but I've heard several GDS parents cite the lower school site drop-off and security as the reason why the Obamas did not go to GDS.

Not applying to either school, but come on. These are President's children, not your average big law partner who aren't at any risk or threat of kidnapping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just for the record, the Clintons were considering both schools for Chelsea. The deciding factor was that Sidwell's campus was conducive to a more secure drop-off and pick-up (i.e. the daily transition). This was communicated to the Obamas as well.

Chelsea's in her 40s. Probably time to let that go.

I'm just responding to the posters in this thread (and others) who can't stop talking about how the Clintons and Obamas sent their kids there over GDS. I couldn't care less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The GDS new campus is rising along Wisconsin Avenue and looks great. How is Sidwell's "plan" going?

Campus? Or building? I can’t wait to see inside that four-levels compact box and how they layout the 9 grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The GDS new campus is rising along Wisconsin Avenue and looks great. How is Sidwell's "plan" going?

Campus? Or building? I can’t wait to see inside that four-levels compact box and how they layout the 9 grades.

The internal layout was published on their website over a year ago. There's plenty of room - just as much as in the Sidwell MS building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The GDS new campus is rising along Wisconsin Avenue and looks great. How is Sidwell's "plan" going?

Campus? Or building? I can’t wait to see inside that four-levels compact box and how they layout the 9 grades.

The internal layout was published on their website over a year ago. There's plenty of room - just as much as in the Sidwell MS building.

A floor plan was in last week's email. I don't know if it's publicly available on the website. It's certainly not a suburban campus with acres of space, but it looks perfectly spacious, with classrooms and common areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just for the record, the Clintons were considering both schools for Chelsea. The deciding factor was that Sidwell's campus was conducive to a more secure drop-off and pick-up (i.e. the daily transition). This was communicated to the Obamas as well.

Oh my.

Just for the record, the Lincolns were considering GDS for their kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The GDS new campus is rising along Wisconsin Avenue and looks great. How is Sidwell's "plan" going?

Campus? Or building? I can’t wait to see inside that four-levels compact box and how they layout the 9 grades.

Why the ill will, PP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The GDS new campus is rising along Wisconsin Avenue and looks great. How is Sidwell's "plan" going?

I am not a GDS hater. But this "dig" doesn't really hit where the PP has intended.

When DC was an US applicant last year, the GDS expansion plan was seen as not a "plus" to our family. We really liked the feel of the US building and loved all the windows. But we quickly realized that one side of the building was now going to have a large building blocking the view, replacing what used to be mostly "open sky" over short houses as the view. Dealing with a large amount of construction didn't seem great, and neither did the increase in cars/traffic to deal with on campus and in the general area.

Unless your younger children also attend GDS (which ours don't and won't) the single campus isn't some huge improvement for US kids or parents. Some access to food will be nice, but they failed to include a cafeteria that would allow US students to eat in? I hope they at least find a way to integrate more activities where US students mentor the LS kids.

On the flip side, DC ended up at Sidwell and we are quite happy that DC will be gone before LS moves to Sidwell's DC campus. So again, pp's "dig" doesn't quite hit the mark.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The GDS new campus is rising along Wisconsin Avenue and looks great. How is Sidwell's "plan" going?

I am not a GDS hater. But this "dig" doesn't really hit where the PP has intended.

When DC was an US applicant last year, the GDS expansion plan was seen as not a "plus" to our family. We really liked the feel of the US building and loved all the windows. But we quickly realized that one side of the building was now going to have a large building blocking the view, replacing what used to be mostly "open sky" over short houses as the view. Dealing with a large amount of construction didn't seem great, and neither did the increase in cars/traffic to deal with on campus and in the general area.

Unless your younger children also attend GDS (which ours don't and won't) the single campus isn't some huge improvement for US kids or parents. Some access to food will be nice, but they failed to include a cafeteria that would allow US students to eat in? I hope they at least find a way to integrate more activities where US students mentor the LS kids.

On the flip side, DC ended up at Sidwell and we are quite happy that DC will be gone before LS moves to Sidwell's DC campus. So again, pp's "dig" doesn't quite hit the mark.

I like the lower school at Sidwell campus. It's what a lower school should look and feel ike. I feel the same way about the GDS lower school. I guess its more convenient but I'm not sure the consolidation at either school is going to improve things for the younger kids.

[Anonymous]

Because there seem to be many siblings at GDS, the consolidated campus is going to be more convenient for families with children split between the LMS and the HS. Also, the consolidation has given GDS the incentive to finally offer bus routes both before and after school--we are super excited about that.
From what I understand, the new LMS is much more efficiently designed than the old building, using much less dead space. There is actually more useable space in the new building compared to the old. The new gym and play spaces look terrific. Also, dining options for the LMS. HS students can still purchase food from the dining hall, but there is no set lunch time in the dining hall for the HS students, which is in line with the freedom HS students have always had at GDS to go off campus if they'd like, or to hang out at the forum, which they do.
I'ms sure once the landscaping is done, the new campus will look great. It won't ever be a suburban wonderland like Landon or Holton, and it will likely never have the space for massive fields like St. Albans or St. John's, but I think it's more than adequate for an urban private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just for the record, the Clintons were considering both schools for Chelsea. The deciding factor was that Sidwell's campus was conducive to a more secure drop-off and pick-up (i.e. the daily transition). This was communicated to the Obamas as well.

Oh my.

Just for the record, the Lincolns were considering GDS for their kids.

Your joke is so funny, why aren't you in standup comedy?

Obviously, GDS doesn't date from the Civil War era, but from the post-World War II era, having been founded in 1945. But given GDS's unique history as the first integrated leading private school in the nation's capital, its pursuit of social justice, and the fact that it has educated the children of the first African-American Supreme Court justice and Attorney General, among others, it might be a good bet that Lincoln would have chosen GDS for his sons had it been around in the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just for the record, the Clintons were considering both schools for Chelsea. The deciding factor was that Sidwell's campus was conducive to a more secure drop-off and pick-up (i.e. the daily transition). This was communicated to the Obamas as well.

Oh my.

Just for the record, the Lincolns were considering GDS for their kids.

Your joke is so funny, why aren't you in standup comedy?

Obviously, GDS doesn't date from the Civil War era, but from the post-World War II era, having been founded in 1945. But given GDS's unique history as the first integrated leading private school in the nation's capital, its pursuit of social justice, and the fact that it has educated the children of the first African-American Supreme Court justice and Attorney General, among others, it might be a good bet that Lincoln would have chosen GDS for his sons had it been around in the day.

OMG, let it go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because there seem to be many siblings at GDS, the consolidated campus is going to be more convenient for families with children split between the LMS and the HS. Also, the consolidation has given GDS the incentive to finally offer bus routes both before and after school--we are super excited about that.
From what I understand, the new LMS is much more efficiently designed than the old building, using much less dead space. There is actually more useable space in the new building compared to the old. The new gym and play spaces look terrific. Also, dining options for the LMS. HS students can still purchase food from the dining hall, but there is no set lunch time in the dining hall for the HS students, which is in line with the freedom HS students have always had at GDS to go off campus if they'd like, or to hang out at the forum, which they do.
I'ms sure once the landscaping is done, the new campus will look great. It won't ever be a suburban wonderland like Landon or Holton, and it will likely never have the space for massive fields like St. Albans or St. John's, but I think it's more than adequate for an urban private school.

What? The school goes from 80 or so to 120-130+ in 9th grade. Do you really think incoming upper school kids new the school care about little potential lifers or have time to? Now I agree it’s good to grow the pond every few years as much as possible socially and competitively. Frankly I wish more schools had 200-250 a class and could field more good teams and clubs better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The GDS new campus is rising along Wisconsin Avenue and looks great. How is Sidwell's "plan" going?

I am not a GDS hater. But this "dig" doesn't really hit where the PP has intended.

When DC was an US applicant last year, the GDS expansion plan was seen as not a "plus" to our family. We really liked the feel of the US building and loved all the windows. But we quickly realized that one side of the building was now going to have a large building blocking the view, replacing what used to be mostly "open sky" over short houses as the view. Dealing with a large amount of construction didn't seem great, and neither did the increase in cars/traffic to deal with on campus and in the general area.

Unless your younger children also attend GDS (which ours don't and won't) the single campus isn't some huge improvement for US kids or parents. Some access to food will be nice, but they failed to include a cafeteria that would allow US students to eat in? I hope they at least find a way to integrate more activities where US students mentor the LS kids.

On the flip side, DC ended up at Sidwell and we are quite happy that DC will be gone before LS moves to Sidwell's DC campus. So again, pp's "dig" doesn't quite hit the mark.

I like the lower school at Sidwell campus. It's what a lower school should look and feel ike. I feel the same way about the GDS lower school. I guess its more convenient but I'm not sure the consolidation at either school is going to improve things for the younger kids[b].

As a big proponent of K-8 model - I agree. I like the separate locations of the lower schools - they feel more cozy and more appropriate for the age of the students. I can really see a difference in how MS and LS are managed in a k-12 now that we have moved to one for US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just for the record, the Clintons were considering both schools for Chelsea. The deciding factor was that Sidwell's campus was conducive to a more secure drop-off and pick-up (i.e. the daily transition). This was communicated to the Obamas as well.

Oh my.

Just for the record, the Lincolns were considering GDS for their kids.

Your joke is so funny, why aren't you in standup comedy?

Obviously, GDS doesn't date from the Civil War era, but from the post-World War II era, having been founded in 1945. But given GDS's unique history as the first integrated leading private school in the nation's capital, its pursuit of social justice, and the fact that it has educated the children of the first African-American Supreme Court justice and Attorney General, among others, it might be a good bet that Lincoln would have chosen GDS for his sons had it been around in the day.

OMG, let it go.

Agree, Pls do let it go.
Most of the country except the south did not have Jim Crow laws re: public schools.
Many southern families moved to Detroit, Ny, Philly, Chicago for that and many reasons. Sorry DC was sorry old DC. Most people here didn’t grow up in DC, this country, nor the south. However, we all have stories to tell- two world wars, immigration, mafia, baseball, illnesses, etc.