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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There wasn’t a single National Merit Semifinalist from South Lakes in the Class of 2023, and it’s a big high school.  Between them Chantilly and Oakton had 21.  [b]The IB program isn’t attracting the brightest kids. [/b]

[/quote]

What? That doesn't make any sense. High schools aren't selective colleges that "attract" bright kids. Very few kids outside the TJ crowd are involved enough to tell their parents which high school program they want to attend. You think kids have the initiative to research the details of AP and IB and then autonomously decide that they prefer one over the other? No, that's not happening.

You can say IB doesn't attract wealthy families for a multitude of reasons, but your implication that IB students or programs are less "intelligent" is ridiculous. It's purely about ease of college credit and less writing for AP.[/quote]

What the PP, the one quoted about the lack of National Merit Scholars, is getting at is that parents who are more focused on test scores and the like are not choosing SLHS. There are plenty of kids from SLHS being accepted at UVA, VT, and other sought after schools but there are not as many kids scoring in the top scores on the PSAT, complete a bunch of extra volunteer hours, write an essay, and the like. It is a reasonable amount of extra work for a slim shot at not much money. If you are focused on the Ivies or are one of the folks who really wants to earn a special label, then it might be worth the work but I can see why a good number of kids might decide it isn't worth the time.

For the record, I have 3 family members who were National Merit Scholars. I love them dearly but it really has not done much to change their lives. It was a special presentation at graduation and yes, two of the three went to highly sought after schools. I wouldn't say that it made them any happier in the long run. My kid is in ES so who knows if he will have to decide if he wants to go through the process but if it does, it will be his choice. It is not something that we are focused on for him.

We did not worry about the number of National merit Scholars at the school when we bought a house here.

The kids in our neighborhood seem to be pretty happy. I see them out with friends, their parents discuss regular teen issues but no one seems to be overly worked up about issues at school or discussing mental health issues with their kids. I hear about kids enjoying the orchestra, drama, and sports. I see kids involved in Scouts and JR ROTC. The kids I know who have gone to college are attend schools that they are happy at. I know kids who are at UVA and VT and others attending places like Michigan. I also know kids who took a gap year or choose to attend SLAC.

Those are the measures that I find more important. The Teens seem to be happy and are doing well in school. They feel supported at school and many are being accepted at colleges that they are happy to attend. There is nothing about the school that makes me think anything other then my kid will have a good experience at SLHS, will have the opportunity to take challenging classes, and will be able to join extra curricular activities that he is interested in.

I am sure that there are kids not happy at SLHS, I am sure that there are kids unhappy at every HS in the country regardless of how many NMS there are or how elite a private school it is, or how highly ranked the HS is. In my UMC neighborhood there is not a rush to send kids to private high school or move out of the neighborhood to avoid SLHS. It is a good school that has good to excellent opportunity for kids. 
[/quote]

You're confusing being a National Merit Semifinalist with being a National Merit Finalist.

SLHS doesn't have any kids this year who made even the initial cut of being a NMSF.  [/quote]

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