We visited - specific help with schools please

[MidValleyDad]

In Middletown they did not want the town divided into two feeder areas so the concept of Primary and Elementary kept that from happening. It also reduces the interaction between 'almost middleschoolers' and very youg children. Also reduces the disruption of midday traffic because of 1/2 day kindergarten. Is it ideal? maybe not but I don't see it as a major issue

[Barli]

We lived in Spring Ridge for many years and my 3 children went through Spring Ridge Elem. We loved the school and the staff. My daughter had an IEP for speech and I always felt like she was getting very good programs through the county/school. When we were there, the feeder schools were TJ Middle and High. I had to have my son transferred out of TJ Middle as it was rough and he was being assaulted daily. Plenty of people are happy with that school though, this was just our experience. Now they feed into Oakdale Middle (which is where I transferred my son to) and High. Much nicer facilities (newer), IMO, and my son went from failing to honor roll. If you're moving to Frederick, I highly recommend eastern Frederick.

Coincidentally we are getting ready to leave MD for the Raleigh area of NC.

[roamingveg]

We're also considering a move from the Baltimore area to the Frederick area. We've got two little ones, and have been looking into schools. I like the idea of a "Friends" school, and I know there's one nearby - Friends Meeting? Something like that. They have an emphasis on values and diversity, teach Spanish, etc.

Has anyone had any experiences with this school? Or any other similar private schools that include teaching kindness / tolerance / diversity / foreign languages in every grade, as part of the overall educational experience?

Thanks!

[David_J]

I actually just graduated from an FCPS school (Urbana High) a bit under a year ago (graduating early is great!) so I'll try to help to the best of my ability, even if this is a late post.

Yes, Urbana is definitely the most diverse of all the school regions. It's also the highest ranked, though all FCPS high schools fall within the top 7%(?) of US high schools. There's a price to pay, though - it costs a lot more to live here than in other places in the county (I myself often associate Urbana with upper MoCo). Ballenger Creek area schools are also fairly diverse, moreso than other schools in the county. The farther you go from I-270, the more "not so tolerant" people get - probably bad word choice, though, I haven't met many racists around FredCo. As for school buses, yes, there is a certain set distance for which you'll get a school bus. Staff are generally both nice and helpful for all schools. Several foreign languages are taught - in Urbana High School, we had Spanish, French, German, and Chinese. Many extracurriculars as well.

Roamingveg, Friends Meeting School is pretty good based on what I've heard. I don't know much about private schools, though.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by David_J

I actually just graduated from an FCPS school (Urbana High) a bit under a year ago (graduating early is great!) so I'll try to help to the best of my ability, even if this is a late post.

Yes, Urbana is definitely the most diverse of all the school regions. It's also the highest ranked, though all FCPS high schools fall within the top 7%(?) of US high schools. There's a price to pay, though - it costs a lot more to live here than in other places in the county (I myself often associate Urbana with upper MoCo). Ballenger Creek area schools are also fairly diverse, moreso than other schools in the county. The farther you go from I-270, the more "not so tolerant" people get - probably bad word choice, though, I haven't met many racists around FredCo. As for school buses, yes, there is a certain set distance for which you'll get a school bus. Staff are generally both nice and helpful for all schools. Several foreign languages are taught - in Urbana High School, we had Spanish, French, German, and Chinese. Many extracurriculars as well.

Roamingveg, Friends Meeting School is pretty good based on what I've heard. I don't know much about private schools, though.

Yeah, it is a bad word choice. I think the word you are looking for is "white," which should in and of itself should imply no baseline level of "tolerance." Many "tolerant" people live in overwhelming white communities because they are our historic home places, or are chosen because of factors that have nothing to do with the skin color of those in the community.

[David_J]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Yeah, it is a bad word choice. I think the word you are looking for is "white," which should in and of itself should imply no baseline level of "tolerance." Many "tolerant" people live in overwhelming white communities because they are our historic home places, or are chosen because of factors that have nothing to do with the skin color of those in the community.

Well, although they're majority white areas, they don't seem to interact with non-whites as much and tend to treat non-whites sort of like outsiders even if they live in the same community. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it's still... quite separative.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by David_J

Well, although they're majority white areas, they don't seem to interact with non-whites as much and tend to treat non-whites sort of like outsiders even if they live in the same community. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it's still... quite separative.

Well, how do you define "community?" If by community, you mean Frederick County, then sure. I know many people that live in white, rural Frederick County and "community" to them means Thurmont, or Emmitsburg, or Woodsboro, or Libertytown, etc. Many of these folks have always considered Frederick City to be outside of their world; a place to go only when necessary, if at all.

Not everyone is a transplanted suburbanite, when you have roots in a particular area your family, friends, and community come with your birth certificate, there isn't any need to expand outward and have interaction with the newcomers.

[StayLucky]

Yeah, it's hard to say whether a town is "tolerant" or not based on how white it is. I will say that there is a certain invisible barrier of sorts in most rural areas of Frederick County from my experience, with it being worse in certain areas (i.e. Thurmont, for example, has more of a racist reputation than Middletown). The problem is that stereotypes are often repeated and reinforced in areas without exposure to those of different races/cultures. This does work both ways, though. Not everyone in Thurmont is a racist redneck, for example, even if the town often gets portrayed as such.

All that said, if you want diversity and exposure to different cultures, you'll want to be in the city proper/immediate suburbs, or Urbana.

[blitz1030]

We live in Dearbought and hate Walkersville. Many of the parents in the neighborhood have the same opinion.

Walkersville was originally an open concept school. Over the past years, they have put up wall dividers in between the classrooms, but the rooms still don't have doors. The classrooms always seem noisy as the doors can't close.

We haven't had any luck with Walkersville and bullying seems to be a major issue in the school. I have quite a few friends with children in Whittier and they all love the school.

Good luck!

[MidValleyDad]

Originally Posted by blitz1030

We live in Dearbought and hate Walkersville. Many of the parents in the neighborhood have the same opinion.

Walkersville was originally an open concept school. Over the past years, they have put up wall dividers in between the classrooms, but the rooms still don't have doors. The classrooms always seem noisy as the doors can't close.

We haven't had any luck with Walkersville and bullying seems to be a major issue in the school. I have quite a few friends with children in Whittier and they all love the school.

Good luck!

Middletown Elementary was also designed as an open concept school (all of that era were, another failed fad) and has had the same problem. The teachers do the best they can but there is no solution to the design. If they close it off too much the airflow doesn't work well and you get cold and warm spots (worse than you already get) The only way to fix it would be to gut the school to the shell and completely rebuild the inside after re doing the interior design. And we know that isn't going to happen given the current budget situation. Middletown does very well in spite of the design, I don't have any experience with Walkersville.