I loved Latin. Taking it and French helped me almost effortlessly learn Spanish, too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth does Georgetown Prep force their students to take 2 year of Latin in HS.

How does Mater Dei not even have a language program outside Latin.

It has something to do with a Jesuit education, I am sure. Or maybe its just a GP preference or tradition.

Don't like it? Send your kids elsewhere.

You won't be missed.

I hate to be the person who always says "our parents did it...", but my parents and grandparents took latin and everyone turned out very successful. In fact, my mother was French major and worked as an interpreter for the NSA during Vietnam. She always said Latin provided a good basis for understanding the French language.

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth does Georgetown Prep force their students to take 2 year of Latin in HS.

How does Mater Dei not even have a language program outside Latin.

It has something to do with a Jesuit education, I am sure. Or maybe its just a GP preference or tradition.

Don't like it? Send your kids elsewhere.

You won't be missed.

Why on earth does Georgetown Prep force their students to take 2 year of Latin in HS.

How does Mater Dei not even have a language program outside Latin.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:the only diversity at mater dei are the football players recruited off the maplewood football teams in hopes of pushing them to Gonzaga or Georgetown Prep.

Mater Dei's facilities are terrible - except for the $1M turf field.

We toured there and its science labs looked like they were from the 1970's. It does not require a foreign language except Latin - might help you for the SAT's but wont help you in the business world.

It does nothing for the Arts either - no music or art classes.

Families who are in the Catholic Mafia love it - if you are not in the circle - you will probably feel isolated.

Spoken by someone who isn't in the circle.

And only English is spoken in the business world in the US and increasingly in Europe.

Yeah, Latin is really going to help your son as an adult.

"So many people are cheating the system that if you don't your son is at a disadvantage?" You got it wrong, pal. Your son doesn't have the talent to compete against boys his own age, either athletically or academically, so you have him compete against younger kids. If he had any guts, he would force you to allow him to compete against OLDER boys, to enable him to get better. That's what makes a winner in school or sports. Well, you don't know about that so you "hold him back" at Mater Dei. You fail you son. You also admit to being a cheater. End of story.

Anonymous wrote:the only diversity at mater dei are the football players recruited off the maplewood football teams in hopes of pushing them to Gonzaga or Georgetown Prep.

Mater Dei's facilities are terrible - except for the $1M turf field.

We toured there and its science labs looked like they were from the 1970's. It does not require a foreign language except Latin - might help you for the SAT's but wont help you in the business world.

It does nothing for the Arts either - no music or art classes.

Families who are in the Catholic Mafia love it - if you are not in the circle - you will probably feel isolated.

Spoken by someone who isn't in the circle.

And only English is spoken in the business world in the US and increasingly in Europe.

Anonymous wrote:There is no problem with my point. What bogus research do you present that proves that older boys "do better" than those a year younger? A 19 yr old still in high school will lack self-confidence due to his parents poor choice. They are laughed at behind thier backs by thier 18 yr old classmates. It's not a hard choice, its an easy one. Stop cheating the system and trying to seek an unfair advantage for your untalented boy. Major Delay has never graduated a top notch scholar or athlete, ever. Name one!

Why would I bother to educate you or to point you toward any evidence" Do what you want.

Your mind is made up based upon who knows what.

So many people are cheating the system that if you don't your son is at a disadvantage.

It's your decision. You just have to live with the result of your choice.

Anonymous wrote:the only diversity at mater dei are the football players recruited off the maplewood football teams in hopes of pushing them to Gonzaga or Georgetown Prep.

Mater Dei's facilities are terrible - except for the $1M turf field.

We toured there and its science labs looked like they were from the 1970's. It does not require a foreign language except Latin - might help you for the SAT's but wont help you in the business world.

It does nothing for the Arts either - no music or art classes.

Families who are in the Catholic Mafia love it - if you are not in the circle - you will probably feel isolated.

+1 Yep, nailed it.

Anonymous wrote:Mater Dei is the best school I ever went to
Beverly Farms
Mater Dei
Churchill
UMD.

It is classic education with lots of homework, quizzes and tests. No grades are curved.

Son's MD friend says if he makes corrections to a graded test he can earn up to half the lost credit back so getting extra points is easy. My son says the rhyme he hears is "Mater Dei Mater Dei Makes the bad grades go away." Naturally my son wants to go there now!!!

Mater Dei is the best school I ever went to
Beverly Farms
Mater Dei
Churchill
UMD.

It is classic education with lots of homework, quizzes and tests. No grades are curved. I still remember all my teachers. I remember very few from all the other schools combined. Just about everybody gets into Prep or Gonzaga but I went to Churchill because my neighborhood friends were there. Mater Dei takes the awkward middle school years and throws enough work and activity at the boys to make the awkward time go by with a minimum of nonsense. The school gives a fantastic base of discipline with a serious/humorous undertone. The boys sing in latin at the graduation and it makes the parents get teary-eyed.

Mater Dei is a terrible academic school with antiquated facilities (but a great turf field). If your son is an athlete )(especially a Catholic one) who isn't overly concerned with his academic future, it's probably a good choice. If not, look elsewhere.

There is no problem with my point. What bogus research do you present that proves that older boys "do better" than those a year younger? A 19 yr old still in high school will lack self-confidence due to his parents poor choice. They are laughed at behind thier backs by thier 18 yr old classmates. It's not a hard choice, its an easy one. Stop cheating the system and trying to seek an unfair advantage for your untalented boy. Major Delay has never graduated a top notch scholar or athlete, ever. Name one!

Anonymous wrote:Mater Dei is no better than the Catholic parish schools, sending thier grads to Prep and Gonzaga almost entirely. It cost more so the perception among those who can afford to go there is that it's better academically, it isn't. They hold them all back so they can catch up to thier peers academically and maybe surpass them athletically for a few years. The boys not sent to Major Delay will catch up to them physically by Jr or Sr year of High School. All that left in the end is that the MD kids have lost a year of thier working career.

So they will work 44 years not 45?

Here's the problem with your point.

Like it or not, all the research shows that boys who are older do better academically, socially and athletically. That's a fact.

You may not like it, but that doesn't change it.

The boys not held back will not catch up. There's a big difference between an 18 year old and a 17 year old on average.

When I was made aware of the research It jibed with my own experience having graduated from high school at barely 17 1/2.

So it's a hard choice. Join them or put your son at a disadvantage through high school.

Mater Dei is no better than the Catholic parish schools, sending thier grads to Prep and Gonzaga almost entirely. It cost more so the perception among those who can afford to go there is that it's better academically, it isn't. They hold them all back so they can catch up to thier peers academically and maybe surpass them athletically for a few years. The boys not sent to Major Delay will catch up to them physically by Jr or Sr year of High School. All that left in the end is that the MD kids have lost a year of thier working career.