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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Had kids attend both high schools recently. There are pros and cons to both. AMA![/quote]

Can you elaborate on the pros and cons? Thanks. [/quote]

Both schools offer great teaching and rigor, boost students confidence through personal attention, encourage student engagement in their school and surrounding communities, have solid college matriculation and successful alumni.  [b]The feel of the schools is very different.[/b] Holton is much more steeped in tradition/history and generational legacy. Beyond the uniform, there are more rules and less independence for the students. There is often a Holton way of doing things. This Holton way does result in strong programs/clubs year over year. English writing is especially strong in this regard. The curriculum prepares students for college, but due to the smaller size of the student body, does not offer as many course options or activities. Holton gate keeps which level math, history, etc. students can take. Advanced core course offerings are strong across the board, but don't have much variety. Holton has some interesting single trimester electives to help students try out potential interests.  The schedule has seven 50 minute periods/day so there are classes multiple days in a row--this results in little control over when homework needs to be done and there is a lot of homework. This may be good for students with attention or executive functioning challenges. Holton has a Global scholars program with summer travel abroad opportunities. They also have a summer science research internship, where 8-10 students get to participate each year. Sports are a bigger part of Holton and school spirit abounds. There are many themed sprit days. Girls figure out early to create strong resumes for college so it can get competitive in classes and for leadership opportunities starting even Freshman year. College counseling is strong--they are decisive and transparent with feedback which helps families a ton during the process.

GDS is more casual in feel and students play a bigger role in molding the school so it's more ever evolving. GDS students are allowed a higher degree of independence being able to leave campus as freshmen. Students often hang out before and after school for sports, clubs or just to spend time with friends as campus stays open every evening. GDS adds in spirited fun throughout the school year to mitigate stress. The course catalog is large with more offerings in every subject area which really helps students find their passion and differentiate their college applications.  STEM is very well developed and diverse at GDS. Teaching is fantastic and they have three levels for each math, let students select their course level and offer classes through multi, diff EQ and linear algebra.  GDS also has more true upper level offerings in science, computer science, etc. GDS has more offerings in history, English and world language as well. The block schedule with 75 minute classes every other day gives students some control over which night they are going to do homework as it can be a lot and challenging.  GDS also has a well developed large summer internship program across many areas of interest and a strong summer Policy Institute.  Because GDS offers so many course pathways, clubs and activities, there is more of a "you do you" attitude. College counseling focuses a lot on fit and students tend to pursue a wider range of colleges.

Hope this helps! [/quote]

If your kid needs more encouragement to challenge themselves, GDS is not going to do that for you : they "meet the kid where the kid is at"! [/quote]

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