He was a good and strong leader who did a lot to improve the school's reputation and make it stronger academically. But he will say "no" and doesn't suffer fools gladly, so he had his share of critics. My sense was that there was also some sour grapes going on once he wanted to go to Sidwell -- I think it was tough for some in the community to see that he'd view a move to a school in the same area as a 'step up' and they lashed out. But as tempers cool I think folks will generally be positive.

Was farquar popular at Bullis? I thought parents and kids had issues with him and were glad to see him go.

We've all heard of the Big 3 schools. But you claim that your child goes to one of the top 5 schools in the area. What school are you talking about?

Anonymous wrote:
The fact that Bullis is attracting top high school students from abroad (namely Asia) is making it a more attractive school. The spill over from the foreign students in terms of learning style (extremely commited), VIP connections (only VIPs in those countries can afford to pay) and culture is a great asset for the local students ... as they prepare for further studies and carrier in an increasingly globalized world.

Regarding the other things, just visit Bullis campus and you will see the changes.

I do not have kids there ... in fact DS is in one of the TOP-5 ... but I feel amazed and allured by Bullis emergence in recent years

Anonymous wrote:Bullis parent here. My daughter is an upper school student who was also at Bullis for Lower and Middle schools. She has received an incredible education, as have her peers. Her class is very strong across the board: academics, arts, athletics, community service and overall participation in the life of the school. Don't discount Bullis just because people on these threads don't hold it in high esteem. One of the joys of Bullis is that those types of families aren't there.

That would certainly be a selling point, LOL! Can you go into more detail about why you've been so impressed with the quality of her education?

Anonymous wrote:14:59 clearly knows what she's talking about. My kid did a club sport and her school got mad at her because she did the club sport in lieu of the h.s. team. Yes, she was recruited to an Ivy and yes, the private school took credit even though they made my kid's life hell for her daring to switch to a competent team.

Why should (almost always rich) kids who fence or play soccer on expensive outside club teams be exempted from requirements that all other students have to fulfill? It would be like telling the school you've arranged for outside tutoring in language or art class so your child should be exempt from the requirements. All of these schools have a PE or intramurals or "lifetime fitness" option that is a very small time commitment compared to a varsity sport, so if someone wants to they can have their kid play club sports to their hearts content and then spend something like 45 minutes twice a week in PE, or work out in the weight room in personal fitness. What is very sad is when the kid wants to play with their school friends on the school team and the club coach "doesn't allow it" and parents go along with that. Much more a phenomenon with girls -- guys want the prestige and camraderie of being on the school team (for example, top AAU basketball players will always play on their school teams). Girls and their parents are much more willing to let the club coaches call the shots and tell them they can't play sports for their school.

Bullis parent here. My daughter is an upper school student who was also at Bullis for Lower and Middle schools. She has received an incredible education, as have her peers. Her class is very strong across the board: academics, arts, athletics, community service and overall participation in the life of the school. Don't discount Bullis just because people on these threads don't hold it in high esteem. One of the joys of Bullis is that those types of families aren't there.

The fact that Bullis is attracting top high school students from abroad (namely Asia) is making it a more attractive school. The spill over from the foreign students in terms of learning style (extremely commited), VIP connections (only VIPs in those countries can afford to pay) and culture is a great asset for the local students ... as they prepare for further studies and carrier in an increasingly globalized world.

Regarding the other things, just visit Bullis campus and you will see the changes.

I do not have kids there ... in fact DS is in one of the TOP-5 ... but I feel amazed and allured by Bullis emergence in recent years

The fact that Bullis can't attract the students it wants locally and is recruiting abroad doesn't exactly suggest that it's breaking into the top tier of DC area privates and would be a better option for top students than Potomac or GDS.

Can you make a better case for your conclusion?

As I have come across this thread, and thought about the recent strategic advances Bullis has been making (including selected foreign students, upgraded facilities, great philosophy, etc), I realized that Bullis is breaking into the TOP-5/10 schools in the DC area.

In some way, from my own experience, I find that Potomac and Georgetown Day are perhaps overrated ... and Bullis may soon be the better option for many top students.

Anonymous wrote:Right, I'm not sure if this is a legit question or if it is a dissection of the school cattle drive. The listing/ranking of these schools makes no sense.

Well, is there any listing/ranking that makes sense? Probably not. Although one should be able to identify a group of schools that cater to a particular group of kids, such as for instance motivated, gifted and with a broad range of academic, artistic and sports interests. The 6 schools, in my view, fit the bill.

Anonymous wrote:Could you provide examples? Thanks.

Sure. Here are a couple from 8th grade history at GDS

The American Revolution unit culminates in a 2 or 3 day simulation (costumes, candlelight) of the 2nd Continental Congress's decision as to whether to declare independence. Weeks earlier, students have been assigned roles (actual members of the CC) in specific camps (loyalist, patriot, undecided) and the first two camps draft speeches making the case for their side. The undecideds then make their decisions, giving speeches that explain their reasoning based on what they've heard. All of this has been preceded by individual research into the particular characters as well as presentations on other people (free, enslaved, men, women, in cities, backcountry) who had to choose which side they were on. Students are graded on written and oral performance (with points for costumes and effective use of props as well, I think). They focus not only on the substantive issues but also on techniques of persuasion.

Then they do a unit on the US constitution which starts in the founding era but serves as a launching pad into a major research paper on a present-day controversial constitutional issue. In addition to doing library research and reading excerpts from Supreme Court cases, the students spend a day scattered throughout the city doing small group interviews with experts on both sides of the issue they've chosen.

Between those two projects. the entire middle school has a Global Awareness conference, kicked off by a plenary lecture and followed by a full day of seminars on different topics (child labor, medical care, life on Native American reservations), some of which were presented by student groups (from the middle school or the high school).

With all longer-term projects (from at least 4th grade on), the assignment as a whole (and the timeline) is described, but it's then also broken down into manageable-sized pieces with a series of intermediate deadlines. Slapping stuff together the night before is not an option and feedback along the way means that the finished product is often quite impressive.

In fact, the GDS kids are revising their writing and presenting it orally from first grade on -- Author's Brunch is the end of the year highlight where each child presents a reading to a group of kids and parents of the illustrated story they are most proud of writing that year. Regular writing (with scribal assistance or invented spelling depending on mood/abilities) starts the second half of PreK -- even before many of the kids are reading. By fifth grade they're doing things like choosing picture books to turn into plays, writing the script, designing their own costumes, figuring out how to stage the production, composing background music, and presenting the finished work to the PreK-1st graders.

Anonymous wrote:The head of Bullis came from Sidwell and is going back. Arguably the process says more about Bullis's respect for Sidwell (we'll promote someone from Sidwell who has never headed a school) than vice versa. Sidwell gets a somewhat seasoned Head and an insider out of the deal. Sort of a free trial/audition.

The two things I looked at wrt teachers were longevity and control over curricular innovation. Basically, I wanted teachers who stayed put because they were happy and had control over what and how they taught. But I also wanted teachers who were themselves lifelong learners rather than people who just did the same old same old year after year.

The head of Bullis did come from Sidwell. BUT, he was the head of the Westtown School in PA in between leaving Sidwell and going to Bullis. So, he did have experience being the head of a school before coming to Bullis.

Right, I'm not sure if this is a legit question or if it is a dissection of the school cattle drive. The listing/ranking of these schools makes no sense.

So does....la, da, di, da!

Could you provide examples? Thanks.