I posted earlier in this thread--my kids are in 11th and 12th grade at Einstein. They have never had a problem with bullying or violence. Are there fights? Sure. I'm sure there is some "gang activity," although that's probably true in most high schools, whether parents want to admit it or not. I grew up in the county--I went to Damascus HS. There were fights there too. My kids don't feel unsafe and I don't worry about their safety. They have their core groups of close friends and they stick together. They're in honors/AP classes and don't really have much contact with the students that would be getting into fights or gangs.

I am sorry to revive this thread (it looks like it got pretty emotional) but we are considering a house that would have Einstein as its base school. From our research it looks like we'd be happy with the academics at Einstein - something for everyone and not a pressure cooker. But I am wondering about the safety. An early post in this thread mentioned gang activity. Can someone with children at Einstein comment about the safety and gang acitivity and fights?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not even close. But thanks for the analysis of my life. I appreciate it, HON!

It seemed spot-on to me. Your posted was every bit as elitist and competitive as any of my Bethesda neighbors have ever been. I'd love to read a post that said "Einstein is fine and it works for us" without all the usual, defensive "I could have afforded the 3Ws, but...."

This doesn't make sense. I'm not the PP, but people are defensive because posters on this and other threads have said the reason people send kids to Einstein is because they have no other choice, are priced out of Bethesda, etc. OF COURSE people will get defensive about that if it is not them, as you would too, obviously. I am so sick of close-in SS being bashed on this board as if it is a crime-ridden last place option. Not everyone wants to live in Bethesda! Nothing against it but it NOT everyone's first choice!

Why are non-DCC families on this board? and why do you care about Einstein and its boosters?

The latest MCPS brag sheet lists 152 Ivy league acceptances for the entire class of 2011. And most of them are proably clustered at Blair, Whitman, WJ, etc. Out of, say, 8,000 college-bound seniors that works out to less than a 2% rate attending the biggest name schools. So much for the socially elite in MoCo.

Anonymous wrote:Not even close. But thanks for the analysis of my life. I appreciate it, HON!

It seemed spot-on to me. Your posted was every bit as elitist and competitive as any of my Bethesda neighbors have ever been. I'd love to read a post that said "Einstein is fine and it works for us" without all the usual, defensive "I could have afforded the 3Ws, but...."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in the Einstein district but DS is only 10 months old so I'm not all that worried about it right now. Our ES is supposed to be pretty good so for now, HS is not really a major concern. But, I don't feel that Einstein is out of the question for us by any means. I was somewhat concerned when we moved here about it but after meeting our neighbors and attending events at the school (and talking to many Einstein parents), I feel a lot better about sending our child there. I highly doubt we will still be living in this house when my kid hits high school because I don't think our house is big enough for more than one kid but I can't say that I wouldn't consider a bigger house in the same area (if we still live in DC, which is questionable).

Do I think that Einstein is on the same level as WJ or Churchill? No. But I don't care. I also don't think that my Toyota is as nice as a Lexus but I don't care about that either. I didn't go to the best school in the area where I grew up and I turned out just fine. I didn't want to go to the "best" school, even though I was able to get in and my parents could have afforded it. Just didn't want to deal with the competition and elitism. For some, that's important but that's not me and I don't want my kid growing up to think that the world is 92% white and everyone gets BMWs on their 16th birthday. If you want that, great---move to Bethesda and send your kid to Churchill but not all of us want to live that way. Leave us alone and let us live how and where we want to live.

The funny thing is, having been out of high school for 15 years, I don't even really think about my high school years. It was a period of my life, I went through it, it's now over. I can't say that it really matters to me as an adult where I went to high school. And it hasn't mattered to any of the employers I have ever had. College, maybe. Grad school, yes. But high school??? Really???

PS--I moved to the Einstein district from the WJ cluster---Bethesda just wasn't for me. In 6 years of living in Bethesda, I didn't know one of my neighbors. Here, I know everyone on the street.

What an insecure, hypocritical post. If you're OK with your choices, why the need to let everyone know that you were able to get into the "best school," but declined to attend? Why lie about Bethesda and Churchill and suggest it's 92% white (far off the mark) or that everyone gets a BMW on their 16th birthday (as if). You don't want to be left alone at all. You want to claim the moral high ground, but only if it's clear that you could readily avail yourself of the alternatives you spurn. Sorry, hun, but I'm not buying this crap. [b]Yours in a classic case of wanting the smaller pond just so you can be a bigger fish. [/b

Not even close. But thanks for the analysis of my life. I appreciate it, HON!

Anonymous wrote:I live in the Einstein district but DS is only 10 months old so I'm not all that worried about it right now. Our ES is supposed to be pretty good so for now, HS is not really a major concern. But, I don't feel that Einstein is out of the question for us by any means. I was somewhat concerned when we moved here about it but after meeting our neighbors and attending events at the school (and talking to many Einstein parents), I feel a lot better about sending our child there. I highly doubt we will still be living in this house when my kid hits high school because I don't think our house is big enough for more than one kid but I can't say that I wouldn't consider a bigger house in the same area (if we still live in DC, which is questionable).

Do I think that Einstein is on the same level as WJ or Churchill? No. But I don't care. I also don't think that my Toyota is as nice as a Lexus but I don't care about that either. I didn't go to the best school in the area where I grew up and I turned out just fine. I didn't want to go to the "best" school, even though I was able to get in and my parents could have afforded it. Just didn't want to deal with the competition and elitism. For some, that's important but that's not me and I don't want my kid growing up to think that the world is 92% white and everyone gets BMWs on their 16th birthday. If you want that, great---move to Bethesda and send your kid to Churchill but not all of us want to live that way. Leave us alone and let us live how and where we want to live.

The funny thing is, having been out of high school for 15 years, I don't even really think about my high school years. It was a period of my life, I went through it, it's now over. I can't say that it really matters to me as an adult where I went to high school. And it hasn't mattered to any of the employers I have ever had. College, maybe. Grad school, yes. But high school??? Really???

PS--I moved to the Einstein district from the WJ cluster---Bethesda just wasn't for me. In 6 years of living in Bethesda, I didn't know one of my neighbors. Here, I know everyone on the street.

What an insecure, hypocritical post. If you're OK with your choices, why the need to let everyone know that you were able to get into the "best school," but declined to attend? Why lie about Bethesda and Churchill and suggest it's 92% white (far off the mark) or that everyone gets a BMW on their 16th birthday (as if). You don't want to be left alone at all. You want to claim the moral high ground, but only if it's clear that you could readily avail yourself of the alternatives you spurn. Sorry, hun, but I'm not buying this crap. Yours in a classic case of wanting the smaller pond just so you can be a bigger fish.

I live in the Einstein district but DS is only 10 months old so I'm not all that worried about it right now. Our ES is supposed to be pretty good so for now, HS is not really a major concern. But, I don't feel that Einstein is out of the question for us by any means. I was somewhat concerned when we moved here about it but after meeting our neighbors and attending events at the school (and talking to many Einstein parents), I feel a lot better about sending our child there. I highly doubt we will still be living in this house when my kid hits high school because I don't think our house is big enough for more than one kid but I can't say that I wouldn't consider a bigger house in the same area (if we still live in DC, which is questionable).

Do I think that Einstein is on the same level as WJ or Churchill? No. But I don't care. I also don't think that my Toyota is as nice as a Lexus but I don't care about that either. I didn't go to the best school in the area where I grew up and I turned out just fine. I didn't want to go to the "best" school, even though I was able to get in and my parents could have afforded it. Just didn't want to deal with the competition and elitism. For some, that's important but that's not me and I don't want my kid growing up to think that the world is 92% white and everyone gets BMWs on their 16th birthday. If you want that, great---move to Bethesda and send your kid to Churchill but not all of us want to live that way. Leave us alone and let us live how and where we want to live.

The funny thing is, having been out of high school for 15 years, I don't even really think about my high school years. It was a period of my life, I went through it, it's now over. I can't say that it really matters to me as an adult where I went to high school. And it hasn't mattered to any of the employers I have ever had. College, maybe. Grad school, yes. But high school??? Really???

PS--I moved to the Einstein district from the WJ cluster---Bethesda just wasn't for me. In 6 years of living in Bethesda, I didn't know one of my neighbors. Here, I know everyone on the street.

This article from the MoCo Gazette about college admissions quotes an Einstein guidance counselor: http://www.gazette.net/article/20110610/NEWS/706109729/1007/students-start-to-worry-about-making-the-grade&template=gazette

Anonymous wrote:I think it has been a really helpful thread. There are lots of young families llike mine moving to some of the elementary zones that feed into Einstein (e.g. Forest Glen area in particular) and although I know I can't afford Bethesda, I'd like to move from where I am now. So then it's trying to see what other options - considering commute as well - are going to be OK for my kid.

Frankly I think it's just tryign to do the best you can within the reality you have to work with. I imagine there are families in Bethesda that would ideally like to send their kids to certain private schools if money were no object but that's not an option and so they are perfectly content with their still very good schools. Those of us that are priced out of Bethesda/CC are doing the same types of calculations and trying to decide where else in the county that is not a 2 hr drive to work is going to be good for our kids.

For some of us it is not about being priced out of Bethesda. Nothing against Bethesda, but we have no desire to live there. I'm not bashing it because I think it's a good fit for some families, but we love Silver Spring and love being able to walk to the metro, the neighborhood we live in, and many other things about it. Our commutes make more sense here as well, and we just like the vibe. We would not have our choice of any home or neighborhood in Bethesda by any means, but we could afford to buy a small home there, for sure. We are really happy with the elementary school our children will be going to in SS - classes are much smaller and it's just a great school. We will reassess when it comes to middle and high school - we have some years. I'm not convinced Whitman is a good fit for every student, high test scores and other impressive stats are not. We are keeping our eyes open, paying attention to what our kids need, and taking it from there.

I think it has been a really helpful thread. There are lots of young families llike mine moving to some of the elementary zones that feed into Einstein (e.g. Forest Glen area in particular) and although I know I can't afford Bethesda, I'd like to move from where I am now. So then it's trying to see what other options - considering commute as well - are going to be OK for my kid.

Frankly I think it's just tryign to do the best you can within the reality you have to work with. I imagine there are families in Bethesda that would ideally like to send their kids to certain private schools if money were no object but that's not an option and so they are perfectly content with their still very good schools. Those of us that are priced out of Bethesda/CC are doing the same types of calculations and trying to decide where else in the county that is not a 2 hr drive to work is going to be good for our kids.

I think perhaps it because perception is a key driver in school success. If there is the perception that a school is good, then parents who care about their children's education will try (within financial limitations) to move to that district. Part of Whitman's success is attracting families so for those parents, retaining the school's reputation is important. Similarly, parents of Einstein students want to highlight that children can achieve there as well. The more involved parents whose children attend, the better the student population.
My son's preschool teacher has two children who went to Einstein. One is at Harvard med school and the other is at Johns Hopkin's med. She stressed to me and my husband (we are currently slated for Einstein and intently watching scores, demographics, student experience, etc. to the extent possible) that we should get involved and that while we may need to be more attentive, our son can get a good education there.
I want to hear about parent experiences (pluses and minuses) so please keep the thread going.

Anonymous wrote:Why do the Einstein parents keep this thread alive? It's good if their kids turned out OK, but there aren't many people who can afford a better school district who want to send their children there. If that's the best you can afford, make the best of it, but don't pretend it's up there with schools like Richard Montgomery or Churchill. It just isn't.

I am not an Einstein parent, but I have to ask why you care? i mean, your comment is the last one on the thread, so why are you prolonging the argument? If you don't think Einstein is good enough for your kids, don't sent them there. Why do you care if others think it is a good school?

Why do the Einstein parents keep this thread alive? It's good if their kids turned out OK, but there aren't many people who can afford a better school district who want to send their children there. If that's the best you can afford, make the best of it, but don't pretend it's up there with schools like Richard Montgomery or Churchill. It just isn't.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NMS are the top 1%, people, which in MoCo is >2200. Anyone that claims that xyz school is responsible for minting more NMS is just finding another way to say they have more students in a particular upper middle class demographic.

This board is not going to change anyone's comfort level with diversity. The Ws appear to thrive on those fears. Give parents at Blair/Einstein/Northwood/Kennedy/Wheaton and even B-CC credit for working as hard as they do on behalf of a truly diverse group of students. The rest of you can just keep writing those taxes for your expensive homes.

Or perhaps it's a response to those who repeatedly claim, with scant evidence to back it up, that their own upper middle class kids do just as well as DCC schools like Einstein as they would at the Ws or B-CC.

Guess it's harder to deal with the facts than to give lectures to others on how they overpaid for their expensive homes and can't handle diversity.

Could you explain what facts you are referring to?

I'm the PP with a son at Einstein and an Einstein grad who is headed to med school this fall. She went to a top college, graduated cum laude, did well on the MCATs, and is well-adjusted and happy. I have no idea how she would have done, had she attended one of the Ws or BCC, so I have no "evidence" that she did just as well at Einstein as she'd have done elsewhere - but why does that matter? She is doing great in all regards. We couldn't be happier.

Her circle of friends from high school (some of whom were at our house last weekend for a cookout) are doing well too.

So this is "scant evidence"?