Anonymous wrote:AHC parent here. All the other schools are lovely, and we looked at most of them for our daughter, but if you're talking about a good balance between academics, sports and social responsibility you need to take a good long look at AHC.

I get a real kick out of reading some of these posts. Having grown up in the area and gone to Good Counsel, having family members on both sides and multiple generations go to AHC, Good Counsel, St. John's and Gonzaga, it's hysterical to watch some of you get so wrapped in your social standing that it literally rules your daughters' school choices. None of the schools here are academically deficient, and sports dominance goes in waves depending on the school and the sport. Your children get out of it what they (and you) put into it. Your child isn't going to get into an Ivy League school just because she went to this school rather than that one.

Go to the open houses, shadow as many as you can, and pick the one your child feels is the best for HER.

Another AHC parent here. I speak from a totally different angle because we really, really don’t run in the same circles of wealth and social circles that many families posting here do. My first DD chose AHC when she came home from her shadow day, breathed a big sigh, and said “I really think I can just be myself there and not get judged.” She was spot on. We do fine but we need to be careful with our money. This was the first place in her experience where girls came from both more and less than us and there was never an issue. Academics were great with accelerated options where she needed and “regular” classes where she preferred that. She played 2 sports and was in several clubs. She’s now in college on amazing merit aid. Second DD will hopefully follow to AHC. It’s not flashy and they will probably never have a pool but they really did right by my girl and she’s a good person for it.

AHC parent here. All the other schools are lovely, and we looked at most of them for our daughter, but if you're talking about a good balance between academics, sports and social responsibility you need to take a good long look at AHC.

I get a real kick out of reading some of these posts. Having grown up in the area and gone to Good Counsel, having family members on both sides and multiple generations go to AHC, Good Counsel, St. John's and Gonzaga, it's hysterical to watch some of you get so wrapped in your social standing that it literally rules your daughters' school choices. None of the schools here are academically deficient, and sports dominance goes in waves depending on the school and the sport. Your children get out of it what they (and you) put into it. Your child isn't going to get into an Ivy League school just because she went to this school rather than that one.

Go to the open houses, shadow as many as you can, and pick the one your child feels is the best for HER.

Anonymous wrote:This SR - Holton back and forth is silly. One is Catholic, the other isnt. Both are great schools academically (but not the very top) and great schools athletically (but not the very top). They pull from different demographics and there isnt really a competitive tradition between them. Seriously, they are both great schools. Comparing them is fruitless. Move on.

I agree completely.

But there are some on this forum who can’t see how SR being Catholic or any school being a Catholic school is all that important. It’s just one attribute of the school instead of the central core of it.

Their ability to overlook the Catholic part seems, in some cases, to be heightened if there is a price difference between the other schools they think they might like.

The great majority of students go to Catholic schools because they are Catholic schools. A few others consider these schools in spite of them being Catholic.

Anonymous wrote:This SR - Holton back and forth is silly. One is Catholic, the other isnt. Both are great schools academically (but not the very top) and great schools athletically (but not the very top). They pull from different demographics and there isnt really a competitive tradition between them. Seriously, they are both great schools. Comparing them is fruitless. Move on.

+1

This SR - Holton back and forth is silly. One is Catholic, the other isnt. Both are great schools academically (but not the very top) and great schools athletically (but not the very top). They pull from different demographics and there isnt really a competitive tradition between them. Seriously, they are both great schools. Comparing them is fruitless. Move on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ledecky money is flowing all over the Ridge. Has anyone been there lately? There facilities are incredible. Holton should be ashamed how shabby everything is. NCS has room contraints. Potomac is coed.

What part of Holton is shabby? Speaking of swimming, Holton has won the ISLs 2 years in a row and has 2 girls this year committed to swim for Columbia next year. Also, I'm sure the girls coming out of Holton know when to use there/their/they're, something your school didn't teach.

You have to be kidding? Holton needs to up their game in their sports facilities-rest of school also needs some upgrading. They have a huge endowment so there is no need to have bad fields etc. They should find a way or make one to fix this. Say what you want about Stone Ridge but their campus is incredible. No school comes close to what they have. Ledecky gave that school an infusion and the head of school was smart to leverage this.

The facilities at SR are nice but I know girls who left SR for Holton and found it a huge upgrade. The academics at SR can’t compete with Holton and the sports are strong as well. I agree we should improve the turf field but it didn’t seem to stop lacrosse from getting to the finals last year. SR has some very smart girls but that’s more the exception than the rule whereas Holton is the opposite. There’s also less of a divide between athletes and non-athletes at Holton. At SR it’s two separate camps from what we observed.

Aka Holton parent who knows little or nothing about SR.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ledecky money is flowing all over the Ridge. Has anyone been there lately? There facilities are incredible. Holton should be ashamed how shabby everything is. NCS has room contraints. Potomac is coed.

What part of Holton is shabby? Speaking of swimming, Holton has won the ISLs 2 years in a row and has 2 girls this year committed to swim for Columbia next year. Also, I'm sure the girls coming out of Holton know when to use there/their/they're, something your school didn't teach.

You have to be kidding? Holton needs to up their game in their sports facilities-rest of school also needs some upgrading. They have a huge endowment so there is no need to have bad fields etc. They should find a way or make one to fix this. Say what you want about Stone Ridge but their campus is incredible. No school comes close to what they have. Ledecky gave that school an infusion and the head of school was smart to leverage this.

The facilities at SR are nice but I know girls who left SR for Holton and found it a huge upgrade. The academics at SR can’t compete with Holton and the sports are strong as well. I agree we should improve the turf field but it didn’t seem to stop lacrosse from getting to the finals last year. SR has some very smart girls but that’s more the exception than the rule whereas Holton is the opposite. There’s also less of a divide between athletes and non-athletes at Holton. At SR it’s two separate camps from what we observed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ledecky money is flowing all over the Ridge. Has anyone been there lately? There facilities are incredible. Holton should be ashamed how shabby everything is. NCS has room contraints. Potomac is coed.

What part of Holton is shabby? Speaking of swimming, Holton has won the ISLs 2 years in a row and has 2 girls this year committed to swim for Columbia next year. Also, I'm sure the girls coming out of Holton know when to use there/their/they're, something your school didn't teach.

You have to be kidding? Holton needs to up their game in their sports facilities-rest of school also needs some upgrading. They have a huge endowment so there is no need to have bad fields etc. They should find a way or make one to fix this. Say what you want about Stone Ridge but their campus is incredible. No school comes close to what they have. Ledecky gave that school an infusion and the head of school was smart to leverage this.

You people are ridiculous, all of you.

+1

I am amazed at what I am reading. My kid attends one of these schools, one of the ones that a few of the moms 'frowns' upon, and I know that she will do just fine come college matriculation time. There is no one size fits all with any of this.

Again, says you. You pick and choose , claiming that you have somehow changed the topic because you say so. Under your logic, GDS is plainly superior to NCS as well but somehow it ranks below. You make no sense and you miss the overall point.

Anonymous wrote:Libra here; you continue to miss the point. No one said GDS didn't have excellent academics. The point was they are not clearly superior to the other schools in the discussion. You're the one making the superiority claims and the one who feels the need to attack other schools, even on a scale where GDS can't win. Which scale, by the way, was the point of the thread - academics and athletics. So jackass away, but you still miss the point.

If you go back to the original portion of the discussion that devolved into the GDS bashing, it was solely about the academics - as I have pointed out twice now, while also acknowledging the point of the thread.

Here is the relevant section, helpfully cut and pasted for the obtuse:

"GDS is not as strong academically as Holton, NCS, or Potomac. And to say it's athletic is hilarious. Really. It's a great school, with very very liberal kids--but not strong athletes. I even know of several girls who left there for another school because of how bad the athletics are.


Seriously?!? GDS is much stronger academically than Potomac or Holton. It is as rigorous as Sidwell and NCS/STA.


GDS is not the equal of Sidwell, STA or NCS. It is equal to Potomac and Holton however. And the later three are only a little bit less intense than the first three."

No, I did not post the initial response to the denigrator of GDS. So you are (a) not paying attention to the subtleties (such as they are) of this conversation, and (b) are one of those people who just cannot admit when they have made a mistake. So both dense and stubborn, just like my favorite beast of burden.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Flint Hill girls soccer won the N. Virginia Independent School Tournament this year

Did they beat anyone good?

Bishop Ireton and Potomac for the tournament.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ledecky money is flowing all over the Ridge. Has anyone been there lately? There facilities are incredible. Holton should be ashamed how shabby everything is. NCS has room contraints. Potomac is coed.

What part of Holton is shabby? Speaking of swimming, Holton has won the ISLs 2 years in a row and has 2 girls this year committed to swim for Columbia next year. Also, I'm sure the girls coming out of Holton know when to use there/their/they're, something your school didn't teach.

You have to be kidding? Holton needs to up their game in their sports facilities-rest of school also needs some upgrading. They have a huge endowment so there is no need to have bad fields etc. They should find a way or make one to fix this. Say what you want about Stone Ridge but their campus is incredible. No school comes close to what they have. Ledecky gave that school an infusion and the head of school was smart to leverage this.

Stone Ridge is the one next to NIH, right? You think that is incredible? Low bar.

NCS parent here - to be fair, their grounds are very nice, Field is excellent, pool is great. Basketball court is so-so and no tennys courts. Pretty campus though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ledecky money is flowing all over the Ridge. Has anyone been there lately? There facilities are incredible. Holton should be ashamed how shabby everything is. NCS has room contraints. Potomac is coed.

What part of Holton is shabby? Speaking of swimming, Holton has won the ISLs 2 years in a row and has 2 girls this year committed to swim for Columbia next year. Also, I'm sure the girls coming out of Holton know when to use there/their/they're, something your school didn't teach.

You have to be kidding? Holton needs to up their game in their sports facilities-rest of school also needs some upgrading. They have a huge endowment so there is no need to have bad fields etc. They should find a way or make one to fix this. Say what you want about Stone Ridge but their campus is incredible. No school comes close to what they have. Ledecky gave that school an infusion and the head of school was smart to leverage this.

Stone Ridge is the one next to NIH, right? You think that is incredible? Low bar.

Anonymous wrote:Flint Hill girls soccer won the N. Virginia Independent School Tournament this year

Did they beat anyone good?