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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We got in but decided to go elsewhere. We did not want our daughter to experience the social culture which students report is full of mean girls/moms. Plus we were concerned about the emphasis on the extreme athletic culture. BTW it had nothing to do with ability- our daughter is an outstanding athlete. [/quote]

This was our reason to go elsewhere also. Our daughter is a strong student, somewhat introverted, and a generally good athlete, but not specialized in a specific sport. We simply did not feel the social culture + intensity of the athletics would be a good fit for her.  We enjoyed every faculty member we interacted it.  The issue is what we saw in the students and their parents after attending several sports events and watching the sideline scene.  [/quote]

Have you ever attended a similar boys' school athletic event? There are at least 5x the attendees, lots of enthusiasm and school spirit usually with a shirtless student section screaming for their school. SR has a more enthusiastic athletic culture than other girls schools and that's one of the things we most love about it, celebrating young women athletes is definitely a plus. The intensity is nowhere near what you would see at a Landon / GP / Gonzaga boys event but I guess the girls and their parents could cheer even less if that would make visitors feel better. Of course we also have participated in and supported school plays, orchestra performances, and academic competitions. One of my daughters is not an athlete and I don't think she's felt left out, she's found her group there. It is not a perfect school, there are some mean girls / moms, but I think that's true everywhere.[/quote]

People shouldn't be loud for girls sports, it is unseemly. The girls schools schools should only focus on academics and the arts, leave the enthusiasm for sports to the boys. Also some girls and moms are mean, unlike the boys schools where everyone is universally kind.[/quote]

Why are you two comparing SR and other all-girls to any all-boys? [/quote]

Because the criticism of SR is generally sexist and focused on the notion that girls shouldn't focus on sports. Agreed that they could do more to be more academically challenging.[/quote]

So you immediately jump to comparisons with all boys? No. Compare to other all girls like Madeira and Holton.

Focus. 
[/quote]

That's the thing about talking about sexism, you have to compare how a group of girls is treated to a similarly situated group of boys. Saying they like sports more than other girls doesn't really matter.

Try to think.[/quote]

No. This thread is about girls schools. Why are you measuring girls against boys like that is the standard girls should measure themselves against. 
[/quote]

This thread is about Stone Ridge. Several people have complained that SR is too focused on sports. SR has more of a sports culture than most girls schools but is nowhere near the sports culture of most boys schools. The comment that they shouldn't be so focused on sports is sexist because that isn't something you would ever say about a similar boys school. You seem purposefully obtuse about this.[/quote]

Actually, the over-emphasis on sports at the expense of academics at different all boys schools is discussed all the time. But never do those discussions compare the boys schools to all girls schools. So why compare the girls schools to the boys schools. Compare them to each other. 
[/quote]

Both comparisons are valid. SR is both more sports oriented than other girls schools and not nearly as sports oriented as the typical boys school. This is why it's important to compare how girls are treated versus boys, female athletes are too much, male athletes are celebrated. The comment that SR is emphasizing its athletes too much is based in sexism.[/quote]

Disagree completely.  We can hold multiple thoughts simultaneously.  Athletics should be celebrated.  Girls sports should be celebrated and loud and cheered for.  AND they are overemphasized compared to what the school claims in its mission AND compared to what many parents would prefer.  We pay the tuition first for education.  The athletics are an important component of a well-rounded girl, but not at the expense of the education.  Getting the balance right is the job of the head of school.[/quote]

I don't think this has to be either / or. The school could beef up its academic rigor and celebration of individual or collective academic success without changing anything they're doing with athletics. The balance would shift without disadvantaging the many girls who expect D1 sports opportunities to be part of the package now.[/quote]

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