Anonymous wrote:I am highly educated and never heard of Sidwell until I came to work in DC. No one in my excellent college attended the school and no one bothered to ask anyone where they went to high school. It is just a DC phenom and a reflection of the shallow brand-name obsession in the city.

Yup.

The name only matters before you visit the school because that's the only thing you know. My three kids went/go there, including one who is out of college. I didn't care about the name almost 20 years ago when we applied. It was the facilities, the teachers, the philosophy. The name disappears pretty quickly. I absolutely don't pay money for the name. I don't think we have had a Sidwell sticker on our car for ten years. When I walk on to the campus, it's the actual school that I value, not what others think about it.

They need big donors, the latest being for the building of a new elementary school in the main campus, so quaker values be damned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2. Quaker oriented culture

How is this manifested and how has it affected your child's experience?

"Quaker oriented" culture? What does that mean?

Google is your friend

I'm from Philly and went to a Friends school. I get Quaker culture. Was confused by the "oriented" part. Is it Quaker light? Only some elements of Quaker values?

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest? The name. That's what you're (we're) paying for.

Cynical and short sighted. Since the benefit is lost on you, you should have saved yourself the expense. As a 15 year member of the community, I am not part of the "you're".

NP. I don't think this is cynical and short sighted at all. I bet 99% of the parents there (ourselves included) have this reason somewhere on their list of "Why We Chose Sidwell." Nothing to be offended by, PP. It's just an acknowledgement of the fact that the name carries weight both here and elsewhere.

Reread the quote. Not given as a reason among many, but instead characterized as the only reason. I would say cynical. But then again, it is only my opinion as opposed the poster who supposes to speak for the many.

Oh please. Don't kid yourself. basically all private schools have small class sizes, a topnotch facility, and good, caring teachers. What does Sidwell have in addition to that? A national name. Don't be so naive.

Naive, hardly. If I am going to write an $80,000 check every year, as I have for the last 13, I am going to make a decision that goes beyond brand. If you really can't see the differences between these schools - and each school had attributes that may suit a family or student better than the others - then you are foolish with your money.

I am highly educated and never heard of Sidwell until I came to work in DC. No one in my excellent college attended the school and no one bothered to ask anyone where they went to high school. It is just a DC phenom and a reflection of the shallow brand-name obsession in the city.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest? The name. That's what you're (we're) paying for.

Cynical and short sighted. Since the benefit is lost on you, you should have saved yourself the expense. As a 15 year member of the community, I am not part of the "you're".

NP. I don't think this is cynical and short sighted at all. I bet 99% of the parents there (ourselves included) have this reason somewhere on their list of "Why We Chose Sidwell." Nothing to be offended by, PP. It's just an acknowledgement of the fact that the name carries weight both here and elsewhere.

Reread the quote. Not given as a reason among many, but instead characterized as the only reason. I would say cynical. But then again, it is only my opinion as opposed the poster who supposes to speak for the many.

Oh please. Don't kid yourself. basically all private schools have small class sizes, a topnotch facility, and good, caring teachers. What does Sidwell have in addition to that? A national name. Don't be so naive.

+1

If I'm going to pay $37,000+ to send my kid to a private school, doesn't it make sense to pick the one that has a brand name, versus one that no one outside of the beltway has ever heard of?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest? The name. That's what you're (we're) paying for.

Cynical and short sighted. Since the benefit is lost on you, you should have saved yourself the expense. As a 15 year member of the community, I am not part of the "you're".

NP. I don't think this is cynical and short sighted at all. I bet 99% of the parents there (ourselves included) have this reason somewhere on their list of "Why We Chose Sidwell." Nothing to be offended by, PP. It's just an acknowledgement of the fact that the name carries weight both here and elsewhere.

Reread the quote. Not given as a reason among many, but instead characterized as the only reason. I would say cynical. But then again, it is only my opinion as opposed the poster who supposes to speak for the many.

Oh please. Don't kid yourself. basically all private schools have small class sizes, a topnotch facility, and good, caring teachers. What does Sidwell have in addition to that? A national name. Don't be so naive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest? The name. That's what you're (we're) paying for.

Cynical and short sighted. Since the benefit is lost on you, you should have saved yourself the expense. As a 15 year member of the community, I am not part of the "you're".

NP. I don't think this is cynical and short sighted at all. I bet 99% of the parents there (ourselves included) have this reason somewhere on their list of "Why We Chose Sidwell." Nothing to be offended by, PP. It's just an acknowledgement of the fact that the name carries weight both here and elsewhere.

Reread the quote. Not given as a reason among many, but instead characterized as the only reason. I would say cynical. But then again, it is only my opinion as opposed the poster who supposes to speak for the many.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest? The name. That's what you're (we're) paying for.

Cynical and short sighted. Since the benefit is lost on you, you should have saved yourself the expense. As a 15 year member of the community, I am not part of the "you're".

NP. I don't think this is cynical and short sighted at all. I bet 99% of the parents there (ourselves included) have this reason somewhere on their list of "Why We Chose Sidwell." Nothing to be offended by, PP. It's just an acknowledgement of the fact that the name carries weight both here and elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:Honest? The name. That's what you're (we're) paying for.

Cynical and short sighted. Since the benefit is lost on you, you should have saved yourself the expense. As a 15 year member of the community, I am not part of the "you're".

Honest? The name. That's what you're (we're) paying for.

Because of its prestige, good education, college placement, connections and convenience ...we live in DC

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2. Quaker oriented culture

How is this manifested and how has it affected your child's experience?

"Quaker oriented" culture? What does that mean?

Google is your friend

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2. Quaker oriented culture

How is this manifested and how has it affected your child's experience?

"Quaker oriented" culture? What does that mean?

It is a Friends school and Quaker values are taught as part of the curriculum, and Meeting for Worship is held weekly. There are more details on the web site.