Anonymous wrote:NP here. Not to take this thread in a different direction, but why don't cheerleaders go to away games? Is this unique to MCPS? Why do we settle for things like this in MCPS and assume it's normal (like the facilities)?

I'm actually glad to hear that MCPS doesn't pay for cheerleaders to go to away games.

NP here. Not to take this thread in a different direction, but why don't cheerleaders go to away games? Is this unique to MCPS? Why do we settle for things like this in MCPS and assume it's normal (like the facilities)?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please share good/bad/ugly. The financial savings is not an issue (but not unwelcome). My biggest concerns are class size, overall size (getting lost in a crowd), ability to play sports and connection to others (school spirit, I guess).
Thanks in advance...

On the topic of school spirit -- I'm not sure BCC has a lot of it?

My kids are in elementary and middle schools that feed to BCC. Last month on a Friday night, we attended a BCC boys basketball game where they played Churchill. It was an exciting and close game.

In my experience, I had come from a big suburban school in the Midwest. I expected to see cheerleaders from both teams, a dance team, a pep band, and an announcer calling the game.

Instead, the BCC cheerleaders stayed on the sidelines for most of the game, and the dance line did not perform. There was no pep band and no announcer. Churchill didn’t even bring its cheerleaders.

I am kind of bummed that this is what my kids’ high school experience will be when they get to BCC. I liked going to a high school with a lot of school spirit. Having said that, maybe BCC is better in that kids do a greater variety of activities (with less focus on the sports of football and basketball), and there are more social options than just attending a high school basketball game on a Friday night.

Football games have more of that pep stuff, with the Poms performing and cheerleaders on the sidelines. I've never seen a MCPS school bring cheerleaders to an away game, not sure that's done. I think the Poms perform at a couple of basketball games but their competitive season is in the winter so they are not focusing on school games then (they do every home football game in the fall). Private schools don't have any of that stuff - most don't even have cheerleaders or pep bands.

My DC went to Whitman and there is a lot of school spirit there, and good fan bases for some sports, but kids are busy and have plenty of things to do. People do tend to turn out in force for big games - 4000 people went to the state basketball final last year and at least 1000 to the state soccer finals this year.

OP, my concern about your DS is that if he is wanting to change schools to do less work then he may flounder at a school like BCC. The top kids are taking many AP/IB classes and the workload can be quite intense. Kids also take more classes than in the private schools (typically 7 classes, 1 of which might be art/music type classes) so it's pretty fast paced.

Anonymous wrote:Please share good/bad/ugly. The financial savings is not an issue (but not unwelcome). My biggest concerns are class size, overall size (getting lost in a crowd), ability to play sports and connection to others (school spirit, I guess).
Thanks in advance...

On the topic of school spirit -- I'm not sure BCC has a lot of it?

My kids are in elementary and middle schools that feed to BCC. Last month on a Friday night, we attended a BCC boys basketball game where they played Churchill. It was an exciting and close game.

In my experience, I had come from a big suburban school in the Midwest. I expected to see cheerleaders from both teams, a dance team, a pep band, and an announcer calling the game.

Instead, the BCC cheerleaders stayed on the sidelines for most of the game, and the dance line did not perform. There was no pep band and no announcer. Churchill didn’t even bring its cheerleaders.

I am kind of bummed that this is what my kids’ high school experience will be when they get to BCC. I liked going to a high school with a lot of school spirit. Having said that, maybe BCC is better in that kids do a greater variety of activities (with less focus on the sports of football and basketball), and there are more social options than just attending a high school basketball game on a Friday night.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What don't you like about private?

I love everything about private. He is the one that wants to change. His reasons vary from day to day but can be anything from not wanting to wear a uniform to just feeling more relaxed/comfortable to the work is too hard.

I think you need better reasons than that - those sound like typical adolescent angst to me. Moreover, public school is very good at letting people fall through cracks. Students must be self-motivated. B-CC is an excellent cluster and there are many ambitious and hard-working students who take advantage of all the resources the school has to offer. But if the motivation is not there in the first place, then you need to work on that pronto because changing schools may not be the solution. Although of course it's tempting to go public so that at least you're not paying while all this is playing out

I've had 3 kids graduate from BCC-each very different personalities (type A-did IB, next more rebel, own path kind of kid, third social). Each loved it and went onto great schools-1st Ivy and just got mba from another Ivy, 2nd a well regarded more creative, 3rd top tier liberal arts. We have a 4th kid who for a number of reasons we went with private BUT plan on her going to BCC. What we really like about BCC is that it is small enough to feel very personable but big enough that very different kids can find their place. Amazing families of all types-goid diversity of race, economics, nationality. You can see the school kids go to from there: lots of ivied/top tiers/u of md etc too. Two of mine did rowing at the school (very competive team)-other did Math Team-but sports are a good thing at the school. My kids friends from there are amazing now young adults and they are surprisingly still tight w/each other even though off to different colleges. Highly reccomend the school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, tell us about your kid first.

Smart, funny, athletic, happy teenage boy. No learning issues or other special needs. Regular kid. Says he is unhappy at current private. DH and I worry about the issues I raised in the first post, and that he will not be pushed/challenged. Really do want to love B-CC. But really want to hear honest views from those actually there.

BCC has students who are very high achievers. It is a highly competitive atmosphere. Expect it to be harder than private.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, tell us about your kid first.

Smart, funny, athletic, happy teenage boy. No learning issues or other special needs. Regular kid. Says he is unhappy at current private. DH and I worry about the issues I raised in the first post, and that he will not be pushed/challenged. Really do want to love B-CC. But really want to hear honest views from those actually there.

But why do you want to take him out in the first place?

I don't. I give a little more info at 12:48. Just trying to listen to him and respect what he wants.

Anonymous wrote:What don't you like about private?

I love everything about private. He is the one that wants to change. His reasons vary from day to day but can be anything from not wanting to wear a uniform to just feeling more relaxed/comfortable to the work is too hard.

B-CC is a considered a very good school. It really depends on your child what they make of the opportunities and resources that BCC makes available to all their students.

The same resources get used well be some students and they become very successful, and then there are some students who are disinterested and unmotivated and those resources are of no use to them.

Figure out your kid, your family dynamics, your values. A kid can be amazingly successful or a spectacular failure in BCC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, tell us about your kid first.

Smart, funny, athletic, happy teenage boy. No learning issues or other special needs. Regular kid. Says he is unhappy at current private. DH and I worry about the issues I raised in the first post, and that he will not be pushed/challenged. Really do want to love B-CC. But really want to hear honest views from those actually there.

But why do you want to take him out in the first place?

Anonymous wrote:Well, tell us about your kid first.

Smart, funny, athletic, happy teenage boy. No learning issues or other special needs. Regular kid. Says he is unhappy at current private. DH and I worry about the issues I raised in the first post, and that he will not be pushed/challenged. Really do want to love B-CC. But really want to hear honest views from those actually there.

What don't you like about private?

Well, tell us about your kid first.

Please share good/bad/ugly. The financial savings is not an issue (but not unwelcome). My biggest concerns are class size, overall size (getting lost in a crowd), ability to play sports and connection to others (school spirit, I guess).
Thanks in advance...