Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot speak to Maret, but the GDS is very balanced in terms of student activities/interests. It doesn't have the dominant athletic popularity that you'd find at some schools. At GDS, art, drama, debate, sports, newspaper, robotics, etc. all have equal footing. The course catalog is also quite extensive compared to my other child's private--I assume the larger student body can justify more/different classes/levels. The benefit students really being encouraged to participate in what interests them vs following the pack is when it comes time to apply to college, students have pursued a wide variety of interests/paths vs everyone taking the same courses that it is easier to differentiate themself.

Agree. It's feels more similar to college than what I experienced in high school.

We really like GDS and our kid is having a great time in HS (including being on varsity sports teams), but to say that non-athletic extracurriculars have equal footing with athletics is overstated. It might be more balanced compared to other high schools, but athletics at GDS still get a ton of resources and recognition that just aren't given to other activities.

Interesting that athletics get a ton of resources at a school where they are not required and where kids are not recruited. I would have thought things like debate would be emphasized more at GDS than sports. Or is GDS now seeking to be more competitive in sports?

And, as an aside, when did schools like Sidwell start recruiting athletes? And why?

Sidwell is shameless in its recruiting and drops academic requirements significantly for top recruits. It’s gross

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot speak to Maret, but the GDS is very balanced in terms of student activities/interests. It doesn't have the dominant athletic popularity that you'd find at some schools. At GDS, art, drama, debate, sports, newspaper, robotics, etc. all have equal footing. The course catalog is also quite extensive compared to my other child's private--I assume the larger student body can justify more/different classes/levels. The benefit students really being encouraged to participate in what interests them vs following the pack is when it comes time to apply to college, students have pursued a wide variety of interests/paths vs everyone taking the same courses that it is easier to differentiate themself.

Agree. It's feels more similar to college than what I experienced in high school.

We really like GDS and our kid is having a great time in HS (including being on varsity sports teams), but to say that non-athletic extracurriculars have equal footing with athletics is overstated. It might be more balanced compared to other high schools, but athletics at GDS still get a ton of resources and recognition that just aren't given to other activities.

Interesting that athletics get a ton of resources at a school where they are not required and where kids are not recruited. I would have thought things like debate would be emphasized more at GDS than sports. Or is GDS now seeking to be more competitive in sports?

And, as an aside, when did schools like Sidwell start recruiting athletes? And why?

Sidwell is shameless in its recruiting and drops academic requirements significantly for top recruits. It’s gross

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot speak to Maret, but the GDS is very balanced in terms of student activities/interests. It doesn't have the dominant athletic popularity that you'd find at some schools. At GDS, art, drama, debate, sports, newspaper, robotics, etc. all have equal footing. The course catalog is also quite extensive compared to my other child's private--I assume the larger student body can justify more/different classes/levels. The benefit students really being encouraged to participate in what interests them vs following the pack is when it comes time to apply to college, students have pursued a wide variety of interests/paths vs everyone taking the same courses that it is easier to differentiate themself.

Agree. It's feels more similar to college than what I experienced in high school.

We really like GDS and our kid is having a great time in HS (including being on varsity sports teams), but to say that non-athletic extracurriculars have equal footing with athletics is overstated. It might be more balanced compared to other high schools, but athletics at GDS still get a ton of resources and recognition that just aren't given to other activities.

Interesting that athletics get a ton of resources at a school where they are not required and where kids are not recruited. I would have thought things like debate would be emphasized more at GDS than sports. Or is GDS now seeking to be more competitive in sports?

And, as an aside, when did schools like Sidwell start recruiting athletes? And why?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot speak to Maret, but the GDS is very balanced in terms of student activities/interests. It doesn't have the dominant athletic popularity that you'd find at some schools. At GDS, art, drama, debate, sports, newspaper, robotics, etc. all have equal footing. The course catalog is also quite extensive compared to my other child's private--I assume the larger student body can justify more/different classes/levels. The benefit students really being encouraged to participate in what interests them vs following the pack is when it comes time to apply to college, students have pursued a wide variety of interests/paths vs everyone taking the same courses that it is easier to differentiate themself.

Agree. It's feels more similar to college than what I experienced in high school.

We really like GDS and our kid is having a great time in HS (including being on varsity sports teams), but to say that non-athletic extracurriculars have equal footing with athletics is overstated. It might be more balanced compared to other high schools, but athletics at GDS still get a ton of resources and recognition that just aren't given to other activities.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both are great schools academically, but have different vibes. Kids we know at GDS seem a bit more stressed overall than the kids we know at Maret. Maybe it's just the kids, maybe there's more to it.

On the board/leadership issue at Maret, our neighbor whose child attends said it really seems to be a small group of frustrated and super vocal parents and community members. Many of the teachers and families have been there a long time and don’t feel like it’s had much impact on their daily experience.

On the fields, there are still a few neighbors who may complain, but I think that's dying down and the fields clearly aren't going anywhere. We live about a block away and love that the space has been cleaned up and our kids now have access to the fields for their teams when Maret isn't there (which is honestly most of the time.)

Don't know Sidwell as well but neighbor whose child graduated in the past few years shared it was super competitive and intense and stressful and that it probably wasn't the best fit for her child. We toured for our children and were really turned off by that intensity. We could feel the competition ooozing from the other parents and children on the tour. No thank you.

You have no qualifications to be speaking about Sidwell, mutt. Do you think the non-admit families on the tour are representative of the whole school?

The name calling, the hostility—classic Sidwell

I have nothing to do with Sidwell. That post was just stupid and weird.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot speak to Maret, but the GDS is very balanced in terms of student activities/interests. It doesn't have the dominant athletic popularity that you'd find at some schools. At GDS, art, drama, debate, sports, newspaper, robotics, etc. all have equal footing. The course catalog is also quite extensive compared to my other child's private--I assume the larger student body can justify more/different classes/levels. The benefit students really being encouraged to participate in what interests them vs following the pack is when it comes time to apply to college, students have pursued a wide variety of interests/paths vs everyone taking the same courses that it is easier to differentiate themself.

Agree. It's feels more similar to college than what I experienced in high school.

Anonymous wrote:I cannot speak to Maret, but the GDS is very balanced in terms of student activities/interests. It doesn't have the dominant athletic popularity that you'd find at some schools. At GDS, art, drama, debate, sports, newspaper, robotics, etc. all have equal footing. The course catalog is also quite extensive compared to my other child's private--I assume the larger student body can justify more/different classes/levels. The benefit students really being encouraged to participate in what interests them vs following the pack is when it comes time to apply to college, students have pursued a wide variety of interests/paths vs everyone taking the same courses that it is easier to differentiate themself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS is the copycat but is currently better.

GDS is an absolute mess.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both are great schools academically, but have different vibes. Kids we know at GDS seem a bit more stressed overall than the kids we know at Maret. Maybe it's just the kids, maybe there's more to it.

On the board/leadership issue at Maret, our neighbor whose child attends said it really seems to be a small group of frustrated and super vocal parents and community members. Many of the teachers and families have been there a long time and don’t feel like it’s had much impact on their daily experience.

On the fields, there are still a few neighbors who may complain, but I think that's dying down and the fields clearly aren't going anywhere. We live about a block away and love that the space has been cleaned up and our kids now have access to the fields for their teams when Maret isn't there (which is honestly most of the time.)

Don't know Sidwell as well but neighbor whose child graduated in the past few years shared it was super competitive and intense and stressful and that it probably wasn't the best fit for her child. We toured for our children and were really turned off by that intensity. We could feel the competition ooozing from the other parents and children on the tour. No thank you.

You have no qualifications to be speaking about Sidwell, mutt. Do you think the non-admit families on the tour are representative of the whole school?

The name calling, the hostility—classic Sidwell

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS is the copycat but is currently better.

GDS is an absolute mess.

Anonymous wrote:GDS is the copycat but is currently better.