<p>Thank you all for your responses. Our son has focus for the things he cares about. There is a passion and he is not lazy about it.This fall that was English, Music and History at school. It is harder for him to engage and push himself in subjects that matter less to him.</p>
<p>We are interested in SAS because of the school’s value of the group over the individual. We believe that focus will really help him. </p>
<p>A lot of this is about maturity. His advisor has said he is one of the brightest he’s taught in 40+ years, but he will only mature when he’s ready. Does SAS help that happen? We are curious to know. All the raw material is there. It just needs the right environment to develop and SAS is one of the places that might do it. </p>
<p>J</p>
<p>Sent from my iPhone using [URL=<a href=“Tapatalk”>Tapatalk]Tapatalk[/URL</a>]</p>
<p>Well, who is mature at 13, after all? I would imagine that once your son is in a community of other really bright kids who are being challenged and engaged on all fronts, he will do fine. I’m sure SAS is that kind of community.</p>
<p>@stanford94: 7D1 certainly has subjects that are more in her “wheelhouse” than others. </p>
<p>What I’ve found most interesting about her SAS career so far is her ability to really knuckle down in those classes that aren’t second nature to her and see a rise in her grades from the beginning of the year to the end. Frosh and soph year it took a a few “talking tos” from her mother and I to not just accept that she wasn’t going to do well in Class X. We told her that there was no shame in seeking extra help, visiting the teacher during office hours, etc. But we also said that sometimes it comes down to prioritizing and just cranking the work out…that concept of “If you have to eat 3 frogs, eat the biggest and ugliest one first…because after that, the two other frogs are going to seem like cake.”</p>
<p>I don’t know if I would say it was the influence of peers as much as that of the accessibility of her teachers and her own resolve (with some “encouragement” from mom and dad, of course ;-P) that made the difference. That whole “self advocacy” angle that is talked about on the boards from time to time.</p>
<p>FWIW, I think most people do better in classes they care about/are more interested in…in college I managed to get an overall B by getting As in my major to offset Cs in some of my core classes.</p>
<p>Are girls educated as a women or individual person at this school?
Please share the experience if you can.
Also, uniform policy for girls. Thank you!</p>
<p>“Are girls educated as a women or individual person at this school?”</p>
<p>I don’t quite understand this question.</p>
<p>I have a daughter in her 3rd year at SAS and she loves it. Her mother and I love it, too. the only reason why second daughter is not applying is because she is an elite athlete in sport not fielded by school.</p>
<p>It’s a walk through my daughter’s application process a few years ago.</p>
<p>Also take the time to read through the thread you are in from the beginning…lots of good info about SAS, some of it from the perspective of parents with daughters at the school.</p>
<p>Here’s just one example of why I think SAS is a good place for girls: they have co-presidents (one boy and one girl). Contrast this with Andover, whose headmaster was quoted in the Times this year admitting that “Girls have not had equal access to top leadership positions.”</p>
<p>As for uniforms, you should consult the student handbook available in the Parent Center of the SAS website. SAS is a “formal” jacket-and-tie school for boys, and girls have similar guidelines (cardigan, blazer, no jeans, skirts of a certain length, etc). Do some kids stretch the rules? Sure…but I think all in all SAS kids dress modestly compared to other schools we’ve visited (and revisited).</p>
<p>Thank you. I read most of this thread and very helpful. The reason I am asking; I felt that pictures on the school site showing that girls are wearing more formal or feminine oriented clothes than other school’s site. Is school asking girls to be girl students not just students? Female student culture concentrate on feminine aspect at school? Sorry to be bold but I think direct question would be better. I just want to make sure before my D apply this year.</p>
<p>The school prides itself on creating an atmosphere in which girls can thrive; in fact, the head once said at a Visit-back Day that this is the best school in the nation for girls. Don’t know whether it is or isn’t, but he tries to support that bold claim by making sure that girls have as many opportunities as the boys (like the leadership positions mentioned above). Also, I think that he is trying to promote a healthy culture for girls and boys which encourages a mature approach to drugs, alcohol and sex. The first two are hardly evident on campus, and the third is addressed in a deliberate way; oral sex and intercourse are not seen as appropriate on campus. In effect, relationships are okay, but there are limits, and my sense is that most students accept these expectations. They certainly know that faculty patrol on “booty duty” at night and they are guided through intentional class discussions about what makes for healthy relationships at different ages, etc. (I contrast this with schools that may appear similar but still make condoms and other contraception available at the health center.) A healthy self-image is fostered for girls, which might be considered part of the school’s “counter-cultural” ethos.</p>
<p>Girls are empowered in this environment to be who they want to be, and not to fit what they think are the boys’ expectations of them. This is an ideal which is imperfectly met, I am sure, but nevertheless can make a real difference in an individual’s experience. The atmosphere is remarkably communal and familial at SAS, despite the raging hormones and pettiness that characterizes the age group. The size of the school and its leadership help the teachers and students to buy in. The girls wear formal attire when they are told to, and they wear normal, informal clothes at other times. </p>
<p>My daughter is a III Form freshman. She has grown significantly over the last three months, and in ways she would not have at another boarding school nor, especially, at a day school. Her own initiative is important to that, but enormous credit goes to how much support she has gotten from so many different faculty and students. (She gives it back, too, in what is a virtuous circle.) We’re very impressed and pleased, as are many other parents of females that we have spoken with.</p>
<p>seattlekal:
To be as direct in return, here is my daughter’s “uniform” at SAS: slim leg cords/slacks, an oxford shirt, a blazer, and desert boots. She also has a very short haircut. Those on the forum who know my/her “secret” identity can vouch for this.</p>
<p>She probably dresses more androgynously than most SAS girls, but is certainly not the only one. I happen to think she looks pretty cool in her day-to-day class dress.</p>
<p>Of course, she does own and wear skirts and dresses, but only really trots those out for special occasions or (let’s face it) if she doesn’t have any clean pants.</p>
<p>To clarify, I think that “formal” (which the school is) doesn’t have to mean “girly”. Additionally, I don’t think there is really any pressure to be excessively feminine (I don’t even know if I know what that would be) or dress a certain way at SAS, other than being in dress code.</p>
<p>P.S. Charger78 beat me to it!</p>
<hr>
<p>For flow, I took down a post I threw up that crossed paths with seattlekal’s #386 regarding the 2015 commencement…it’s no longer held over Memorial Day weekend…but instead will be held the Thursday beforehand. I can’t lie, looking at the 2014-15 calendar made me realize that my time as a “matriculated” SAS parent is coming to a close…</p>
<p>Yes, 7Daughter is cool, and seen that way by peers, not to mention adults. She is a poster child for my claim that girls can be themselves at SAS. Honestly, though, I can think of many other girls there who strike me as very comfortable in their own skins, no matter what they’re wearing. It’s been very reassuring to have gone out for meals with some when visiting our own daughter, or hosted a friend at our home at Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>One more thing before I get off of the soapbox for a while . . . </p>
<p>Prospective families are trying to get a feel for for the community, and that includes the faculty that they will be trusting to take care of their kids. This video from November is interesting because you can see up close the interaction between teachers and students at “St. Andrew’s Got Talent”. (In Engelhard Auditorium, the adults are judging and commenting on student acts.) It also affirms what I’ve been writing about the student support of one another and the ingenuity displayed in diverse performances.</p>
<p>I try not to get TOO comparative within this thread, but recently, my younger daughter and I visited one of the “top” schools commonly discussed on the forum to take in an athletic competition. Following “Thumper’s Rule”, I’ll simply point out that the Sipprelle Field House at SAS is a truly amazing facility.</p>
<p>While I know that facilities aren’t everything and that there is certainly a “escalation” effect that sort of sweeps through the BS world depending on priorities/availability of funding/etc. and that in time some school will build a field house that makes Sipprelle look like small potatoes — right now, right here, it’s definitely one of the best out there and a very nice addition to the little school on Noxontown Pond.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to a page with some info (from the recently concluded capital campaign sub-site):</p>
<p>I often speak about SAS Headmaster Tad Roach’s eloquence in capturing the ethos of St. Andrew’s. His “welcome back” address to the school this week is another great example:</p>
<p>SevenDad, you have to stop posting things like this or I will hold you personally responsible for my breakdown after my kids don’t get into SAS. :-)</p>
<p>Kudos to SevenDad! This is the thread that we’ve learned a tremendous amount information about boarding schools in general, and St Andrew school in particular!! Could you pm me at your next convenience please? I’m not yet able to do that as a newbie participant. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Which facts in particular are you wondering about? There is a lot to wade through and compare on those two sites, so narrowing it down a bit would help people answer you more clearly.</p>
<p>Generally, data on those sites is not always the latest and most up to date, but is generally accurate. I think BSR tends to be updated a bit more reliably, but I really do not know for sure. Both sites should have data in the same ballpark. What do you see that seems off?</p>
<p>For most up to date info, go to the school’s site. Here is a good page to start on:</p>
I would imagine that once your son is in a community of other really bright kids who are being challenged and engaged on all fronts, he will do fine. I’m sure SAS is that kind of community.</p>