SSSAS - what is the culture like currently?

[Anonymous]

We are considering St. Stephens and St. Agnes School for our high schooler. Current parents, what is the culture like? Is it warm, inclusive, supportive? Is it competitive? Our child is more artsy, musical than into sports. Would she fit in there?

[Anonymous]

I was hoping you’d get responses! We’re also considering for our rising 9th grader. Commute is a big factor but seems worth it for the educational opportunity. Hope you get feedback about the culture!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was hoping you’d get responses! We’re also considering for our rising 9th grader. Commute is a big factor but seems worth it for the educational opportunity. Hope you get feedback about the culture!

SAME! Keep checking back hoping others would chime in.

[Anonymous]

My kids are not yet in the upper school but we are friends with families who have kids that are.

What I understand from them is that, as you would expect, the academics are solid, and many of the teachers are stellar. But where the school really shines compared to its peers is in its supportive, inclusive community that produces well rounded kids and young adults. It is not competitive in a toxic way, and I think that because the school places so much emphasis on “meeting each child where they are” there’s a sense that kids excel at different things and there’s not a need to constantly compare oneself to ones peers.

Also the supposed reputation the school has for emphasizing sports is overblown. I think there’s a lot of school spirit that stems from a strong sense of community and belonging, and that translates into enthusiasm for sporting events, but it also translates into enthusiasm for the school theater program, or arts competitions, or the robotics team, etc.

MOST of the kids are not primarily athletes, and non-athletes have no problem finding their crowd. Our DD is also musical and I have no concern about the high school when she gets there. On the contrary, I love love love that SSSAS has helped her have such a well rounded childhood and adolescence. It sounds so quaint and perhaps a bit silly but the school really does value helping the kids develop life long friendships and providing a “high school experience” with school spirit and community events and a deep sense of belonging that I think is rarely found in the 21st century, particularly in metropolitan areas like DC. It values these things - the “goodness” referred to in the school motto, “goodness as well as knowledge” - while still providing a solid, challenging academic program.

This is a long way of saying that yes I think your DD would fit in. SSSAS excels at balance and community, and I think it actually doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves, perhaps because balance is so undervalued in this day and age.

I hope another parent who knows more specifics about the current classes at the upper school is able to chime in with more!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are not yet in the upper school but we are friends with families who have kids that are.

What I understand from them is that, as you would expect, the academics are solid, and many of the teachers are stellar. But where the school really shines compared to its peers is in its supportive, inclusive community that produces well rounded kids and young adults. It is not competitive in a toxic way, and I think that because the school places so much emphasis on “meeting each child where they are” there’s a sense that kids excel at different things and there’s not a need to constantly compare oneself to ones peers.

Also the supposed reputation the school has for emphasizing sports is overblown. I think there’s a lot of school spirit that stems from a strong sense of community and belonging, and that translates into enthusiasm for sporting events, but it also translates into enthusiasm for the school theater program, or arts competitions, or the robotics team, etc.

MOST of the kids are not primarily athletes, and non-athletes have no problem finding their crowd. Our DD is also musical and I have no concern about the high school when she gets there. On the contrary, I love love love that SSSAS has helped her have such a well rounded childhood and adolescence. It sounds so quaint and perhaps a bit silly but the school really does value helping the kids develop life long friendships and providing a “high school experience” with school spirit and community events and a deep sense of belonging that I think is rarely found in the 21st century, particularly in metropolitan areas like DC. It values these things - the “goodness” referred to in the school motto, “goodness as well as knowledge” - while still providing a solid, challenging academic program.

This is a long way of saying that yes I think your DD would fit in. SSSAS excels at balance and community, and I think it actually doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves, perhaps because balance is so undervalued in this day and age.

I hope another parent who knows more specifics about the current classes at the upper school is able to chime in with more!

You really believe that this is unique to SSSAS and/or they do it so much better than every other schoool?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids are not yet in the upper school but we are friends with families who have kids that are.

What I understand from them is that, as you would expect, the academics are solid, and many of the teachers are stellar. But where the school really shines compared to its peers is in its supportive, inclusive community that produces well rounded kids and young adults. It is not competitive in a toxic way, and I think that because the school places so much emphasis on “meeting each child where they are” there’s a sense that kids excel at different things and there’s not a need to constantly compare oneself to ones peers.

Also the supposed reputation the school has for emphasizing sports is overblown. I think there’s a lot of school spirit that stems from a strong sense of community and belonging, and that translates into enthusiasm for sporting events, but it also translates into enthusiasm for the school theater program, or arts competitions, or the robotics team, etc.

MOST of the kids are not primarily athletes, and non-athletes have no problem finding their crowd. Our DD is also musical and I have no concern about the high school when she gets there. On the contrary, I love love love that SSSAS has helped her have such a well rounded childhood and adolescence. It sounds so quaint and perhaps a bit silly but the school really does value helping the kids develop life long friendships and providing a “high school experience” with school spirit and community events and a deep sense of belonging that I think is rarely found in the 21st century, particularly in metropolitan areas like DC. It values these things - the “goodness” referred to in the school motto, “goodness as well as knowledge” - while still providing a solid, challenging academic program.

This is a long way of saying that yes I think your DD would fit in. SSSAS excels at balance and community, and I think it actually doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves, perhaps because balance is so undervalued in this day and age.

I hope another parent who knows more specifics about the current classes at the upper school is able to chime in with more!

You really believe that this is unique to SSSAS and/or they do it so much better than every other schoool?

Oh yes 100%

Which is not to say there aren’t plenty of well rounded kids at other DC independent schools. But it really is a strong emphasis of SSSAS, and I think a lot (of course, not all) of kids there are really balanced / well rounded, which is important in an era in which extreme competition or emphasis solely on academics (esp scores, rankings, etc) can be toxic.

I’m not naive, by the way - I didn’t grow up around here but I have family members who were lifers at Sidwell, and send their kids to Sidwell, we have close friends with kids at Potomac, several work friends with kids at various other DC privates esp. NCS, and of course plenty of neighborhood friends with kids at other smaller Alexandria private schools. “Goodness as well as knowledge” - I didn’t quite understand what that meant before sending my kids there but it really is a whole-child approach, all the way through high school.

[Anonymous]

The current 8th grade class, rising 9th, is lovely. We’d be happy to have your children join us and I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the wonderful community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The current 8th grade class, rising 9th, is lovely. We’d be happy to have your children join us and I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the wonderful community.

Not the girls. And I know because I had a kid in that class.

- Signed, an SSSAS parent

PS - to the posters who have received admissions for the US. The school should have had a current parent call you to welcome you to the school and answer any parent to parent questions. If someone has not called you by now, reach out to the admissions office and asked to be paired to a liaison.

[Anonymous]

Any sense what it’s like to be an Arlington kid? That’s our biggest concern for rising 9th grader. Otherwise this is a perfect fit.

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP. Thanks so much for the responses so far!! To the previous poster, we are also in Arlington and hoping for a number of Arlington families for incoming 9th graders! I've been so incredibly impressed by the Admissions process - and every single person I have spoken to has been incredibly kind. Excited about next year!

[Anonymous]

My son attended a K-8 and then SSSAS in grade 9; it's been a positive experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The current 8th grade class, rising 9th, is lovely. We’d be happy to have your children join us and I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the wonderful community.

Not the girls. And I know because I had a kid in that class.

- Signed, an SSSAS parent

PS - to the posters who have received admissions for the US. The school should have had a current parent call you to welcome you to the school and answer any parent to parent questions. If someone has not called you by now, reach out to the admissions office and asked to be paired to a liaison.

Well, this scares me; my rising 9th grade daughter is on the verge of accepting. What are the issues you observed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The current 8th grade class, rising 9th, is lovely. We’d be happy to have your children join us and I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the wonderful community.

Not the girls. And I know because I had a kid in that class.

- Signed, an SSSAS parent

PS - to the posters who have received admissions for the US. The school should have had a current parent call you to welcome you to the school and answer any parent to parent questions. If someone has not called you by now, reach out to the admissions office and asked to be paired to a liaison.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP. Thanks so much for the responses so far!! To the previous poster, we are also in Arlington and hoping for a number of Arlington families for incoming 9th graders! I've been so incredibly impressed by the Admissions process - and every single person I have spoken to has been incredibly kind. Excited about next year!

????? They're in sales....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP. Thanks so much for the responses so far!! To the previous poster, we are also in Arlington and hoping for a number of Arlington families for incoming 9th graders! I've been so incredibly impressed by the Admissions process - and every single person I have spoken to has been incredibly kind. Excited about next year!

????? They're in sales....

I wondered that too when I was first applying (to the lower school). I thought, they can’t really all be that nice, right? Especially because some other schools we looked at, while very professional and competent, were nowhere near as warm and welcoming. But you know what? They actually ARE extremely kind, and it really IS an extremely warm and supportive community. The administration, including the people in admissions, genuinely cares about my family. I see the head of admissions every day when I pick up my kids in the carpool line, and the associate head of school as well. They are there working with the kids, they know their names, they know their interests. They are parents in the community, much like many teachers, and they are just plain good people. It’s so sad that we’ve come to a point where genuine kindness is questioned as having an ulterior motive.