Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the Skip Grants don't kick in until the upper school?

They're only a few in the lower school.

In the lower school, do most kids know who is a Skip Grant recipient? Do most parents?

Parents whose sons are in the program, yes. The Skip Grant program is not specifically a financial aid program. Many are in the program for mentorship. Some boys, moreso, in the higher grades may receive additional tutoring, if necessary.

No neither kids nor parents know. Nor are any financial aid recipients known. That's why I find those comments above astounding. It just is not known who is and who isn't a Skip Grant recipient in the lower school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the Skip Grants don't kick in until the upper school?

They're only a few in the lower school.

In the lower school, do most kids know who is a Skip Grant recipient? Do most parents?

This is no different than any other K-12 school, it just happens to be more formalized because there is an admission and acceptance process to move from Beauvoir to STA. At every other K-12 school, several kids who are admitted at the early stages will be "counseled out" along the way. Take a look at the graduating senior class of any such school and see how many "lifers" there are. Many fewer than matriculated for Kindergarten, and the difference won't all be attributable to choices made by the respective family to change schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:again not sure why the above poster would say things like that (or how they could know re Skip- Grant supported kids). I am under the impression there are a few per year, including the lower school.

the real truth is that it is a lot easier to get in at 4th then later on. And to be brutally honest, many of those admitted in 4th might not have been so lucky in the 7th or 9th grade pools. Some are lucky that they come from beauvoir for example and get an early admit.

How many boys from Beauvoir don't get admitted to St. Alban's per year? Why don't they get in? Merely test scores? Annoying parents? What is the reason? Are these children blind-sided by this? How do you explain to your son that his friends are going on together and he won't? This concerns me. I am not worried about the prestige of St. Alban's but rather my child's feelings. Is it that they don't have enough spaces for everyone?

If you're from Beauvoir first ask the outplacement director. Maybe, your son didn't receive a good enough reccommendation from Beauvoir. If you have a track record of being an annoying parent at Beauvoir they very well may have reported that. Maybe, your son didn't have good enough test schools from Beauvoir. STA might give you a debriefing and tell you out right why your son was not accepted.

Our graduating year, I remember the boys who were rejected from STA and they were proudly annoucing the names of their new schools. Your son has or will move in, you must too.

Anonymous wrote:again not sure why the above poster would say things like that (or how they could know re Skip- Grant supported kids). I am under the impression there are a few per year, including the lower school.

the real truth is that it is a lot easier to get in at 4th then later on. And to be brutally honest, many of those admitted in 4th might not have been so lucky in the 7th or 9th grade pools. Some are lucky that they come from beauvoir for example and get an early admit.

Don't understand where the pp is going with this response. I answered the poster's question regarding whether or not there are any boys in the Skip Grant progrm in the lower school. I said a few. It is not some easy admit to getting into St. Albans as a Skip Grant applicant.

7th & 9th grade are expansion years. Beauvoir applicants endure rigorous admission testing and recs as does everyone else. Beauvoir applicants also submit our son's wisc iv & erb scores.

Anonymous wrote:again not sure why the above poster would say things like that (or how they could know re Skip- Grant supported kids). I am under the impression there are a few per year, including the lower school.

the real truth is that it is a lot easier to get in at 4th then later on. And to be brutally honest, many of those admitted in 4th might not have been so lucky in the 7th or 9th grade pools. Some are lucky that they come from beauvoir for example and get an early admit.

How many boys from Beauvoir don't get admitted to St. Alban's per year? Why don't they get in? Merely test scores? Annoying parents? What is the reason? Are these children blind-sided by this? How do you explain to your son that his friends are going on together and he won't? This concerns me. I am not worried about the prestige of St. Alban's but rather my child's feelings. Is it that they don't have enough spaces for everyone?

again not sure why the above poster would say things like that (or how they could know re Skip- Grant supported kids). I am under the impression there are a few per year, including the lower school.

the real truth is that it is a lot easier to get in at 4th then later on. And to be brutally honest, many of those admitted in 4th might not have been so lucky in the 7th or 9th grade pools. Some are lucky that they come from beauvoir for example and get an early admit.

Anonymous wrote:So the Skip Grants don't kick in until the upper school?

They're only a few in the lower school.

So the Skip Grants don't kick in until the upper school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Or those crazy elite people. As in 4th generation at the Cathedral schools, DAR, etc.

Maybe I am not with it . . . I get the 4th generation Cathedral schools part but what is DAR??????

And, particularly after middle school, a fair number that are the stark, polar opposite of rich and elite.

Please explain why this happens after middle school. . . .

BUMP

Skip Grant apps. Many board. Wonderful guys who make STA a far richer experience for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Or those crazy elite people. As in 4th generation at the Cathedral schools, DAR, etc.

Maybe I am not with it . . . I get the 4th generation Cathedral schools part but what is DAR??????

And, particularly after middle school, a fair number that are the stark, polar opposite of rich and elite.

Please explain why this happens after middle school. . . .

BUMP

Or those crazy elite people. As in 4th generation at the Cathedral schools, DAR, etc.

Maybe I am not with it . . . I get the 4th generation Cathedral schools part but what is DAR??????

And, particularly after middle school, a fair number that are the stark, polar opposite of rich and elite.

Please explain why this happens after middle school. . . .

Anonymous wrote:New this year ('08) at STA. We expected a dramatically stronger 'money' vibe at STA but that has been very, very conspicuously absent. Certainly there are some extremely wealthy people here, but it is way below the radar and the school seems to consciously or subconsciously encourage this.

The homework at this level has been a challenge -- second only to the organizational demands put on our 11/12 year old. This is a demanding place, but with a little help our boy is doing well by any measure.

STA is a special place and I can't help but think it is rooted in the Cathedral and the attendant religious backdrop. There is something bigger than us that pervades the campus...

Ultimately, the genius at STA is not in the exclusivity (as most assume) but in the unique culture.

So true. Yes, there are some of those crazy rich people. As in lots and lots of dough, rather than crazy in the head. Or those crazy elite people. As in 4th generation at the Cathedral schools, DAR, etc. Or maybe a combination of both. But there are also people who are just "average" well-off. Even some of those "in between" families who are struggling to make tuition. And, particularly after middle school, a fair number that are the stark, polar opposite of rich and elite. But the common denominator is that everyone is interesting. I have found to a person that everyone has such an interesting background, fascinating jobs, and great passions. Coming from such a wide variety of backgrounds, the identity of the young men is uniquely mixed and forged in the shadow of the Cathedral into something of ineffable strength and beauty . . .

New this year ('08) at STA. We expected a dramatically stronger 'money' vibe at STA but that has been very, very conspicuously absent. Certainly there are some extremely wealthy people here, but it is way below the radar and the school seems to consciously or subconsciously encourage this.

The homework at this level has been a challenge -- second only to the organizational demands put on our 11/12 year old. This is a demanding place, but with a little help our boy is doing well by any measure.

STA is a special place and I can't help but think it is rooted in the Cathedral and the attendant religious backdrop. There is something bigger than us that pervades the campus...

Ultimately, the genius at STA is not in the exclusivity (as most assume) but in the unique culture.