Anonymous wrote:Assuming you are familiar with the Catholic options, I won’t list them. Non-Catholic Mo Co options that might be a great fit are St. Andrew’s Episcopal and Sandy Spring Friends School.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Potomac? Yes, its very rigorous academically but your son sonds like a great fit in every other way.

OP here,

I don't know a lot about Potomac. My impression of the school is that it's academically similar to some schools I do know kids at, such as Sidwell and GDS. If that's accurate, then I don't think it would be a fit for my kid. I think that his self esteem is going to be dependent on being able to keep up academically, and also to do the things he does well, like sports and music. I can't imagine that working with that level of workload.

How different is the workload and rigor of the schools on my list?

I agree with you that Potomac is probably not a great fit.

OP - one thing to keep in mind with athletics will not just be whether they are "offered" - but how much they are "required". Schools with heavy athletics requirements can add a huge chunk of time to your child's day and responsibility. If your child likes to have downtime, be sure that the school allows for sports requirements to be met with a smaller commitment option. Suppose he plays on a team for two seasons (or even just 1) - in the off season, it helps if he can take a lighter load PE class that meets a few times a week or for 45-60 min a day if it's still 5x a week - these are more manageable than a longer practice 5x a week plus games. I know some kids who chose schools (and liked sports) but underestimated how much time it takes to be on a team for 3 seasons. My son goes to a school where there is an option to take a PE class a few times a week and he really appreciates the time he gets back in his off season trimester (He goes to a higher pressure school). Note that none of that will be an issue for public, where he will not be required to play on a sports team.

OP here,

I have a kid who "needs" sports. He needs them to manage his anxiety, to help him regulate himself, to boost his self esteem. I think that if the workload at a school was such that he couldn't manage it and a sport each season, it would mean that it was the wrong school.

I'm the PP. I guess that's the reason why I expounded. I would put Potomac into that category....workload plus sports will be hard. I know others have mentioned Landon sports can be a lot....but I am less familiar with the workload there - and it probably depends on which courseload he chooses to take. My guess is that there is an academic track there that would allow him to balance work with sports. But you did say all boys wasn't appealing, so maybe this isn't helpful .

I agree with others on St Andrews, Good Council. I don't know anyone personally at St Johns - but also seems like it has the sports and the ability to choose a courseload that is manageable. I also think Sandy Spring is a nice school, but perhaps your son will not get what he wants in the sports category.

I guess one question to consider is whether he's ok with merely the presence of sports teams versus the athletic strength of his teammates. (For my kids, this second part doesn't matter, but I know from being on rec teams outside of school that there are plenty of kids that get frustrated when their teammates aren't as passionate...and this often translates to skilled - and they move on to more competitive programs)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which sports and how much support do you think he needs on the academics? I'd focus first on the latter, of course, but finding the right athletic environment can also help with getting the needed support on academics and social. No longer as familiar with the MoCo schools but your kid sounds like a large number of my classmates at Bullis many years ago. The ones who did best were those who had support from their coaches and teammates.

Good luck to you and your son.

OP here,

I read this, replied to this and still missed the Bullis suggestion. I will add that to our list!

Try to ignore all of the hate that Bullis gets on this board. I think that it is a great option for lots of kids -- not just jocks. Were it not for distance, my artsy daughter might well have ended up there. Which brings up another point -- don't forget about geography.

Anonymous wrote:St. Andrews

+1

I think you have a good list. Bullis, SAES, St. John’s and Sandy Spring stand out to me, based on how you describe your son.

Anonymous wrote:Which sports and how much support do you think he needs on the academics? I'd focus first on the latter, of course, but finding the right athletic environment can also help with getting the needed support on academics and social. No longer as familiar with the MoCo schools but your kid sounds like a large number of my classmates at Bullis many years ago. The ones who did best were those who had support from their coaches and teammates.

Good luck to you and your son.

OP here,

I read this, replied to this and still missed the Bullis suggestion. I will add that to our list!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Potomac? Yes, its very rigorous academically but your son sonds like a great fit in every other way.

OP here,

I don't know a lot about Potomac. My impression of the school is that it's academically similar to some schools I do know kids at, such as Sidwell and GDS. If that's accurate, then I don't think it would be a fit for my kid. I think that his self esteem is going to be dependent on being able to keep up academically, and also to do the things he does well, like sports and music. I can't imagine that working with that level of workload.

How different is the workload and rigor of the schools on my list?

I agree with you that Potomac is probably not a great fit.

OP - one thing to keep in mind with athletics will not just be whether they are "offered" - but how much they are "required". Schools with heavy athletics requirements can add a huge chunk of time to your child's day and responsibility. If your child likes to have downtime, be sure that the school allows for sports requirements to be met with a smaller commitment option. Suppose he plays on a team for two seasons (or even just 1) - in the off season, it helps if he can take a lighter load PE class that meets a few times a week or for 45-60 min a day if it's still 5x a week - these are more manageable than a longer practice 5x a week plus games. I know some kids who chose schools (and liked sports) but underestimated how much time it takes to be on a team for 3 seasons. My son goes to a school where there is an option to take a PE class a few times a week and he really appreciates the time he gets back in his off season trimester (He goes to a higher pressure school). Note that none of that will be an issue for public, where he will not be required to play on a sports team.

OP here,

I have a kid who "needs" sports. He needs them to manage his anxiety, to help him regulate himself, to boost his self esteem. I think that if the workload at a school was such that he couldn't manage it and a sport each season, it would mean that it was the wrong school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could look at Avalon. It was way to religious for our taste and had a weird male vibe to me but I know several kids who go similar to what you are saying.

OP here,

I think Avalon's specific brand of Catholicism is not for us, and he really doesn't want single sex. I feel the same way about the Heights.

Don't blame you one bit. I wasn't comfortable with it at all but know people happy there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Potomac? Yes, its very rigorous academically but your son sonds like a great fit in every other way.

OP here,

I don't know a lot about Potomac. My impression of the school is that it's academically similar to some schools I do know kids at, such as Sidwell and GDS. If that's accurate, then I don't think it would be a fit for my kid. I think that his self esteem is going to be dependent on being able to keep up academically, and also to do the things he does well, like sports and music. I can't imagine that working with that level of workload.

How different is the workload and rigor of the schools on my list?

I agree with you that Potomac is probably not a great fit.

OP - one thing to keep in mind with athletics will not just be whether they are "offered" - but how much they are "required". Schools with heavy athletics requirements can add a huge chunk of time to your child's day and responsibility. If your child likes to have downtime, be sure that the school allows for sports requirements to be met with a smaller commitment option. Suppose he plays on a team for two seasons (or even just 1) - in the off season, it helps if he can take a lighter load PE class that meets a few times a week or for 45-60 min a day if it's still 5x a week - these are more manageable than a longer practice 5x a week plus games. I know some kids who chose schools (and liked sports) but underestimated how much time it takes to be on a team for 3 seasons. My son goes to a school where there is an option to take a PE class a few times a week and he really appreciates the time he gets back in his off season trimester (He goes to a higher pressure school). Note that none of that will be an issue for public, where he will not be required to play on a sports team.

Anonymous wrote:What about Potomac? Yes, its very rigorous academically but your son sonds like a great fit in every other way.

OP here,

I don't know a lot about Potomac. My impression of the school is that it's academically similar to some schools I do know kids at, such as Sidwell and GDS. If that's accurate, then I don't think it would be a fit for my kid. I think that his self esteem is going to be dependent on being able to keep up academically, and also to do the things he does well, like sports and music. I can't imagine that working with that level of workload.

How different is the workload and rigor of the schools on my list?

What about Potomac? Yes, its very rigorous academically but your son sonds like a great fit in every other way.

Anonymous wrote:Landon way better than st Andrews

OP here,

These kind of posts don't help me. I'm not looking for the "best" school. I'm looking for the school that's the right fit for my child. If you can tell me a little bit about Landon and why you think it's the right fit, I'd appreciate it. If you know something about St. A's that makes you feel it wouldn't be a fit, that would be great too.

But I'm not sure what to do with the information above.

Landon way better than st Andrews

Anonymous wrote:Which sports and how much support do you think he needs on the academics? I'd focus first on the latter, of course, but finding the right athletic environment can also help with getting the needed support on academics and social. No longer as familiar with the MoCo schools but your kid sounds like a large number of my classmates at Bullis many years ago. The ones who did best were those who had support from their coaches and teammates.

Good luck to you and your son.

He hasn't needed a lot of academic support in the past, beyond some parent help. But he's been in a small school that's got a lot of structure. i could see him needing more support in high school.

His favorite sport is baseball. He also really likes to run, and play basketball. So ideally it would be cross country, basketball, baseball. Those seem like pretty common options.


Right now, I feel like our list (in ABC order) is

Burke
Einstein
Good Counsel
Northwood
Sandy Spring
St. Andrew's
St. John's

Anonymous wrote:You could look at Avalon. It was way to religious for our taste and had a weird male vibe to me but I know several kids who go similar to what you are saying.

OP here,

I think Avalon's specific brand of Catholicism is not for us, and he really doesn't want single sex. I feel the same way about the Heights.