Anonymous wrote:The problem with all of this is that student-athletes need to pass the NCAA clearinghouse in order to be eligible for a D1 scholarship. If the high school maintains its academic rigor, a medicore high school student will need to score higher on their SATs in order to qualify.

So the schools are in a quandry...either maintain rigor and hope the athlete scores well, or else the student doesn't qualify and they don't get a D1 scholarship.

As long as the schools don't fudge grades and the kids aren't feeling used, but rather use the grades and boards as an incentive to achieve in and out of the classroom, I am ok with it.

I have a problem with a kid who gets a diploma from a high school but can't go to a decent college on an athletic scholarship because they didn't hack it in the classroom and didn't get the support from the school needed for success.

You're creating a false choice. Schools can look for athletes who would benefit from their rigor. Athletes have the same range of capabilities as other students.

Secondly, athletes will presumably benefit from the same things that make other students thrive in private schools. There's no reason to believe that small class sizes, quality instruction, and individualized attention won't raise the performance of student athletes the same way they raise the performance of other students.

The problem with all of this is that student-athletes need to pass the NCAA clearinghouse in order to be eligible for a D1 scholarship. If the high school maintains its academic rigor, a medicore high school student will need to score higher on their SATs in order to qualify.

So the schools are in a quandry...either maintain rigor and hope the athlete scores well, or else the student doesn't qualify and they don't get a D1 scholarship.

As long as the schools don't fudge grades and the kids aren't feeling used, but rather use the grades and boards as an incentive to achieve in and out of the classroom, I am ok with it.

I have a problem with a kid who gets a diploma from a high school but can't go to a decent college on an athletic scholarship because they didn't hack it in the classroom and didn't get the support from the school needed for success.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:... "Every private school recruits in some way" is a poor excuse. STA does not.

Oh really? Here's St. Albans' football coach talking about recruiting in the Washington Post. http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2008-12-12/sports/36886723_1_coaches-private-school-montrose-christian

[Recruiting turned] Hyattsville Catholic school into a national basketball power. After that, many coaches said, it was a matter of trying to keep pace. It only makes sense that coaches recruit in other sports, too. "More often than not, it's a matter of trying to keep up with the Joneses," St. Albans football coach Gary Schnell said.

I guess he doesn't explicitly say "STA recruits athletes," but he might as well have said it.

I read it. All he said was that high school recruiting is about "keeping up with the Joneses." (Which I'd agree with.)

I would not categorically say St. Albans doesn't "recruit" in any sport, because I don't have the knowledge to say that. And I know that within the past decade, with different coaches in some of the programs, they did more searching out of athletes and trying to get them to apply, which I'd class as recruiting. At the current time, though, they probably are the school in the IAC that recruits the least, and where the admissions standards are also relaxed the least. Everything is cyclical, so who is to say that in ten years if they get a different head of school, etc., they won't be front and center of the recruiting process. But it is not a major focus now, and they are certainly not doing things like bringing in athletes senior year, or getting athletes from league schools and having them repeat a grade, or having family members of coaches make first contact with families, as occurs at some other league schools. Again, though, it's a cyclical thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IAC schools and colleges look for a mixture of scholars, athletes and artists to fill a student body. The families of athletes must initiate contact with the school to circumvent the recruitment process.

Is that true?

My son was on an 8th grade age travel team that had an excellent record. Coaches from high schools, Catholic mostly but also Maret, came to games and practices, and sent emails to the coach that he forwarded to the whole team.

Maret kind of cracked me up. They came to practice and what my child took away from it was that "I know you probably want the schools that are really good at (sport) but just in case you want academics more, you should think about us".

I think what they probably said is if the other coaches are not interested, we are.

I don't doubt that they said something more nuanced than what he reported. I do think that the big idea that he walked away with was probably accurate, which is that Maret's a good place for a smart kid who likes sports but also wants some balance and to have time for rigorous academics, community service, and involvement in the arts, whereas some of the other schools that recruited are good places for a kid who wants quality academics, but also wants sports to be the focal point of their high school experience, and may have dreams of playing Division 1.

My point, however, is that we didn't reach out to any of these schools (I already knew my kid was going public), and I didn't in any way give permission, and yet my kid was spoken to outside of my presence, by several coaches. While it didn't bother me, and my kid was kind of flattered, I certainly wouldn't consider that contact to have been "parent initiated".

A parent initiated, just not you. They don't have to get permission from every parent to attend a game or practice. Coaches are allowed to be polite to kids without your permission, "hey you look good out there". "Spoken to outside my presence" is a little dramatic. I mean how rude would it be for the coach to act like the other kids didn't even exist. They were polite to you kid and it boosted his ego for a moment.

It is no secret what kind of grades student athletes get, their resumes are on line for the public to see. These are very bright, accomplished kids.

The coach gathered all the kids on the team, introduced the coach, who then passed out brochures and made a speech about his school. It wasn't him being polite, and while I'm sure my kid, who isn't a superstar, wasn't the target, but every kid was included. As I said, I didn't have a problem with it, but it seems to contradict the idea that coaches need to wait for parents to reach out.

I didn't mean to imply anything about the grades of kids at any school. I know you can be a top student and a top athlete at an athletic powerhouse school. I think that most kids, except perhaps the most gifted, would have trouble doing both of those things, and keeping up with other outside commitments.

Anonymous wrote:As a former STA mom, I know STA coaches "recruit" for specific sports in the sense they let other parents steer stellar athletes to the school. Maybe the other STA parent was simply not aware. I don't place STA on a pedestal it is/was my child's high school. No more. No less.

That's different from seeking out academically under qualified kids and giving them financial aid because of their sport skills

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IAC schools and colleges look for a mixture of scholars, athletes and artists to fill a student body. The families of athletes must initiate contact with the school to circumvent the recruitment process.

Is that true?

My son was on an 8th grade age travel team that had an excellent record. Coaches from high schools, Catholic mostly but also Maret, came to games and practices, and sent emails to the coach that he forwarded to the whole team.

Maret kind of cracked me up. They came to practice and what my child took away from it was that "I know you probably want the schools that are really good at (sport) but just in case you want academics more, you should think about us".

I think what they probably said is if the other coaches are not interested, we are.

I don't doubt that they said something more nuanced than what he reported. I do think that the big idea that he walked away with was probably accurate, which is that Maret's a good place for a smart kid who likes sports but also wants some balance and to have time for rigorous academics, community service, and involvement in the arts, whereas some of the other schools that recruited are good places for a kid who wants quality academics, but also wants sports to be the focal point of their high school experience, and may have dreams of playing Division 1.

My point, however, is that we didn't reach out to any of these schools (I already knew my kid was going public), and I didn't in any way give permission, and yet my kid was spoken to outside of my presence, by several coaches. While it didn't bother me, and my kid was kind of flattered, I certainly wouldn't consider that contact to have been "parent initiated".

A parent initiated, just not you. They don't have to get permission from every parent to attend a game or practice. Coaches are allowed to be polite to kids without your permission, "hey you look good out there". "Spoken to outside my presence" is a little dramatic. I mean how rude would it be for the coach to act like the other kids didn't even exist. They were polite to you kid and it boosted his ego for a moment.

It is no secret what kind of grades student athletes get, their resumes are on line for the public to see. These are very bright, accomplished kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IAC schools and colleges look for a mixture of scholars, athletes and artists to fill a student body. The families of athletes must initiate contact with the school to circumvent the recruitment process.

Is that true?

My son was on an 8th grade age travel team that had an excellent record. Coaches from high schools, Catholic mostly but also Maret, came to games and practices, and sent emails to the coach that he forwarded to the whole team.

Maret kind of cracked me up. They came to practice and what my child took away from it was that "I know you probably want the schools that are really good at (sport) but just in case you want academics more, you should think about us".

I think what they probably said is if the other coaches are not interested, we are.

I don't doubt that they said something more nuanced than what he reported. I do think that the big idea that he walked away with was probably accurate, which is that Maret's a good place for a smart kid who likes sports but also wants some balance and to have time for rigorous academics, community service, and involvement in the arts, whereas some of the other schools that recruited are good places for a kid who wants quality academics, but also wants sports to be the focal point of their high school experience, and may have dreams of playing Division 1.

My point, however, is that we didn't reach out to any of these schools (I already knew my kid was going public), and I didn't in any way give permission, and yet my kid was spoken to outside of my presence, by several coaches. While it didn't bother me, and my kid was kind of flattered, I certainly wouldn't consider that contact to have been "parent initiated".

Anonymous wrote:As a former STA mom, I know STA coaches "recruit" for specific sports in the sense they let other parents steer stellar athletes to the school. Maybe the other STA parent was simply not aware. I don't place STA on a pedestal it is/was my child's high school. No more. No less.

Which sports?

As a former STA mom, I know STA coaches "recruit" for specific sports in the sense they let other parents steer stellar athletes to the school. Maybe the other STA parent was simply not aware. I don't place STA on a pedestal it is/was my child's high school. No more. No less.

Anonymous wrote:Prep's attitude toward sports is not on the same level as the other quality IAC schools. They wear it proudly but others see it as a negative. Stating that doesn't make one less "classy". Hurling personal insults does.

Oh wow! Our poop stinks... I did not know this... but Prep's poop stinks more ... yes that is so classy.

Prep's attitude toward sports is not on the same level as the other quality IAC schools. They wear it proudly but others see it as a negative. Stating that doesn't make one less "classy". Hurling personal insults does.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did you have to burst their little bubble. It's sort of fun to watch them hang themselves with their own rope. The Ivy league education at it's best.

OK, that's enough. PP already admitted she was wrong. Be a good winner.

Really?!? How about stop saying things that are not correct and then only admitting you are wrong if we can find a quote from an administrator at the school. If I would have said .... yes, STA recruites. What would be the next post. "LINK?" So, just be a good loser at this one. You were sooo wrong and you live in a bubble.

Hey, back off. I'm 10:29 ... the one who posted the link. PP admitted she was wrong, which is a classy rarity on DCUM, so I give her credit for that. There's no need to continue to mock her.

You mean this classy comment? "I stand corrected. But still stand by my comments re Prep."

I don't even like Prep but I would not categorize that as classy.

It's like saying "she has a pretty face but.. " well we know how the rest goes.

Recruiting is a smart way to build a schools sports program, sports are important, it is not a dirty little secret. Building skills in middle school is not a bad thing... obesity, that is a bad thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did you have to burst their little bubble. It's sort of fun to watch them hang themselves with their own rope. The Ivy league education at it's best.

OK, that's enough. PP already admitted she was wrong. Be a good winner.

Really?!? How about stop saying things that are not correct and then only admitting you are wrong if we can find a quote from an administrator at the school. If I would have said .... yes, STA recruites. What would be the next post. "LINK?" So, just be a good loser at this one. You were sooo wrong and you live in a bubble.

Hey, back off. I'm 10:29 ... the one who posted the link. PP admitted she was wrong, which is a classy rarity on DCUM, so I give her credit for that. There's no need to continue to mock her.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did you have to burst their little bubble. It's sort of fun to watch them hang themselves with their own rope. The Ivy league education at it's best.

OK, that's enough. PP already admitted she was wrong. Be a good winner.

Really?!? How about stop saying things that are not correct and then only admitting you are wrong if we can find a quote from an administrator at the school.

If I would have said .... yes, STA recruites. What would be the next post. "LINK?"

So, just be a good loser at this one. You were sooo wrong and you live in a bubble.

Anonymous wrote:Why did you have to burst their little bubble. It's sort of fun to watch them hang themselves with their own rope. The Ivy league education at it's best.

OK, that's enough. PP already admitted she was wrong. Be a good winner.