Anonymous wrote:Kids who are engaged in learning, who WANT to learn, and be around other kids who feel similarly. Kids who like a school that's not huge like Deal or small like Maret. I hear sports is a big thing with some kids although I think uniformly, the teams are pretty bad, meaning, they lose a lot. Kids who are inquisitive. Just off the top of my head. I have a middle-schooler there.

I'm a parent of 2 SFS grads and a current HS student. I agree with your first sentence (in bold), but you need to check your facts on sports. Team records vary considerably, among sports and from year-to-year. This year, for example, on the girls' side, soccer, a perrenial SFS strength, had a great season (16-3); on the boys' side, tennis went 14-3. cross-country and track were 2nd in the MAC, and basketball went 22-9. Several other teams had respectable results and still others flailed. These are all upper school varsity results.

Kids who are engaged in learning, who WANT to learn, and be around other kids who feel similarly. Kids who like a school that's not huge like Deal or small like Maret. I hear sports is a big thing with some kids although I think uniformly, the teams are pretty bad, meaning, they lose a lot. Kids who are inquisitive. Just off the top of my head. I have a middle-schooler there.

and here we go again...
please try to respect OPs request of serious responses.

That is a strange statement. Lots of teams at Sidwell...sports, theater, music, robotics, math, debate, Model UN.

Children who are competitive and not interested in being part of a team.

There are not a lot of kids who ``seem to excel without much effort.'' At least not in the higher grades.

Self-confidence is key, for all the reasons mentioned above. It's not a cut-throat environment, but there are so many kids who seem to excel without much effort that an anxious kid may start to doubt his/her abilities.

Anonymous wrote:My perspective is that kids who like to talk and join classroom discussions do better. I think shire kids have a harder time as the set up in the classroom is such that the kids are not quietly taking notes in their seats while the teacher lectures the entire period.

Yes, I agree the kids from the Shire do not do as well, too focused on eating and dancing.

It's a very rigorous school academically. To do well - let's call it a B average - kids need to be able to focus and work very hard. To do very well B+ and above, kids need to be outstanding students who are also very, very smart.

There is no grade inflation at Sidwell so it can be pretty tough to see the marks that are returned on tests and papers. There is no reward for just showing up at school.

That said, kids leave the school extremely well prepared for college with particularly strong writing skills.

My perspective is that kids who like to talk and join classroom discussions do better. I think shire kids have a harder time as the set up in the classroom is such that the kids are not quietly taking notes in their seats while the teacher lectures the entire period.

Anonymous wrote:If "doing well" means being generally happy and well adjusted, I'm afraid I'm unable to identify such a student

Back to the Sidwell sex scandal thread with you! That's where you can get your jollies.

Ignore the troll!

Anonymous wrote:If "doing well" means being generally happy and well adjusted, I'm afraid I'm unable to identify such a student

If "doing well" means being generally happy and well adjusted, I'm afraid I'm unable to identify such a student

Obviously there is a broad range. The kids I've seen who liked it the best were smart, verbally sharp/quippy, and independent about managing a workload. A good sense of humor helps. With all this said, I've known more reserved, more average students who did well but they often had a standout talent in sports/the arts to boost them. It is a pretty intense workload by Upper School, so it might not be a good fit for a child prone to anxiety.

Serious responses only need reply.