DH went to SSSAS and was the son of country club parents with a ton of money, but he said the years at SSSAS were the worst years of his life. He said bullying was rampant and administration looked the other way, some teachers would even get in on making fun of the less popular kids. Worst of all, he said it was extremely racist. Academically, he felt unprepared for college even though he was on the honor roll at SSSAS. Most of his classmates from there either can't even afford to send their own kids to SSSAS themselves and or also comment on how much they hated their time there. I actually took a tour of the school, but my husband refused to even step foot in there so our son goes to a different private in Alexandria. I am sure things have changed since he went to school there, but I share his experience to let those of you who think coming from a rich country club family does not automatically get you a place at the table.

We looked at a bunch of independent schools for 9th grade entry and met a very diverse set of parents through the process at SSSAS. Some worked, some didn't; some seemingly had money, others didn't; some (like us) worked in government, others in private equity. Honestly it felt pretty much like every other school we looked at in terms of the parent community (including our local public schools which we have used as well). Like every community, there appear to be lots of groups, and I'm sure everyone can find people to hang out with if that's what you're looking for. We we also talked to kids with an extremely wide range of interests and backgrounds. I grew up in VA, and my sense was the SSSAS of today is pretty different from the SSSAS of 15-20 years ago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Non-country club SSSAS mom here and we love it. We have made many good friends. SsSAS is actually 65 percent working moms!! I work and our friends do too. It has a huge extended day program - because we are all at work!
Yes, there are SAHMs who run the fundraiser and such - and I am so grateful they do it because I can't. They are welcoming and friendly and appreciate any time you can give - I always try and volunteer for an hour or two to do my part.
OP, give it a fair shot. In my experience, the stereotypes are untrue. And I have 3 kids there

Really? Where did you get that stat?

Admissions office! Years ago when we applied. But I doubt it has gone down.
Frankly, we need 2 incomes to afford it. And lots of others are like us.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much does it cost to join Belle Haven? Is it that exclusive?

~ $90k

To join?!?

There are two different Belle Havens being referred to. One is the overpriced neighborhood in Alexandria called Belle Haven and the other is the Belle Haven Country Club. The more areas of overlap between the neighborhood, The Club and SSSAS, the more likelihood of being one of the people maligned above.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much does it cost to join Belle Haven? Is it that exclusive?

~ $90k

To join?!?

Hilarious - to the last poster who must be a Belle Haven Mom!

Anonymous wrote:Non-country club SSSAS mom here and we love it. We have made many good friends. SsSAS is actually 65 percent working moms!! I work and our friends do too. It has a huge extended day program - because we are all at work!
Yes, there are SAHMs who run the fundraiser and such - and I am so grateful they do it because I can't. They are welcoming and friendly and appreciate any time you can give - I always try and volunteer for an hour or two to do my part.
OP, give it a fair shot. In my experience, the stereotypes are untrue. And I have 3 kids there

Really? Where did you get that stat?

Those Belle Haven moms are annoying, but many of them are smoking hot.

Anonymous wrote:How much does it cost to join Belle Haven? Is it that exclusive?

~ $90k

Non-country club SSSAS mom here and we love it. We have made many good friends. SsSAS is actually 65 percent working moms!! I work and our friends do too. It has a huge extended day program - because we are all at work!
Yes, there are SAHMs who run the fundraiser and such - and I am so grateful they do it because I can't. They are welcoming and friendly and appreciate any time you can give - I always try and volunteer for an hour or two to do my part.
OP, give it a fair shot. In my experience, the stereotypes are untrue. And I have 3 kids there

How much does it cost to join Belle Haven? Is it that exclusive?

OP - you would be much happier elsewhere and my guess is that your daughter would be much happier elsewhere, too.

We left SSSAS for greener pastures, largely due to a move in the area, but we were unhappy enough with the culture to pull the plug. We thought our kids would have a huge fit, instead they thanked us.

Life is too short.

I love this thread! I think it's pretty accurate and very funny, but I just live in Belle Haven (no kids at SSSAS). I hope that rare combination doesn't give away my identity...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former SSSAS mom here. I am politically liberal, geeky, not country club or even conventionally beautiful SAHM. Some of the moms there are completely snobbish - looking right through me - and almost all of those were the Belle Haven moms.But so many others were entirely lovely. Seriously, there are some great parents there. And frankly, those are the ones who are more likely to be involved in things like the auction or to be room parents.

Frankly, you will find this at virtually every school in the area.

Thanks, but we are at one of the "Big 3" and nothing compares to the Belle Haven mom-mafia. The NW set may be full of snobs, but they are far less obvious in their snobbery. They are at least polite.

if your child (I presume you yourself are no longer in school) is at a "big 3" (however you might define that), it eludes me how you would have the slightest idea what the mothers of SSSAS kids might or might not be like. And, why would you care?

Because she said she is a former SSSAS parent? Just guessing, based on the first line of the above post.

Exactly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former SSSAS mom here. I am politically liberal, geeky, not country club or even conventionally beautiful SAHM. Some of the moms there are completely snobbish - looking right through me - and almost all of those were the Belle Haven moms.But so many others were entirely lovely. Seriously, there are some great parents there. And frankly, those are the ones who are more likely to be involved in things like the auction or to be room parents.

Frankly, you will find this at virtually every school in the area.

Thanks, but we are at one of the "Big 3" and nothing compares to the Belle Haven mom-mafia. The NW set may be full of snobs, but they are far less obvious in their snobbery. They are at least polite.

if your child (I presume you yourself are no longer in school) is at a "big 3" (however you might define that), it eludes me how you would have the slightest idea what the mothers of SSSAS kids might or might not be like. And, why would you care?

Because she said she is a former SSSAS parent? Just guessing, based on the first line of the above post.