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St Albans for black students
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Anonymous
I'm guessing you're white, huh? And possibly one of those folks who "doesn't see color." |
Anonymous
No this person is themself a typical white supremacist. They want to swear racism/white supremacy is just a myth while they know dag on well it exists and they themself are practicing it. |
Anonymous
I'm guessing you're dumb and racist too, huh? -- not white, as if that mattered, racist poster |
Anonymous
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Jeffrey Wright. Jonathan Ogden. Randall Kennedy.
N’uff said. Mic drop. |
Anonymous
You can’t drop the mic if no one knows what this all means—care to explain? |
Anonymous
| How is GDS for Hispanic kids? I am hearing not that great! Any more insights from current parents? |
Anonymous
Has anyone heard them talk about there experiences at the school? |
Anonymous
We are a black family. My kids are young and currently attend a K8 private. I plan to send my son to STA for HS assuming he's ok with it because I have a ton of friends from college (Duke) that truly valued their experience from STA. They acknowledge that it wasn't all roses and lilies, but guess what, that's how the world is for black boys anyway, so better to learn it at an early formative age, toughen up and get that elite education. Just my take. |
Anonymous
As long as it is a situation they can still be confident young men. |
Anonymous
Is this a bot??? Look at the very first post in this thread, which says: “How is STA for black kids? I am hearing not that great! Any more insights from current parents?” |
Anonymous
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Was a black student at STA in the 90s, and am close with other students from the 80s and 00s. My class was about 10% AA. I obviously can't speak for every experience that each of us had, but within my class, we all look on the school fondly, and happily come back for reunions, events, and participate in alumni leadership roles. I don't think any of us felt particularly isolated, tokenized or "othered" in any way. STA continues to emphasize moral education, and as a result, the boys are both genuinely close to one another, appreciating and celebrating each other for who they are.
STA isn't for everyone, but that goes beyond race, and those who love it, really love it. To expand on the poster above noting a few celebrated alums: Jeffrey Wright serves on an alumni board and came back to speak on the anniversary of the Skip Grant program just days after his mother's death; Jonathan Ogden had a slew of STA schoolmates travel to his Hall of Fame induction; and Randy Kennedy seemingly comes back every year to speak on something or other, recently hosting a professional day for faculty on diversity and inclusion. Every student, black and otherwise, is very aware and very proud of these black alumni, and we all look to them and other AA faculty, staff, and alumni as role models. If the OP is actually looking for information about a school for their black son, I can't speak with that much authority on other schools, but have always heard good things about GDS, Sidwell, Gonzaga, and DeMatha. |
Anonymous
agreed |
Anonymous
Thank you for your thoughtful post. For those who love it, what makes them “really love it”? We have heard precisely this—that if the boy likes STA, he really, really likes it. It can be a really great experience. |
Anonymous
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STA parent here. What makes it special:
Adolescents like to have a sense of achievement, of accomplishment and in order to build that they need to be challenged by people ( teachers/ coaches and , yes, each other ) who believe in them and who hold out ideals for them to live up to. These boys build a lot of respect for each other over their 9 years there. I have never been to another commencement where nearly everyone graduation hugs every other one of their classmates like I have seen on that stage in the Cathedral. If you have the opportunity to send your son there, I'd go for it. It won't be easy, but it will be beyond worth it. |
Anonymous
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We have two boys at STA and there have been ups and downs for our both but for the most part the issues have been run of the mill boys do stupid things and once again you waited until the last minute to study stuff. But if you want hard facts,I have a few suggestions. First I suggest you ask Admissions for the number of African American boys who have left each grade over the last four years.
Recently there have have been more than a few incidents where the "N" word was used both in the upper and lower division. It is not OK, but realistically it is also probable that the "N" word is used at the other schools mentioned here. This will set off all kinds of nasty posts but a lot of the time, the white parents are never told about what is going on with respect to race issues. I have a good friend (who is white-only telling you to make a point) and she had no idea that there were various incidents of hate speech and our boys are in the same grade. So whether or not people on DCUM admit it, just like in the world outside of the private schools, racism is real. However, we still believe that STA is the right choice for our family. They get boys, they really do. Both of our boys need structure and they get it at STA. Before STA both boys were at another DC private school mentioned here often and there were a series of racial incidents over the years that were also not widely known. Part of it is because it puts a lot of pressure on the boys who are the targets; they don't want to be singled out or they do not want the scripted apology. My other suggestion is to reach out to Leroy Nesbitt from the Black Student Fund or another outside group that involves families of color at private schools, and ask to be connected with an African American family. You will most likely get much more candid answers. HTH PS, I am typing while "on a conference call" in order to get a break from my kids. If my punctuation and/or spelling is incorrect, it is because I have bigger priorities like making it to 6 so I can commence drinking. |