Reply to Gonzaga, Georgetown Prep, Langdon, Saint Anslems, St. Albans

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]When we set out to find the right all-boys school for our son, we knew exactly what we wanted:

Strong academics.
Catholic values—or something like that.
A sense of brotherhood.
And, of course, diversity.

The kind of diversity that looks great on a website but still feels reassuring when you drop your kid off in the morning.

We first toured DeMatha, and it was…energetic. So much energy! So much music! So much art! So much personality! My husband whispered, “You can feel the brotherhood.” I whispered back, “You can feel the brotherhood.” We loved it, but ultimately felt our son might “get lost in the crowd,” which was code for “we didn’t see anyone else from country club.”

At Gonzaga, we were told the boys learn to serve others and challenge injustice. The admissions director proudly noted, “Our student body is one of the most diverse among Jesuit schools.” We nodded enthusiastically, pretending not to notice that “diverse” apparently meant “one student of color for every four rowing shells.”

Georgetown Prep felt comfortable. There was a Starbucks nearby, and the campus had a pond that whispered “legacy.” The admissions video featured boys of every background, each one talking about leadership while standing in front of brick architecture that probably cost more than our house. When they mentioned their “global perspective,” my husband teared up a little. He studied abroad once, in London.

St. Albans impressed us with its charm and Episcopalian restraint. “We’re 43% students of color,” the headmaster said, his smile both humble and rehearsed. We loved the number. It sounded like justice with manners.

At Landon, the admissions office described the school as “evolving.” We took that to mean “still figuring out how to talk about diversity without whispering it.” Our tour guide said they had “a lot more public school kids now,” which we took as a warning.

Then there was St. Anselm’s—small, earnest, and full of genuine tradition. Actual monks! Our son said it felt “too quiet.” We said that was the sound of discernment. He rolled his eyes. We took that as spiritual growth.

In the end, we chose a school that “values diversity” while “maintaining rigorous standards,” which is parental shorthand for some variety, same comfort level. We tell our friends it was the perfect balance of tradition and inclusion.

And every time the newsletter features our son in a group photo next to a boy named Alejandro, we proudly forward it to everyone: “Look at this! This is the future!”

We mean it, too. We just hope the future still has a good lacrosse program.[/quote]

OP here - what a great post! Thanks for this perspective on all the schools that you visited. If I were to guess, based on what you wrote, did you end up at Georgetown Prep?[/quote]

Nice guess, but, no. I said, "good lacrosse program."[/quote]

No school mentioned has a particularly good lacrosse program. [/quote]

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