Anonymous
02/26/2023 21:09
Subject: Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Can I suggest as nicely as possible that you leave HB for the kids who really want to be there? I’m an HB parent and I feel bad for the kids who don’t get to go who would thrive their because the spot is taken by someone who just threw their hat in the ring without really thinking about it, and then take the spot because it is a “golden ticket” and they can always leave.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 21:02
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
A high level of self-motivation is recommended since there are more student freedoms than in the comprehensive schools. Students occasionally leave HB for their home schools when it’s not a good fit.
Yeah, basically you weed out underperforming and under resourced students — if their parents aren’t on top of HBW lottery or don’t want to deal with a distant school (like how to pickup a sick kid if you have to take bus across county), and then the academic pace encourages slower kids and ESL to leave for easy embrace of neighborhood school. I can’t imagine walking away from that for some team sports. With 3000 kids at WL, good luck making the team!
It's actually much easier to make sports teams at W-L than at Yorktown due to demographics. The vast majority of student athletes at Yorktown are competing for limited spots, whereas at W-L a smaller number of student athletes are competing for limited spots, even though the school is larger. More students at Yorktown are on travel teams and other competitive clubs than at W-L by virtue of the neighborhoods that are zoned to it. That said, W-L is still competitive, so it's not exactly easy to make certain cut sports teams.
Yeah- sad truth if you aren't on ECNL or Arlington Red/McLean Green (top teams) you aren't making HS soccer at Yorktown.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 20:59
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
There are all kinds of kids at HB. For kids who are below average academically it may be difficult. HB classes only meet 4 times a week instead of the typical 5 so they can get another period into the day. This means the classes have to move faster, to get all the content in in far less time. This may not work if your kid is already having trouble keeping up.
The way it works in the regular middle schools is the classes only meet 3 times a week. Two long periods and one shorter one.
Right, so the HB equivalent would be just the two longer periods.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 20:09
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
A high level of self-motivation is recommended since there are more student freedoms than in the comprehensive schools. Students occasionally leave HB for their home schools when it’s not a good fit.
Yeah, basically you weed out underperforming and under resourced students — if their parents aren’t on top of HBW lottery or don’t want to deal with a distant school (like how to pickup a sick kid if you have to take bus across county), and then the academic pace encourages slower kids and ESL to leave for easy embrace of neighborhood school. I can’t imagine walking away from that for some team sports. With 3000 kids at WL, good luck making the team!
It's actually much easier to make sports teams at W-L than at Yorktown due to demographics. The vast majority of student athletes at Yorktown are competing for limited spots, whereas at W-L a smaller number of student athletes are competing for limited spots, even though the school is larger. More students at Yorktown are on travel teams and other competitive clubs than at W-L by virtue of the neighborhoods that are zoned to it. That said, W-L is still competitive, so it's not exactly easy to make certain cut sports teams.
True, WL has been bulking up with higher FARMS student so no money for travel teams there.
That's not true. While the wealthiest W-L neighborhoods in N Arlington were inexplicably rezoned to Yorktown about 5 years ago, W-L is still plenty wealthy with lots of travel athletes. More than many Fairfax County public schools, but not close to Yorktown at all. Yorktown is consistently one of the most successful athletics powerhouses in the state. W-L performs decently with its fair share of district, regional, and state titles, but nothing close to Yorktown's dominance, which surpasses most area public schools.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 19:51
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
A high level of self-motivation is recommended since there are more student freedoms than in the comprehensive schools. Students occasionally leave HB for their home schools when it’s not a good fit.
Yeah, basically you weed out underperforming and under resourced students — if their parents aren’t on top of HBW lottery or don’t want to deal with a distant school (like how to pickup a sick kid if you have to take bus across county), and then the academic pace encourages slower kids and ESL to leave for easy embrace of neighborhood school. I can’t imagine walking away from that for some team sports. With 3000 kids at WL, good luck making the team!
It's actually much easier to make sports teams at W-L than at Yorktown due to demographics. The vast majority of student athletes at Yorktown are competing for limited spots, whereas at W-L a smaller number of student athletes are competing for limited spots, even though the school is larger. More students at Yorktown are on travel teams and other competitive clubs than at W-L by virtue of the neighborhoods that are zoned to it. That said, W-L is still competitive, so it's not exactly easy to make certain cut sports teams.
True, WL has been bulking up with higher FARMS student so no money for travel teams there.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 19:38
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
There are all kinds of kids at HB. For kids who are below average academically it may be difficult. HB classes only meet 4 times a week instead of the typical 5 so they can get another period into the day. This means the classes have to move faster, to get all the content in in far less time. This may not work if your kid is already having trouble keeping up.
The way it works in the regular middle schools is the classes only meet 3 times a week. Two long periods and one shorter one.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 19:06
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
A high level of self-motivation is recommended since there are more student freedoms than in the comprehensive schools. Students occasionally leave HB for their home schools when it’s not a good fit.
Yeah, basically you weed out underperforming and under resourced students — if their parents aren’t on top of HBW lottery or don’t want to deal with a distant school (like how to pickup a sick kid if you have to take bus across county), and then the academic pace encourages slower kids and ESL to leave for easy embrace of neighborhood school. I can’t imagine walking away from that for some team sports. With 3000 kids at WL, good luck making the team!
It's actually much easier to make sports teams at W-L than at Yorktown due to demographics. The vast majority of student athletes at Yorktown are competing for limited spots, whereas at W-L a smaller number of student athletes are competing for limited spots, even though the school is larger. More students at Yorktown are on travel teams and other competitive clubs than at W-L by virtue of the neighborhoods that are zoned to it. That said, W-L is still competitive, so it's not exactly easy to make certain cut sports teams.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 18:31
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone - we are just afraid of losing connection to the local community and sports as well.
That can happen anywhere as you are put in with a new group of kids and kids change as they mature. DS advanced to MS with all his ES friends and by 7th grade had a completely new friend group. Middle school is a time of change no matter what.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 18:18
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
A high level of self-motivation is recommended since there are more student freedoms than in the comprehensive schools. Students occasionally leave HB for their home schools when it’s not a good fit.
Yeah, basically you weed out underperforming and under resourced students — if their parents aren’t on top of HBW lottery or don’t want to deal with a distant school (like how to pickup a sick kid if you have to take bus across county), and then the academic pace encourages slower kids and ESL to leave for easy embrace of neighborhood school. I can’t imagine walking away from that for some team sports. With 3000 kids at WL, good luck making the team!
Anonymous
02/26/2023 17:24
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
A high level of self-motivation is recommended since there are more student freedoms than in the comprehensive schools. Students occasionally leave HB for their home schools when it’s not a good fit.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 17:03
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
There are all kinds of kids at HB. For kids who are below average academically it may be difficult. HB classes only meet 4 times a week instead of the typical 5 so they can get another period into the day. This means the classes have to move faster, to get all the content in in far less time. This may not work if your kid is already having trouble keeping up.
This ^^ and middle schools sports which many kids miss out on.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 16:36
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
There are all kinds of kids at HB. For kids who are below average academically it may be difficult. HB classes only meet 4 times a week instead of the typical 5 so they can get another period into the day. This means the classes have to move faster, to get all the content in in far less time. This may not work if your kid is already having trouble keeping up.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 16:34
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
HB is very accepting of different kinds of kids, including those who you disparage as nerds.
With this type of attitude, stay away, please.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 16:28
Subject: Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:I’ve never heard of anyone turned down HB.
I’ve definitely known kids who left after middle school. Which is kind of the same difference.
It’s a great option but sincerely not the right fit for every family.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 16:06
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?