Reply to Looking into St. Andrew's Episcopal in Potomac for HS

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Nice school,  but not worth that price tag.

It's a safety for rich Potomac families whose kids don't have the academic chops to get onto St Albans, etc[/quote]

Snobby Nonsense from someone who appears to confuse children with static status symbols rather than people with vibrant needs. Our DC flourished there and graduated in top 1% of country according to AP and SAT/ ACT results. Now in a top PhD program. SAES was our first choice. It has dedicated teaching staff who are trained in reaching different types of learners and has a lot of emphasis on happiness, kindness and respect. The latter EQ actually helps many students to do better academically - even though that is only one part of learning. [/quote]

I love the sound of St Andrew's! I wish I could find that type of school for our DC who will soon be applying to high school in Boston.
Would you say the emphasis on student happiness is an Episcopalian school value (ie could one expect a similar vibe at other Episcopalian schools?) or natural byproduct of school's understanding of neuroscience and neurodiversity?[/quote]

Not sure because the two leading Washington Diocese  Episcopalian schools in DC  (National Cathedral and St Albans) have reputations as snobby pressure cookers. However, many other Episcopal schools seem to have Episcopal welcoming values. St Andrew’s was started by Episcopal parents several decades ago as a bit of an alternative Washington Diocesan School that would Embrace diverse learners.
 The heavy emphasis on neuroscience informed teaching (that can become too jargon ladden at times) probably
Evolved out of the original mission but makes good use of more recent extensive research into neuro diversity and learning.  [/quote]

Some folks sound defensive that the school has a background or is known as a place that helps neurodiverse learners as though that’s a bad thing.  Now maybe it’s not that way NOW but it was known to be that way 20 or more years ago. I had good friends who attended. They did not have learning issues themselves so it was t 100% for neurodiverse learners but the school was thought to have been created with that in mind. [/quote]

This is actually wrong.  Twenty years ago, the school had very little diversity -- neuro or otherwise.  The creation of the CTTL (misunderstood by just about everybody) and the recession are what led to the school receiving and accepting more applicants that may not have been typical learners.  But that seems to have been a trend that played out or is in the last few years.   Your friends who "didn't have learning differences" were actually the norm and are again. [/quote]

Sorry but I think your crude dichotomy between Neuro typical and diverse learners is off base. The mission of the original school was definitely inclusive in the best Episcopalian type of way. The school certainly did welcome quirky bright students before CTLT was formed (Our DC was admitted well before CTLT was formed and thrived there on so many levels, including academic).

From the school’s own web site:discussing its history: “From its early days, the school cultivated challenging programs in a joyful and supportive atmosphere, celebrating its students’ diversity of interests, backgrounds and abilities and developing each child’s potential in the “four pillars” of academics, arts, athletics, and spiritual life. …. The school grew quickly in reputation, programs, and enrollment, outgrowing two locations before moving to the former North Bethesda Junior High School campus on Bradmoor Drive in Bethesda in September 1981. With 245 students, 28 teachers, and its first graduating class that year, St. Andrew’s had entered the ranks of full-fledged independent college-preparatory schools.”

I agree with PP - embracing different forms of diversity joyfully is something to be proud of. [/quote]

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