Troubles at GDS high school?

[Anonymous]

What a clown show. I can't believe people pay $40,000 for this. Makes me glad I went to public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS explicitly holds itself out as a light unto all others on equality and respect for all races.

Anonymous wrote:Just seems like all this navel gazing is a waste of valuable educational time. There are jerks in the world, they are everywhere. To be shocked that GDS or Bullis or others have racists is a bit ridiculous. They are everywhere, just like domestic abuse, drug/alcohol abuse, etc. Just accept that and get about life instead of wallowing in why it happened. It's never going away.

That's why GDS was the Obamas' first school choice on the recommendation of AG and former GDS parent Eric Holder. Apparently they were very impressed with GDS's history, mission and unique place among the top rung of DC privates. Unfortunately, the family's Secret Service detail nixed GDS because of questionable concerns about the access and egress at the Palisades campus.

Funny how this urban myth perpetuates, and so many people actually believe it.

It is true, however, that Sidwell and GDS were the only schools Michelle Obama actually visited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS explicitly holds itself out as a light unto all others on equality and respect for all races.

Anonymous wrote:Just seems like all this navel gazing is a waste of valuable educational time. There are jerks in the world, they are everywhere. To be shocked that GDS or Bullis or others have racists is a bit ridiculous. They are everywhere, just like domestic abuse, drug/alcohol abuse, etc. Just accept that and get about life instead of wallowing in why it happened. It's never going away.

That's why GDS was the Obamas' first school choice on the recommendation of AG and former GDS parent Eric Holder. Apparently they were very impressed with GDS's history, mission and unique place among the top rung of DC privates. Unfortunately, the family's Secret Service detail nixed GDS because of questionable concerns about the access and egress at the Palisades campus.

Funny how this urban myth perpetuates, and so many people actually believe it.

Yeah but Holder's kids graduated from a school with a decidedly less progressive history so much for that. Sidwell's history isn't so progressive either.

This whole GDS thing makes me realize the issues going on at Ivies and other schools. A lot the minority kids come from GDS type schools so they feel the need to express their "outrage" from high school. High schools are where they get indoctrinated.

[Anonymous]

A lot of people clueless about what GDS is and how it is run. Keep watching, from outside the fence.... It seems you are having fun...

[Anonymous]

As a GDS mom let me tell you, Russell is a great head of school. Why are you all so obsese about GDS? Leave us alone! You are bullies! If you don't like the school don't take your kids there, plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

Gds is the most insecure school ever. The Obama's preferred Sidwell over Gds and the kids did too. It was the campus. It was the reputation and it was the idea that Sidwell had a healthy lunch program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gds is the most insecure school ever. The Obama's preferred Sidwell over Gds and the kids did too. It was the campus. It was the reputation and it was the idea that Sidwell had a healthy lunch program.

But it was still first runner up.

I don't know why so many people on here have to pretend that it wasn't, or just generally denigrate the school. It is bizarre to me. I am a Cathedral parent who thought the way you guys talked about NCS was bad - ha! Not a patch on how nasty you are about GDS.

[Anonymous]

I am a Cathedral parent too and I think GDS is a freak-show. The more I learn and hear and, frankly read on this forum, the stronger and denser that opinion grows.

[Anonymous]

Wait, you think AA students are being oversensitive by expressing outrage over someone scrawling a racial epithet on the wall?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS explicitly holds itself out as a light unto all others on equality and respect for all races.

Anonymous wrote:Just seems like all this navel gazing is a waste of valuable educational time. There are jerks in the world, they are everywhere. To be shocked that GDS or Bullis or others have racists is a bit ridiculous. They are everywhere, just like domestic abuse, drug/alcohol abuse, etc. Just accept that and get about life instead of wallowing in why it happened. It's never going away.

That's why GDS was the Obamas' first school choice on the recommendation of AG and former GDS parent Eric Holder. Apparently they were very impressed with GDS's history, mission and unique place among the top rung of DC privates. Unfortunately, the family's Secret Service detail nixed GDS because of questionable concerns about the access and egress at the Palisades campus.

Funny how this urban myth perpetuates, and so many people actually believe it.

Yeah but Holder's kids graduated from a school with a decidedly less progressive history so much for that. Sidwell's history isn't so progressive either.

This whole GDS thing makes me realize the issues going on at Ivies and other schools. A lot the minority kids come from GDS type schools so they feel the need to express their "outrage" from high school. High schools are where they get indoctrinated.

[Anonymous]

FYI Never, ever let yourself or others speak to the police or their representatives without a lawyer present. Never. If you do you're stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a Cathedral parent too and I think GDS is a freak-show. The more I learn and hear and, frankly read on this forum, the stronger and denser that opinion grows.

Did you think everything written about STA/NCS on this forum has been accurate? If not (which is the assumption, as crazy stuff has been written about both Cathedral schools), then it is very odd indeed that you would take everything written on DCUM about GDS at face value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent at another schoool, and I'd say the disciplinary process at our kids' school and probably at many other independent schools should also be scrutinized. Our son, who is white, was a witness to an incident (not involving any racial or sexual dimension) that resulted in a disciplinary action against another student. An administrator met with our son to "persuade" him to hand over his cell phone to look at texts. Our son was not sure what to do, felt threatened by the administrator, and asked if he could talk this over with us. He wasn't allowed to do so and ended up allowing the administrator to see the texts. He feels terrible about this and the outcome for the other student.

That's awful, bullying a student like that. I hope you spoke to the administrator about privacy, your child's personal property, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent at another schoool, and I'd say the disciplinary process at our kids' school and probably at many other independent schools should also be scrutinized. Our son, who is white, was a witness to an incident (not involving any racial or sexual dimension) that resulted in a disciplinary action against another student. An administrator met with our son to "persuade" him to hand over his cell phone to look at texts. Our son was not sure what to do, felt threatened by the administrator, and asked if he could talk this over with us. He wasn't allowed to do so and ended up allowing the administrator to see the texts. He feels terrible about this and the outcome for the other student.

That's awful, bullying a student like that. I hope you spoke to the administrator about privacy, your child's personal property, etc.

Sounds like a partial story to me. Certainly possible to have very serious conduct (cyberbullying or drug sales or cheating) that involves texting and doesn't "involv[e] racial or sexual dimensions." Without knowing what conduct the school was investigating, I have no idea whether the school's response in persuading the student to show texts (more partial facts -- one can infer that he had the phone in school and was perhaps texting in school, and also was not forthright in telling what he knew about the situation) was in any way disproportionate. I suspect it was not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gds is the most insecure school ever. The Obama's preferred Sidwell over Gds and the kids did too. It was the campus. It was the reputation and it was the idea that Sidwell had a healthy lunch program.

But GDS was first runner up. No other DC private school is in that league.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a Cathedral parent too and I think GDS is a freak-show. The more I learn and hear and, frankly read on this forum, the stronger and denser that opinion grows.

So who cares. You are a Cathedral parent, stay at your Cathedral realm.