WIS parent of a middle schooler here. We happen to both be Americans. We like the school but it is not an American school.

Our experience has been that parents are friendly, congenial, and civil. Parents go to events and volunteer here and there. The parents don't rule the school, which we prefer, and students take ownership of events. For example, middle school representatives of student government help plan middle school dances and solicit feedback on Spirit Week and other themed months. House competitions link students across the middle school years.

Kids are supportive of one another's ECs. For example, a lot of middle schoolers go to support students in both the middle and upper school music and theater performances. Soccer is big at the school, with fan buses when the team does well. Same with other sports.

Opportunities for parent socials exist, with mixers, auction, and a few larger, whole school events per year. If you happen to enjoy the arts, additional concerts with professional artists take place at the school. Language groups for parents also exist.

We appreciate how the school tries to center the students' experience but it may not be the right fit for some, which is okay. That is why there are lots of options in the DMV.

Good luck!

The WIS alumni network is terrific. I’ve gotten a lot out of it.

OP as with any school that you want to know about on this forum, you are going to either hear what you want to hear, encounter people who post with a personal vendetta, or whatever…

WIS is an international school so the vibe and nature of the school is a bit different than most DC schools. It’s also a highly academic school with the difficult IB program which isn’t for everyone. There is school spirit but not in the sense of SJC or other schools, and I’ve found that the kids do hang out together and go to games and have fun, but the reality is that they are swamped with work.

I would recommend talking to actual WIS parents and students to get your final take on things instead of relying on this forum.

WIS is an awesome school for my two children. And we are happy with parent interactions and the school too. It may not be for you, however, but keep doing your research and know that perfect schools don’t exist. Just choose what is best for your child. Not you.

Anonymous wrote:STAY AWAY FROM WIS. ONLY REGRETS

Elaborate?

Anonymous wrote:Could a member of this community current or former at WIS middle and upper please share your experience? What brings people together? Are parents or family coming to sports if other sod hall events? What’s the gel that connects people at the school? How does its leadership nurture these connections?

STAY AWAY FROM WIS,

STAY AWAY FROM WIS. ONLY REGRETS

Anonymous wrote:Former WIS parent. We left bc my kids wanted more school spirit. Not the cheer team pep rally things, but traditions and the overall pride of being an alum. Notice it’s rare to see kids sporting WIS swag around town. My kids like sporting their current schools stuff.

+1. I think it gets to the "internationalness" of the school. Schools abroad largely don't get into the whole school spirit thing. While only an example, other than for tourists at Oxford and Cambridge, you don't see students in universities even wearing swag. Many schools (both high school and college) don't have sports teams at all and if they do, it's purely recreational.

WIS is that. People show up for their soccer games but that's about it. Parents show up for "grill day" but they rarely donate (and, for better or worse, there's not much an expectation to do so although they have an annual fund), they are limited in their volunteering, etc...

It's just what happens when you have a parent community that is more accustomed to how things are done elsehwere.

It's not a criticism. I quite like not being hounded for money. But, it is materially different both for students and parents than their neighboring schools.

Anonymous wrote:Former WIS parent. We left bc my kids wanted more school spirit. Not the cheer team pep rally things, but traditions and the overall pride of being an alum. Notice it’s rare to see kids sporting WIS swag around town. My kids like sporting their current schools stuff.

This is what we wanted to avoid. There’s nothing wrong with the school, we just want the full package. Fortunately we had a lot of options to be picky.

Former WIS parent. We left bc my kids wanted more school spirit. Not the cheer team pep rally things, but traditions and the overall pride of being an alum. Notice it’s rare to see kids sporting WIS swag around town. My kids like sporting their current schools stuff.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks so much for these responses. I want to clarify that I’m asking from the point of view of the students. DC observed that it seemed like there was less school spirit.

But shadow days can be random and I’m trying to understand if that’s an accurate perception or not.

Schools that are more diverse often have a more elusive sense of school spirit. But there may be opportunities deeper friendships and relationships with teachers, and it may mean that more of the community’s energy goes into things beyond the rah-rah sports stuff. I don’t know a ton about WIS but in my kid’s case, they are moving to a school that has less school spirit on the surface, but way more energy poured into group projects, community meetings, etc. I would encourage your DC to look deeper (using age-appropriate language) and think about the pros.

OP here. Thanks so much for these responses. I want to clarify that I’m asking from the point of view of the students. DC observed that it seemed like there was less school spirit.

But shadow days can be random and I’m trying to understand if that’s an accurate perception or not.

Anonymous wrote:Did you attend the event at the residence of the HOS yesterday? My take on these questions from the event is that it’s up to you to decide the level of interaction. There is baseline spirit supported by the school but it’s not a typical rah-rah pep rally independent school. Some parents do a lot to build community and the school seems to welcome that but, ultimately, it’s a school for the kids, not the parents. I like that. You may not.

I’ll offer the perspective of someone who found themselves at a school that touts its community and school spirit and all that: it’s not always a plus. Our school community is great if you’re on the inside of it, but for 60% of families it’s really isolating. The parents who run things socially have a great time, as do their kids. But if you’re not part of that parent social group, your family will always be on the outside looking in, and your kid may struggle to break into certain groups.

TLDR: schools with community are overrated unless you’re on the “inside”. Don’t worry too much about it if WIS feels right in other ways. You’re looking for a school for your kid, not a social club for yourself. I wish we’d chosen a school that was more student-centered and less about the parent/family experience.

Did you attend the event at the residence of the HOS yesterday? My take on these questions from the event is that it’s up to you to decide the level of interaction. There is baseline spirit supported by the school but it’s not a typical rah-rah pep rally independent school. Some parents do a lot to build community and the school seems to welcome that but, ultimately, it’s a school for the kids, not the parents. I like that. You may not.

We had a few phone calls with WIS parents last week with these same concerns. We read between the lines and the answers were not comforting. I’ll let current parents chime in here, but your concerns are valid

Could a member of this community current or former at WIS middle and upper please share your experience? What brings people together? Are parents or family coming to sports if other sod hall events? What’s the gel that connects people at the school? How does its leadership nurture these connections?