Oyster Adams vs. Powell?
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Anonymous
| Is continuning Spanish imersion the most important criteria for you? There are a lot of nice other options that could give you the opportunity to figure things out in DC. |
Anonymous
Oyster has had "bad" principals in the past. Monica's predecessor, Marta Guzman, was disliked by a considerable number of Oyster parents. That fact did not affect Oyster's popularity. Monica, as many are aware, also has a sizable number of critics, but Oyster is as popular as ever. The fact remains that Oyster will do well and thrive no matter who becomes principal because the teachers and parents are strongly committed to the school. However, it would be nice to have a strong leader for a change. |
dcmom
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We are on the other side of AdMo but have been looking to rent IB for Oyster. There are some good rentals, including some large 2 bedrooms, but you definitely need to nab them immediately when they are listed on Craig's list. Obviously depends on your budget whether it's affordable, but we haven't found anything comparable in terms of square footage for the price in Woodley Park. |
Anonymous
| I believe the new rental building next to the Marriott includes some 3bm apartments, but not sure when they'll become available...and, they won't be cheap. |
Anonymous
I've been told the new apartments near the Marriott will start at b/w $4k to 5k per month for a 2 br. Apparently, they're looking to compete with the Kennedy Warren on Connecticut. |
Anonymous
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Marta Guzman was removed by a small group of parents and faculty in what was essentially a coup with the blessings of Michelle Rhee, whose daughters attended Oyster at the time. It was terrible. The parents on the inside of this initiative may have had legitimate reasons for thinking it was time to replace her but the process, which was done in secret among a small group of parent leaders and self-selected faculty, tore apart the community. Marta did some wonderful things for the school, including navigating the expansion to the Adams building. No small achievement! One teacher who didn't like Marta was really good friends with her predecessor and had a hissy fit when Marta asked her not to go on the school-wide P.A. without her permission. Sorry, but that seems reasonable to me, ending the open mike policy! Really, some of the dynamics behind people not liking her leadership seemed unreasonable and immature. But this is all ancient history -- this goes back six years. I share these thoughts because I think the long shadow this sad chapter casts over the school's reputation is lopsided. I hear great things from current Oyster parents, some of whom were there when Marta was ousted.
The DC rental market has gone nuts! I'd compare rents in Petworth and Woodley Park and see if the higher rent is worth it. Oyster has a GREAT parent community. (Most of the parents behind the coup were not in my child's class.) |
Anonymous
O-A parent here. I'd like to believe this is true, but commitment to the status quo of two sub-optimal buildings and trying to be all things to all people in Spanish - from severely disabled 3 year olds to to gifted teenagers - is very far from universal. The population is a unique one for DCPS with 25% low income and 60% Hispanic. (Someone joked that the World Bank should have a shuttle service to Woodley.) It's also a highly desirable parent pool for any dual-immersion program. Even the most dedicated parents both IB and OOB have been known to mysteriously disappear every year starting in 3rd grade. This is not just about "fleeing to Deal". The issue is sibling reference at bilingual charters and middle school options like Latin and BASIS. Not everyone wants to go to Deal or continue bilingual past elementary. Monica's departure and the Cardozo feeder scare have spooked a lot of folks. Even last year we saw increasing numbers of people saying they're commitment to O-A is year by year. It's no longer shocking to hear people talk about how many lotteries they entered. There will always be an elementary school at the Oyster location in Woodley. That was part of the public-private partnership that built the new building. It has to be a neighborhood school and can't be a charter or sold by the city. But it will take a team of miracle workers (and a new middle school AP) to hold together the school as it is in two buildings and a small middle school. My kids were happy there for a while. But now one is in a different school and the other stayed. The shortcomings at O-A are only visible when you have something to compare it to. More families are having that experience than ever before. The families at O-A are great! Very friendly and diverse. But other than Spanish, O-A isn't the only game in town anymore. good luck with your decision OP. Washington DC is a wonderful city. |
Anonymous
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I think Oyster over Powell. Administration is changing for the next school year, which I think will be a good thing. It's worth a shot if you are only going to rent. You can always reconsider if it's not a good fit for your kid.
Totally agree with 13:05, could have written that myself. It's a well-balanced review of the strengths (community and teachers) with weaknesses (stretching the program to limits that are unsustainable). Good luck! |
Anonymous
Small middle school? Isn't Oyster about to graduate 71 8th graders? I graduated with a class of 92 from high school (all girls private). I thought 92 was plenty. |
Anonymous
| Thank you everyone! This has been extremely helpful. We are committed to dual language, so I hope we can find a school/neighborhood to call home. |
Anonymous
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OP, have you considered Bancroft in Mount Pleasant? It is in the middle between Powell and Oyster, both in terms of how established the school is and how established the neighborhood is. Rents and house prices are also in between those two. Good luck and welcome to DC!
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