people should give feedback to Kaya Henderson about this - it's clear that many people were very put off by these interviews

As a mother of a young man who recently interviewed at SWW, I must say that it was by far the worst interview that I had ever experienced. The two teachers attempted to be as unpleasant and as intimidating as they could. They did not seem to be remotely interested in my son but rather asked some random questions that I did not feel like helped them to assess what type of student he would be. The students appeared to be very uninterested. The entire team was quite impersonable.

As a seasoned interviewee, I did my best to sell my son's highlights as most of us are trained to do in an interview setting. However, after reading the student's comments on this forum, I am guessing that my son was not accepted because we came across as "too full of ourselves". I attempted to highlight his academic achievements as well as discuss my own personal commitment to his education.

Quite honestly, I am blown away that my son was not accepted for admission and I am at a loss for words about this whole process. It has seriously made me rethink not only SWW but DCPS as a whole in that they would allow this type of insane process to occur. My child was also accepted at Gonzaga and St. Johns and we did not experience this at either one of those expensive private schools.


Disheartened ......................

Thank you 13:15. Well done.

I agree with the poster at 17:14. Here are some rules for people who interview children for schools, since SWW apparently isn't teaching them:
1) You are also there to represent your school and "sell" it.
2) The person you are interviewing is a human being just like you. This is not American Idol, OK kids? Give them a chance to talk about themselves, their qualifications, and why they want to go to your school.
3) Don't post about applicants on the internet. (In the real world this should get you fired.)
A competitive school will still have to make choices, but do you really want 8th graders to walk away feeling humiliated and inadequate? Does that make you feel powerful and do you write it on your college applications?

Actually what I meant was...if you are a Walls parent and read this thread is there any any indication that the interview process might be tweaked in response to the conversation? Anyway, who said i was an adult?

Anonymous wrote:Any Walls families out there who know if one of their prized students has been posting inside info and strong opinions about their process on line?

You take issue with the anonymous behavior of a teenager, and yet your "adult" response is to post an anonymous snark about said teenager? Presumably in expectation of creating trouble for the teenager?

Nice example.

Any Walls families out there who know if one of their prized students has been posting inside info and strong opinions about their process on line?

I am a new poster and years away from considering high school. But I wanted the young person posting here to know that he/she does not reflect well on the school. The tone and language in her/his post is arrogant, combative and disrespectful. These are the very qualities I hope to squelch I'm my child. I will be extra attentive because of this thread to see if the SWW environment actually fosters these qualities through exclusivity and permissiveness with its students. Try some humility and respect for your elders instead. Doesn't mean you can't disagree. But there is an effective and an ineffective way to express yourself.

Anonymous wrote:That's it? No discussion within DCPS administration supporting the IB at Deal about how to expand it into more than one high school (Banneker)? Maybe instead of expanding for more MS students Deal should grow its own high school!

Banneker is an IB school, and Eastern is supposed to be starting the process (which will take a few years to get certification). If Wilson's got an over-crowding problem, then apparently the solution is to shift some high performing students over to Eastern by drawing them via the IB program.

We just learned through a phone call that our child was also wait listed. I have to say I am surprised to learn that the opinion of students on the interview panel was given equal weight to that of the adults on the panel, especially given the fact that most of the students on our panel seemed not to pay much attention during the interview. We were on the fence between Wilson and Walls anyway, so I don't think my child will be too disappointed. However, after going several rounds already in the admissions process, it would have been nice to have been notified either way of my child's status after the interview. I was told when I called that letters were only sent to students who were accepted. So those who do not receive a letter are either on the wait list, or were rejected, and will have to make a call to the school to find out. Very unprofessional.

Our son is years away from high school, but this thread has been a bit of an eye opener in terms of SWW. I wouldn't necessarily discourage DS from applying, but I encourage him to look hard at other options. The idea of HS students having such a big impact on admissions is a big red flag. I don't blame the kids for thinking that it's OK and that they have the maturity and judgement to make those decisions. It's the adults who should realize the issues with this idea. The fact that they don't, and that they seem content sharing very limited information with prospective parents seems to reflect attitudes that are all too familiar from dealing with the weak administration at our current (highly sought after) DCPS ES. Too bad.

As a parent of a student who is brilliant but not always socially and linguistically quick and in the grove (myself either) I have to differ with the prevailing sentiment on this blog.
I sensed when I walked into the interview room from the face of one of the students who we had talked with earlier, that my son's interview was not stellar-nor was mine. And indeed he is wait listed at SWWS. (I called)
He will still start Saturday Academy and see how it is for him.. Yet eventually, I only want him to be in an environment where he feels connect and that he will thrive. He feels that about SWWS so we'll see.
In all honesty there is no perfect interview process like there is no perfect school.No worries, no judgment just give everyone involved the benefit of the doubt and be as grateful as possible for the many blessings we do have. Things have a way of working out regardless.

That's it? No discussion within DCPS administration supporting the IB at Deal about how to expand it into more than one high school (Banneker)? Maybe instead of expanding for more MS students Deal should grow its own high school!

Anonymous wrote:Then what was Deal's "deal" by investing to integrate IB in MS? It really doesn't pay off until high school, 11th and 12th grade. What's the grand plan?

It got middle class & upper middle class families to buy into DCPS at the MS level. And it paid off.

Then what was Deal's "deal" by investing to integrate IB in MS? It really doesn't pay off until high school, 11th and 12th grade. What's the grand plan?