Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PP saying Park is too permissive, too liberal, too etc. posts very frequently. Frankly I find that person's posts to be very overgeneralized with no specifics about the school apart from that and the Jewish stereotype. Historically, Park was the "Jewish" schools because other elite private schools in Baltimore would not accept Jewish students due to anti-Semitism. I wouldn't exactly call it "#1 school for elite Jews" -- that doesn't really explain why Jewish people went there.

You must be confusing me with someone else. I have only posted about Baltimore schools a handful of times as the topic doesn't come up very often and I don't recall talking about Park.

I think Park is a fabulous school. It's not for everyone or for every family. By Baltimore standards it's on the liberal side. The most common feedback I get from parents comparing Friends and Park is that while Friends is also liberal it is also a bit more structured and many families like that balance better for their kids. But every Friends family also thinks highly of Park too.

If I brought up the comment about Park's historic affiliation with the Baltimore Jewish community it was to highlight Park's reputation as a progressive and liberal private school, just as Baltimore's vibrant Jewish community has a history of progressive liberalism. Beyond that I'm sorry for mentioning it as it is probably not relevant at all, so you have my apologies.

I’m really confused by this post. “Progressive” in Park’s sense means inheriting the educational philosophy of John Dewey et al. As far as I know, Baltimore’s Jewish community has nothing to do with Dewey.

Nor is the Jewish community particularly liberal in a political or social sense. Not that this maps onto political affiliation, but Baltimore has the largest growing Orthodox community outside of Israel and Brooklyn.

In any case, saying Park is the “Jewish” school as many old Baltimoreans is a totally ignorant way of describing the deep anti-semitism that is part of the history of all the other elite private schools. Park admitted Jews when other schools wouldn’t. I think calling it the Jewish school and suggesting that the manners of the kids are lax is a total mischaracterization of the school’s culture and philosophy. The only time I’ve seen kids lying on the floor there is when they were measuring velocity of vehicles they built in physics class. I would be fine with that as a parent. I visited many other “progressive” schools in Baltimore — Waldorf, Montessori, and Greenmount — and they were much more unstructured, if you like that. In contrast Park is much more conventional and incorporates a lot more teacher-led classroom learning. I was told it is one of the most rigorous from an academic point of view.

You know what, give it a break won’t you? Park has historically carried a lot of cachet in Baltimore’s Jewish community. If you want to somehow turn this into an axe to grind it’s not going to make you good. You are coming across as judgmental and intolerant and unforgiving.

By the way, Friends was the other school that admitted Jews going back to the early 20th century. Jewish students have been attending Gilman since the 1950s.

It’s ok to admit when you are wrong. It’s part of learning.

Mildly curious. Was there anything wrong? The statement that Park has a long standing history with Baltimore's Jewish community is not wrong. It's true.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Baltimore and are considering privates for our girls. It would be nice if the many knowledgable posters here could go over the options. Thank you!

What grades? Religious or secular? Co-ed or single sex? Any particular extra curricular needs or wants? Any concerns with learning or behavior issues or support? Any geographical constraints?

Nothing is going to beat visiting the schools though. Also consider approaching it with an open mind. I wasn't going to consider single-sex to begin with, but that would have been a mistake for one of my children.

To be honest, we were looking at Bryn Mawr as a top choice but this is based on online research only. This is for HS - we are not there yet. Religious is ok, I guess, we really haven't thought about it (we are atheists but not aggressively so). Co-ed and single-sex are both fine. No behavioral issues so far.

Bryn Mawr is an excellent school. It has a reputation as being competitive, and my observation would back that up. I do not have a child there. I have friends who have children there or have had children there. A Bryn Mawr girl is going to get an excellent education. I'd recommend visiting, and have her do the visiting day - and do it more than once if she needs to to get a feel for it. Bryn Mawr is part of the tri-school consortium, so your daughter will have the opportunity to take classes at Gilman (boys) or RPCS (girls) as well. Bridges connect the schools so it's safe and easy for the kids to go to the different campuses. The tri-school consortium means that while your daughter will have her home school as her school, she'll have access to a much broader array of classes and experiences if she should want them. Something that's a concern for many when they consider private schools and the necessarily more limited courses or opportunities when compared to what the huge public schools can offer. Bryn Mawr has great academics and arts. Kids who are more focused on athletics seem to be ending up at McDonogh these days.

RPCS is also an excellent school, and has a reputation for being a bit more nurturing than Bryn Mawr. One of the concerns I've encountered is how a child entering in high school will do at these K-12 schools, and my observation is that the kids welcome the new kids. The classes expand quite a bit for upper school, and the lifers are eager to meet new kids. And upper school brings a lot more freedoms and responsibilities, and the new kids fit right in. The schools do a good job of working to integrate everyone into a cohesive class. RPCS tends to be ranked slightly below Bryn Mawr when it comes to test scores, so if you have a highly competitive academically focused kid Bryn Mawr might be a better fit. On the other hand, with the ability to take classes at all 3 schools, your child will be challenged. I love the Latin program at Gilman, although Bryn Mawr girls tend to stay on their own campus for latin.

Friends is also right near Gilman, Bryn Mawr, and RPCS. It does not share classes with the other 3, but the kids can all be found after school on each other's campuses or at the Starbucks. My observation is that Friends is an open, welcoming school. They are focused on the whole-child, and have great opportunities for the arts. It seems like Friends might be slightly easier for a child to get into lately, but I'm basing that entirely on anecdotes. I wouldn't assume admission is guaranteed at any of these schools, even with excellent scores, recommendations, visits, etc.

St. Pauls School for Girls I'm not very familiar with. I understand that the Boys and Girls schools are merging under one umbrella. The St. Pauls kids I know are nice kids, but all boys.

McDonogh is a lovely school, but it feels big to me. They have amazing athletics programs, good arts and good academics. It's in the county so it's somewhat apart. Like Park, they have transportation through the school, rather than through the Kangaroo Coach, if you're looking at transportation. McDonogh has in the past had a reputation of being the school where you went if you didn't get into Gilman/Bryn Mawr, but that is not my experience. The children I know there are top notch; some say there's been too much focus on athletics in recent years.

Park is different. If Friends is a more casual version of the traditional privates, Park wrote its own rules. You've seen the back and forth here already, but if you have a child who needs the ability to go deep and far in math, Park is your school. If you have a kid who wouldn't just rebel against uniforms, but argue they're a tool for caging the mind, body, and spirit, check out Park. If you have a kid who might need some encouragement, or might have a tendency to fly under the radar, Park might not be the best fit, depending. But I think you should visit, even if you're mostly considering more traditional schools like Bryn Mawr.

IND and NDP, both catholic, are excellent schools as well. I have the impression that IND is the more academic, and NDP the more athletic, of the two. But I know great girls at both.

None of these schools are a shoe-in for getting in. I know kids who get shut out every year, even applying to 3 or 4 schools. I know kids who took a few application cycles to get into the school they really wanted. If you visit Bryn Mawr, and walk away knowing Bryn Mawr is the right school for your daughter, you may not want to wait to apply for 9th grade. If there are openings, kids start in 7th and 8th, when they know what they want for HS. Sometimes going through the application process in 8th and not getting in can light a fire under a child for the 9th grade admissions cycle.

If you're in the city, there are also some great public schools. The kids at City and Poly also interact with the Friends/Gilman/Bryn Mawr/RPCS/Boys Latin kids. My observation is they're getting a solid education and there are some really great opportunities available to them - check out the JHU Baltimore Scholars program. BSA is also a one of a kind opportunity. I know children who have left all of the above schools over the years for the experience they could get at BSA.

Anonymous wrote:I'm very familiar with the Baltimore schools.

If we're talking about Gilman, Friends and Park, this is how they're positioned on the scale of personality, from preppy to artsy/liberal: Gilman (all boys, historically prestigious, the #1 school for Baltimore's establishment), Friends (middle of the road, popular among JHU academics, progressive but grounded) and then Park (strong curriculum, faculty called by their first name, very liberal and progressive, perhaps too much, historically the #1 school for elite Jews in Baltimore although that's weakened somewhat with many now sending kids to Gilman/Bryn Mawr).

I've heard more than a few people say that Friends is the best public school education money can buy, and there's truth to it. The atmosphere at Friends is comparable to the atmosphere at good public schools in affluent in-town suburbs with a high percentage of educated parents in the academics / medicine / non profits. As such Friends is popular with parents who find the traditional prep school atmosphere off-putting because they went to public schools themselves, but who find Park too unstructured/hippy.

On the flip side, other parents might question why paying 30k for something that may not feel inherently special or unique. Friends is a happy school with good academics, but may feel like it's missing that special touch one might expect from a private school, and which Park and Gilman have albeit for quite different reasons.

Academically, in terms of college placements, Gilman and Park have the edge. Friends used to be comparable but has weakened in the last decade, not because of any decline in faculty or teaching but slight changes to the student body demographics. But a bright kid won't be hurt.

It's well worth visiting all three schools and paying close attention to the campus vibes and students. Faculty are great at all three. Based on what you've said about your son I would suspect he'd lean towards Park and Friends over Gilman, but definitely don't rule Gilman out.

Can you please go into more detail?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PP saying Park is too permissive, too liberal, too etc. posts very frequently. Frankly I find that person's posts to be very overgeneralized with no specifics about the school apart from that and the Jewish stereotype. Historically, Park was the "Jewish" schools because other elite private schools in Baltimore would not accept Jewish students due to anti-Semitism. I wouldn't exactly call it "#1 school for elite Jews" -- that doesn't really explain why Jewish people went there.

You must be confusing me with someone else. I have only posted about Baltimore schools a handful of times as the topic doesn't come up very often and I don't recall talking about Park.

I think Park is a fabulous school. It's not for everyone or for every family. By Baltimore standards it's on the liberal side. The most common feedback I get from parents comparing Friends and Park is that while Friends is also liberal it is also a bit more structured and many families like that balance better for their kids. But every Friends family also thinks highly of Park too.

If I brought up the comment about Park's historic affiliation with the Baltimore Jewish community it was to highlight Park's reputation as a progressive and liberal private school, just as Baltimore's vibrant Jewish community has a history of progressive liberalism. Beyond that I'm sorry for mentioning it as it is probably not relevant at all, so you have my apologies.

Short answer, there are a larger percentage of Jewish kids at park than other private schools. It’s not a “Jewish” school but it is more Jewish than other schools.

I’m really confused by this post. “Progressive” in Park’s sense means inheriting the educational philosophy of John Dewey et al. As far as I know, Baltimore’s Jewish community has nothing to do with Dewey.

Nor is the Jewish community particularly liberal in a political or social sense. Not that this maps onto political affiliation, but Baltimore has the largest growing Orthodox community outside of Israel and Brooklyn.

In any case, saying Park is the “Jewish” school as many old Baltimoreans is a totally ignorant way of describing the deep anti-semitism that is part of the history of all the other elite private schools. Park admitted Jews when other schools wouldn’t. I think calling it the Jewish school and suggesting that the manners of the kids are lax is a total mischaracterization of the school’s culture and philosophy. The only time I’ve seen kids lying on the floor there is when they were measuring velocity of vehicles they built in physics class. I would be fine with that as a parent. I visited many other “progressive” schools in Baltimore — Waldorf, Montessori, and Greenmount — and they were much more unstructured, if you like that. In contrast Park is much more conventional and incorporates a lot more teacher-led classroom learning. I was told it is one of the most rigorous from an academic point of view.

I think you meant to post this under PP's reply. No one has those numbers -- all the schools claim to be "among the most diverse." The point is that the other schools have a history of exclusion. Park was the first private school to admit African American students as well, over a decade before Gilman did. There were a sizable group of Gilman alums who fought the decision to integrate, well after Brown V Board of Education. Historical context is everything here. I don't think you can exactly attribute the fact that religious or racial minorities feel more comfortable at a place that doesn't actively try to exclude them to their "choice." That's erasing a history of oppression, which is so important to acknowledge.

OP, could you please put this in quotes......?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Baltimore and are considering privates for our girls. It would be nice if the many knowledgable posters here could go over the options. Thank you!

What grades? Religious or secular? Co-ed or single sex? Any particular extra curricular needs or wants? Any concerns with learning or behavior issues or support? Any geographical constraints?

Nothing is going to beat visiting the schools though. Also consider approaching it with an open mind. I wasn't going to consider single-sex to begin with, but that would have been a mistake for one of my children.

To be honest, we were looking at Bryn Mawr as a top choice but this is based on online research only. This is for HS - we are not there yet. Religious is ok, I guess, we really haven't thought about it (we are atheists but not aggressively so). Co-ed and single-sex are both fine. No behavioral issues so far.

Anonymous wrote:We live in Baltimore and are considering privates for our girls. It would be nice if the many knowledgable posters here could go over the options. Thank you!

What grades? Religious or secular? Co-ed or single sex? Any particular extra curricular needs or wants? Any concerns with learning or behavior issues or support? Any geographical constraints?

Nothing is going to beat visiting the schools though. Also consider approaching it with an open mind. I wasn't going to consider single-sex to begin with, but that would have been a mistake for one of my children.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PP saying Park is too permissive, too liberal, too etc. posts very frequently. Frankly I find that person's posts to be very overgeneralized with no specifics about the school apart from that and the Jewish stereotype. Historically, Park was the "Jewish" schools because other elite private schools in Baltimore would not accept Jewish students due to anti-Semitism. I wouldn't exactly call it "#1 school for elite Jews" -- that doesn't really explain why Jewish people went there.

You must be confusing me with someone else. I have only posted about Baltimore schools a handful of times as the topic doesn't come up very often and I don't recall talking about Park.

I think Park is a fabulous school. It's not for everyone or for every family. By Baltimore standards it's on the liberal side. The most common feedback I get from parents comparing Friends and Park is that while Friends is also liberal it is also a bit more structured and many families like that balance better for their kids. But every Friends family also thinks highly of Park too.

If I brought up the comment about Park's historic affiliation with the Baltimore Jewish community it was to highlight Park's reputation as a progressive and liberal private school, just as Baltimore's vibrant Jewish community has a history of progressive liberalism. Beyond that I'm sorry for mentioning it as it is probably not relevant at all, so you have my apologies.

I’m really confused by this post. “Progressive” in Park’s sense means inheriting the educational philosophy of John Dewey et al. As far as I know, Baltimore’s Jewish community has nothing to do with Dewey.

Nor is the Jewish community particularly liberal in a political or social sense. Not that this maps onto political affiliation, but Baltimore has the largest growing Orthodox community outside of Israel and Brooklyn.

In any case, saying Park is the “Jewish” school as many old Baltimoreans is a totally ignorant way of describing the deep anti-semitism that is part of the history of all the other elite private schools. Park admitted Jews when other schools wouldn’t. I think calling it the Jewish school and suggesting that the manners of the kids are lax is a total mischaracterization of the school’s culture and philosophy. The only time I’ve seen kids lying on the floor there is when they were measuring velocity of vehicles they built in physics class. I would be fine with that as a parent. I visited many other “progressive” schools in Baltimore — Waldorf, Montessori, and Greenmount — and they were much more unstructured, if you like that. In contrast Park is much more conventional and incorporates a lot more teacher-led classroom learning. I was told it is one of the most rigorous from an academic point of view.

You know what, give it a break won’t you? Park has historically carried a lot of cachet in Baltimore’s Jewish community. If you want to somehow turn this into an axe to grind it’s not going to make you good. You are coming across as judgmental and intolerant and unforgiving.

By the way, Friends was the other school that admitted Jews going back to the early 20th century. Jewish students have been attending Gilman since the 1950s.

Wow. Incredible. So all during the Holocaust, they weren't admitting Jews . . . wonder about how this went in the DC schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PP saying Park is too permissive, too liberal, too etc. posts very frequently. Frankly I find that person's posts to be very overgeneralized with no specifics about the school apart from that and the Jewish stereotype. Historically, Park was the "Jewish" schools because other elite private schools in Baltimore would not accept Jewish students due to anti-Semitism. I wouldn't exactly call it "#1 school for elite Jews" -- that doesn't really explain why Jewish people went there.

You must be confusing me with someone else. I have only posted about Baltimore schools a handful of times as the topic doesn't come up very often and I don't recall talking about Park.

I think Park is a fabulous school. It's not for everyone or for every family. By Baltimore standards it's on the liberal side. The most common feedback I get from parents comparing Friends and Park is that while Friends is also liberal it is also a bit more structured and many families like that balance better for their kids. But every Friends family also thinks highly of Park too.

If I brought up the comment about Park's historic affiliation with the Baltimore Jewish community it was to highlight Park's reputation as a progressive and liberal private school, just as Baltimore's vibrant Jewish community has a history of progressive liberalism. Beyond that I'm sorry for mentioning it as it is probably not relevant at all, so you have my apologies.

I’m really confused by this post. “Progressive” in Park’s sense means inheriting the educational philosophy of John Dewey et al. As far as I know, Baltimore’s Jewish community has nothing to do with Dewey.

Nor is the Jewish community particularly liberal in a political or social sense. Not that this maps onto political affiliation, but Baltimore has the largest growing Orthodox community outside of Israel and Brooklyn.

In any case, saying Park is the “Jewish” school as many old Baltimoreans is a totally ignorant way of describing the deep anti-semitism that is part of the history of all the other elite private schools. Park admitted Jews when other schools wouldn’t. I think calling it the Jewish school and suggesting that the manners of the kids are lax is a total mischaracterization of the school’s culture and philosophy. The only time I’ve seen kids lying on the floor there is when they were measuring velocity of vehicles they built in physics class. I would be fine with that as a parent. I visited many other “progressive” schools in Baltimore — Waldorf, Montessori, and Greenmount — and they were much more unstructured, if you like that. In contrast Park is much more conventional and incorporates a lot more teacher-led classroom learning. I was told it is one of the most rigorous from an academic point of view.

You know what, give it a break won’t you? Park has historically carried a lot of cachet in Baltimore’s Jewish community. If you want to somehow turn this into an axe to grind it’s not going to make you good. You are coming across as judgmental and intolerant and unforgiving.

By the way, Friends was the other school that admitted Jews going back to the early 20th century. Jewish students have been attending Gilman since the 1950s.

It’s ok to admit when you are wrong. It’s part of learning.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Baltimore and are considering privates for our girls. It would be nice if the many knowledgable posters here could go over the options. Thank you!

We have been through the process twice in the past two years. Don’t listen to all the stereotypes, or base your decisions on cliches. Just go, visit the schools, go on the tours and make sure your kids do a shadow day. There are so many good schools, you just need to find the right fit for your kid and for your family. Also, talk to everyone you can who currently goes to the schools to get a feel for what they are like outside of the brochures. Don’t listen to crazy people on this website (even though it IS SUPER entertaining!). Good luck

Thanks PP. We will visit the schools, obviously. I still find DCUM kind of insider knowledge very valuable and hope that more posters will chime in.

Anonymous wrote:We live in Baltimore and are considering privates for our girls. It would be nice if the many knowledgable posters here could go over the options. Thank you!

We have been through the process twice in the past two years. Don’t listen to all the stereotypes, or base your decisions on cliches. Just go, visit the schools, go on the tours and make sure your kids do a shadow day. There are so many good schools, you just need to find the right fit for your kid and for your family. Also, talk to everyone you can who currently goes to the schools to get a feel for what they are like outside of the brochures. Don’t listen to crazy people on this website (even though it IS SUPER entertaining!). Good luck

We live in Baltimore and are considering privates for our girls. It would be nice if the many knowledgable posters here could go over the options. Thank you!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PP saying Park is too permissive, too liberal, too etc. posts very frequently. Frankly I find that person's posts to be very overgeneralized with no specifics about the school apart from that and the Jewish stereotype. Historically, Park was the "Jewish" schools because other elite private schools in Baltimore would not accept Jewish students due to anti-Semitism. I wouldn't exactly call it "#1 school for elite Jews" -- that doesn't really explain why Jewish people went there.

You must be confusing me with someone else. I have only posted about Baltimore schools a handful of times as the topic doesn't come up very often and I don't recall talking about Park.

I think Park is a fabulous school. It's not for everyone or for every family. By Baltimore standards it's on the liberal side. The most common feedback I get from parents comparing Friends and Park is that while Friends is also liberal it is also a bit more structured and many families like that balance better for their kids. But every Friends family also thinks highly of Park too.

If I brought up the comment about Park's historic affiliation with the Baltimore Jewish community it was to highlight Park's reputation as a progressive and liberal private school, just as Baltimore's vibrant Jewish community has a history of progressive liberalism. Beyond that I'm sorry for mentioning it as it is probably not relevant at all, so you have my apologies.

I’m really confused by this post. “Progressive” in Park’s sense means inheriting the educational philosophy of John Dewey et al. As far as I know, Baltimore’s Jewish community has nothing to do with Dewey.

Nor is the Jewish community particularly liberal in a political or social sense. Not that this maps onto political affiliation, but Baltimore has the largest growing Orthodox community outside of Israel and Brooklyn.

In any case, saying Park is the “Jewish” school as many old Baltimoreans is a totally ignorant way of describing the deep anti-semitism that is part of the history of all the other elite private schools. Park admitted Jews when other schools wouldn’t. I think calling it the Jewish school and suggesting that the manners of the kids are lax is a total mischaracterization of the school’s culture and philosophy. The only time I’ve seen kids lying on the floor there is when they were measuring velocity of vehicles they built in physics class. I would be fine with that as a parent. I visited many other “progressive” schools in Baltimore — Waldorf, Montessori, and Greenmount — and they were much more unstructured, if you like that. In contrast Park is much more conventional and incorporates a lot more teacher-led classroom learning. I was told it is one of the most rigorous from an academic point of view.

You know what, give it a break won’t you? Park has historically carried a lot of cachet in Baltimore’s Jewish community. If you want to somehow turn this into an axe to grind it’s not going to make you good. You are coming across as judgmental and intolerant and unforgiving.

By the way, Friends was the other school that admitted Jews going back to the early 20th century. Jewish students have been attending Gilman since the 1950s.

Anonymous wrote:McDonogh is probably the snobbiest, no idea why. It’s very nice, but it’s not the most exclusive or expensive.

There is absolutely no way anyone (unless you are an admissions director) on this board can determine exclusivity. Those numbers are not public and anedcotal evidence or experiences do not count, not even a teeny, tiny little bit.

McDonogh is probably the snobbiest, no idea why. It’s very nice, but it’s not the most exclusive or expensive.