Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been at GDS since 7th grade, and am going into the high school in a few weeks. I won't deny that at GDS there are kids that are unpopular, and there's rumors that get spread and occasionally cases of bullying (though coming from public school, there is much less than many schools) but this is true of every school in the D.C. area. Having friends at Alice Deal, Sidwell, School Without Walls, Burke, Maret, Wilson and most other schools in the area, there isn't a single school that is void of this. It's a social architecture that's bound to man, whether we like it or not. However, the policies at GDS help to break down this structure into a level playing field for all of its students and faculty. Calling teachers by their first name humanizes them so that they're not some superior being with divine and holy knowledge gifted upon them. Instead it makes them feel like your friend, and makes it much easier to come up to them after class. The discussion oriented classes emulate many of the values of the Harkness table. The students are practically teaching each other through the brilliant discussion that ensues from the curiosity and desire to learn that everyone brings to class, while the teachers moderate the conversation and push it in new directions every now and then to keep the debate interesting and to cover the necessary topics. The teachers are often more like moderators. This all melds together to make the students and teachers partners in education. So to re-iterate, yes there are kids who are "unpopular" and there are kids that don't work hard, but you will find these people at every school, and it's unfair to hold it against GDS. I have received a fantastic education at GDS, and I the friendships that I have formed their will last me the rest of my life. I'm not trying to glorify the school, because it has many problems (it does have somewhat of a reputation involving underaged drinking) but I look forward to the next four years there, as does everyone. I hope I was able to provide some enlightenment.

If this post was really written by a rising 9th grader, then Kudos to GDS (or to the public school that s/he previously attended) for teaching this student to write remarkably well.

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as yet another current GDS student, I would love to hear the context of these rumors--never in my six years at the school have I heard of a classmate being made to feel uncomfortable because of his religious background. The school works very hard to foster an inclusive environment; believe me when I say that any such instance would be turned into a teaching opportunity in about two seconds flat. The high school curriculum even offers a mandatory freshman seminar course designed to get students talking about the "Big 8" social identifiers and how to deal with conflicts revolving around personal identity. This dialogue continues past ninth grade--when, for instance, a news story breaks about hate crime or any sort of discrimination based on any identifier, students discuss it at great length on the school's current events forum on the school email server. Students talk about the "GDS bubble" for good reason; while we are all aware that the world will not always be a tolerant place, we all take pride in keeping ourselves educated on these issues in the hope of helping to spread awareness outside of the school itself.

On a more personal level, I am well acquainted with many Muslim students and faculty at the school. While they do not number as many as do Jewish students and faculty, they definitely have a presence on campus. Readings from the Qur'an are always included in the school's annual holiday assembly, and everyone in the school at large takes equal pride in his or her own background.

Anonymous wrote:Is this a troll or a coincidence?

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/96787.page

Anonymous wrote:I've been at GDS since 7th grade, and am going into the high school in a few weeks. I won't deny that at GDS there are kids that are unpopular, and there's rumors that get spread and occasionally cases of bullying (though coming from public school, there is much less than many schools) but this is true of every school in the D.C. area. Having friends at Alice Deal, Sidwell, School Without Walls, Burke, Maret, Wilson and most other schools in the area, there isn't a single school that is void of this. It's a social architecture that's bound to man, whether we like it or not. However, the policies at GDS help to break down this structure into a level playing field for all of its students and faculty. Calling teachers by their first name humanizes them so that they're not some superior being with divine and holy knowledge gifted upon them. Instead it makes them feel like your friend, and makes it much easier to come up to them after class. The discussion oriented classes emulate many of the values of the Harkness table. The students are practically teaching each other through the brilliant discussion that ensues from the curiosity and desire to learn that everyone brings to class, while the teachers moderate the conversation and push it in new directions every now and then to keep the debate interesting and to cover the necessary topics. The teachers are often more like moderators. This all melds together to make the students and teachers partners in education. So to re-iterate, yes there are kids who are "unpopular" and there are kids that don't work hard, but you will find these people at every school, and it's unfair to hold it against GDS. I have received a fantastic education at GDS, and I the friendships that I have formed their will last me the rest of my life. I'm not trying to glorify the school, because it has many problems (it does have somewhat of a reputation involving underaged drinking) but I look forward to the next four years there, as does everyone. I hope I was able to provide some enlightenment.