Anonymous
04/18/2026 08:57
Subject: What's your school's brand?
Anonymous wrote:I’m afraid the nicknames are much more creative and not as positive.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Darn I was hoping this was about the kids nicknames for these schools.
Ooooh that is a good one and definitely part of a school's brand/identity. Honestly, it could probably be its own thread although I'm blanking on actual nicknames I've hear beyond the obvious (dropping "The" and "School" from names, dropping "Friends" from Sidwell, calling Washington International School "WIS") except Beauvoir I've heard called "Bear School".
I think another interesting offshoot in this would be the kid's unique jargon for the school. Like I know at my brother's all boys school they called Saturday Detentions "jugs" (standing for justice under god).
I will definitely be thinking on this one more this weekend on the playground. So thank you for thatsorry I disappointed you, because you definitely added something positive for me!
Ooooh yeah I feel like that’s a whole different thread 😂 I’d absolutely be reading that one too🍷
Anonymous
04/18/2026 00:14
Subject: What's your school's brand?
I’m afraid the nicknames are much more creative and not as positive.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Darn I was hoping this was about the kids nicknames for these schools.
Ooooh that is a good one and definitely part of a school's brand/identity. Honestly, it could probably be its own thread although I'm blanking on actual nicknames I've hear beyond the obvious (dropping "The" and "School" from names, dropping "Friends" from Sidwell, calling Washington International School "WIS") except Beauvoir I've heard called "Bear School".
I think another interesting offshoot in this would be the kid's unique jargon for the school. Like I know at my brother's all boys school they called Saturday Detentions "jugs" (standing for justice under god).
I will definitely be thinking on this one more this weekend on the playground. So thank you for that
Anonymous
04/17/2026 14:55
Subject: What's your school's brand?
[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Eh, wouldn't ever equate Sidwell to Chanel. Sidwell is more like a workhorse. And the whole simplicity and modesty of the Quaker ethic is lost. Sidwell is more like Patagonia to me. Some kids who are first generation Americans, working hard -- rugged yet elevated.
And let's not forget the real missed opportunity that is literally correct: St John's = UnderArmour.
[/quote]
Sidwell as Patagonia is laughable! Absolutely not.[/quote]
Sidwell has a lot of two-income families who are sacrificing to get their kid into top schools. Lots of first gen American kids too. Yes, president's kids went there but it still is more down to earth than STA/NCS. It's not a fancy, showy place, but it is a place full of academic strivers who toil all hours to get good grades. It's about exertion. Chanel is about effortlessness. [/quote]
You sound like an outsider. I have 3 children at Sidwell, who started in the LS. Yes, Sidwell has a lot of two-income families. However, many of those dual income families are two Big Law partners, or a combination of Big Law/physician, business executive, high-ranking government official, etc. At Sidwell, 77% of families receive zero financial aid for a school that costs ~$60,000/student. You can’t be struggling financially and paying a tuition bill that high. And those first-gen American students are usually the offspring of the political and socioeconomic elite from their respective countries. They are the children and grandchildren of presidents, ambassadors, and oligarchs of foreign countries. These are not first-gen refugees (nothing wrong with that though).
However, I agree that Sidwell is not a fancy, showy place. It is an incubator for the academic elite. It’s a place where the majority of students come from relative wealth and privilege, but they’re willing to work hard to establish themselves, without resting on their families’ laurels.
[b]Sidwell = Arc’teryx[/b]. Arc’teryx is an elite brand that’s obsessed with technical performance, high quality, and minimalist design. Similarly, Sidwell is focused on academic excellence/performance and being a leader among its peers. While it is an elite and historic institution, Sidwell is also the personification of quiet, understated luxury.[/quote]
The opposite could also be true — when people grow up in dual-income, high-achieving environments, that baseline can feel “normal.” Working to maintain that level can feel like exertion from the inside, even if it reads differently from the outside. That’s part of why I think the Patagonia comparison resonates for some people.
And let's not forget the real missed opportunity that is literally correct: St John's = UnderArmour.
[/quote]
Sidwell as Patagonia is laughable! Absolutely not.[/quote]
Sidwell has a lot of two-income families who are sacrificing to get their kid into top schools. Lots of first gen American kids too. Yes, president's kids went there but it still is more down to earth than STA/NCS. It's not a fancy, showy place, but it is a place full of academic strivers who toil all hours to get good grades. It's about exertion. Chanel is about effortlessness. [/quote]
You sound like an outsider. I have 3 children at Sidwell, who started in the LS. Yes, Sidwell has a lot of two-income families. However, many of those dual income families are two Big Law partners, or a combination of Big Law/physician, business executive, high-ranking government official, etc. At Sidwell, 77% of families receive zero financial aid for a school that costs ~$60,000/student. You can’t be struggling financially and paying a tuition bill that high. And those first-gen American students are usually the offspring of the political and socioeconomic elite from their respective countries. They are the children and grandchildren of presidents, ambassadors, and oligarchs of foreign countries. These are not first-gen refugees (nothing wrong with that though).
However, I agree that Sidwell is not a fancy, showy place. It is an incubator for the academic elite. It’s a place where the majority of students come from relative wealth and privilege, but they’re willing to work hard to establish themselves, without resting on their families’ laurels.
[b]Sidwell = Arc’teryx[/b]. Arc’teryx is an elite brand that’s obsessed with technical performance, high quality, and minimalist design. Similarly, Sidwell is focused on academic excellence/performance and being a leader among its peers. While it is an elite and historic institution, Sidwell is also the personification of quiet, understated luxury.[/quote]
The opposite could also be true — when people grow up in dual-income, high-achieving environments, that baseline can feel “normal.” Working to maintain that level can feel like exertion from the inside, even if it reads differently from the outside. That’s part of why I think the Patagonia comparison resonates for some people.
Anonymous
04/17/2026 14:45
Subject: What's your school's brand?
[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Eh, wouldn't ever equate Sidwell to Chanel. Sidwell is more like a workhorse. And the whole simplicity and modesty of the Quaker ethic is lost. Sidwell is more like Patagonia to me. Some kids who are first generation Americans, working hard -- rugged yet elevated.
And let's not forget the real missed opportunity that is literally correct: St John's = UnderArmour.
[/quote]
Sidwell as Patagonia is laughable! Absolutely not.[/quote]
Sidwell has a lot of two-income families who are sacrificing to get their kid into top schools. Lots of first gen American kids too. Yes, president's kids went there but it still is more down to earth than STA/NCS. It's not a fancy, showy place, but it is a place full of academic strivers who toil all hours to get good grades. It's about exertion. Chanel is about effortlessness. [/quote]
You sound like an outsider. I have 3 children at Sidwell, who started in the LS. Yes, Sidwell has a lot of two-income families. However, many of those dual income families are two Big Law partners, or a combination of Big Law/physician, business executive, high-ranking government official, etc. At Sidwell, 77% of families receive zero financial aid for a school that costs ~$60,000/student. You can’t be struggling financially and paying a tuition bill that high. And those first-gen American students are usually the offspring of the political and socioeconomic elite from their respective countries. They are the children and grandchildren of presidents, ambassadors, and oligarchs of foreign countries. These are not first-gen refugees (nothing wrong with that though).
However, I agree that Sidwell is not a fancy, showy place. It is an incubator for the academic elite. It’s a place where the majority of students come from relative wealth and privilege, but they’re willing to work hard to establish themselves, without resting on their families’ laurels.
[b]Sidwell = Arc’teryx[/b]. Arc’teryx is an elite brand that’s obsessed with technical performance, high quality, and minimalist design. Similarly, Sidwell is focused on academic excellence/performance and being a leader among its peers. While it is an elite and historic institution, Sidwell is also the personification of quiet, understated luxury.
And let's not forget the real missed opportunity that is literally correct: St John's = UnderArmour.
[/quote]
Sidwell as Patagonia is laughable! Absolutely not.[/quote]
Sidwell has a lot of two-income families who are sacrificing to get their kid into top schools. Lots of first gen American kids too. Yes, president's kids went there but it still is more down to earth than STA/NCS. It's not a fancy, showy place, but it is a place full of academic strivers who toil all hours to get good grades. It's about exertion. Chanel is about effortlessness. [/quote]
You sound like an outsider. I have 3 children at Sidwell, who started in the LS. Yes, Sidwell has a lot of two-income families. However, many of those dual income families are two Big Law partners, or a combination of Big Law/physician, business executive, high-ranking government official, etc. At Sidwell, 77% of families receive zero financial aid for a school that costs ~$60,000/student. You can’t be struggling financially and paying a tuition bill that high. And those first-gen American students are usually the offspring of the political and socioeconomic elite from their respective countries. They are the children and grandchildren of presidents, ambassadors, and oligarchs of foreign countries. These are not first-gen refugees (nothing wrong with that though).
However, I agree that Sidwell is not a fancy, showy place. It is an incubator for the academic elite. It’s a place where the majority of students come from relative wealth and privilege, but they’re willing to work hard to establish themselves, without resting on their families’ laurels.
[b]Sidwell = Arc’teryx[/b]. Arc’teryx is an elite brand that’s obsessed with technical performance, high quality, and minimalist design. Similarly, Sidwell is focused on academic excellence/performance and being a leader among its peers. While it is an elite and historic institution, Sidwell is also the personification of quiet, understated luxury.