still can't decide on a school (Gleneagle, Holly: fit in, credit, neighborhoods) - Colorado Springs - Colorado (CO) - City-Data Forum

heat seekers · 03-04-2011, 07:38 AM

Ok I have been reading threads and trying to research but I am still not sure which would be the best schools for my kids. I am looking at Air Academy and Coronado or Doharty for high schools. Were going to try and move this year, hopefully this coming summer and my oldest will be in 8th grade so I have a year before high school but want to move to the right place before that. Maybe you can give me some pros and cons for the schools listed? I am looking at those schools for the engineering program, the clubs that my son likes and Robotics. I am not sure how he'll fit in though. Its harder for him to make friends, he's not really into a lot of sports but likes tennis/golf/karate as well as building things/robots/lego's/science/learning about factual things - that kind of stuff. He is also on the honor roll here. We don't have any IB programs so I don't know anything about them and our school may be behind acedemically compaired to the ones there, but he is a smart kid and likes to get good grades. Do the kids shun others that are not wealthy or not from a military family? Is there a lot of bullying there?
I'm just trying to get an idea - Thanks

Maynerd · 03-04-2011, 07:57 AM

Any of those schools would be just fine. If your son is interested in engineering and robotics, Coronado has a highly-regarded pre-engineering program, and I'm pretty sure they compete in a robotics competition at the state level.

You could safely expand your pool to include Palmer, Lewis-Palmer, Rampart, or Cheyenne Mountain. Palmer and Cheyenne Mountain both compete (and generally do very well) in the State-Wide Science Olympiad competition. There are a lot of very good schools to pick from.

coloradogreycat · 03-04-2011, 11:04 AM

Check into Discovery Canyon Campus (D20 - located across the interstate from Air Academy). It's a K-12 school, big on engineering (offers Project Lead the Way), robotics, etc. IB is an option there if you want it. Here's the link to their website:

Discovery Canyon Campus - DCC Main

My daughter has been going there for 6 years (she's now a Junior). PM me if you'd like more info.

heat seekers · 03-04-2011, 01:34 PM

Thanks for the replies. Yes I like Coronado for those reasons, just wasn't sure if Air Academy would be better or about the same??? and was wondering about the other issues I listed.
Discovery canyon looks way up there by Gleneagle, I was surprised that was still considered the Springs. I hadn't looked up in that area but I will check it out. Hopefully we will be able to come for a visit soon. so we can narrow it down. I like to plan as far ahead as possible

hollyt00 · 03-04-2011, 01:50 PM

Another good engineering program is Sand Creek HS.

I think your student may find more diversity in D11 schools than in d20 schools, but that's my own personal opinion, of course.

I substituted at Coronado and at Doherty, but that was almost seven years ago. The class sizes (back then, I don't know about now) are huge! I think there were 40+ in a class at Doherty, but I also think that's pretty much par for course in all public schools now. Coronado I had unusual experiences with, but that was less the students (I liked them) and more the teacher I subbed for (that was odd!).

If you're curious about IB, you can message me, as I teach IB and can give you info about it. D20 schools, D49, and D11 schools all offer the International Baccalaureate program, so if you choose a school that has that, and want to be more informed, just let me know

I cannot think of places that shun you if you are not military, and I can't speak for Air Academy, but the d11 schools you listed I cannot imagine that your kids would be shunned because they are not wealthy- Doherty and Coronado both have areas in their vicinity that are lower-income, so it is a wider variety of all levels. I'm not as sure about Air Academy; I don't know that area super well.

I would look at the activities offered in the schools/the clubs that are listed, to see interest. Frankly, any high school that you choose will have a certain level of cattiness among the students. In a perfect world, no school would have bullying. Reality hits hard, though. I like my school because the kids don't seem overly worried about the brand of clothing they wear, they are (for the most part) respectful, and I look forward to teaching them every day, as they are really good kids. I don't feel that I teach in an area that is remarkably different than other areas in the city.

As my husband put it, take away a couple school districts that are low, take a couple that are very high (d12, example), then the other districts in the area really battle for the other "good" spots.

coloradogreycat · 03-04-2011, 07:10 PM

Discovery Canyon is definitely at the far north end of D20, but it sounds like it could be a really good fit for your son. The school is super easy to get to from either I-25 or Highway 83. Another nice thing is that it's K-12, so all of your kids could attend together.

otowi · 03-04-2011, 08:06 PM

The class sizes at Coronado and Doherty are not in the 40's, but more like 20's and 10's for most classes. No one can say what they will be next year yet.

hollyt00 · 03-04-2011, 10:03 PM

That's good to hear. As a substitute, walking into a history class of 45 was a bit intimidating for sure!

phetaroi · 03-05-2011, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollyt00

Another good engineering program is Sand Creek HS.

I think your student may find more diversity in D11 schools than in d20 schools, but that's my own personal opinion, of course.

I substituted at Coronado and at Doherty, but that was almost seven years ago. The class sizes (back then, I don't know about now) are huge! I think there were 40+ in a class at Doherty, but I also think that's pretty much par for course in all public schools now. Coronado I had unusual experiences with, but that was less the students (I liked them) and more the teacher I subbed for (that was odd!).

If you're curious about IB, you can message me, as I teach IB and can give you info about it. D20 schools, D49, and D11 schools all offer the International Baccalaureate program, so if you choose a school that has that, and want to be more informed, just let me know

I cannot think of places that shun you if you are not military, and I can't speak for Air Academy, but the d11 schools you listed I cannot imagine that your kids would be shunned because they are not wealthy- Doherty and Coronado both have areas in their vicinity that are lower-income, so it is a wider variety of all levels. I'm not as sure about Air Academy; I don't know that area super well.

I would look at the activities offered in the schools/the clubs that are listed, to see interest. Frankly, any high school that you choose will have a certain level of cattiness among the students. In a perfect world, no school would have bullying. Reality hits hard, though. I like my school because the kids don't seem overly worried about the brand of clothing they wear, they are (for the most part) respectful, and I look forward to teaching them every day, as they are really good kids. I don't feel that I teach in an area that is remarkably different than other areas in the city.

As my husband put it, take away a couple school districts that are low, take a couple that are very high (d12, example), then the other districts in the area really battle for the other "good" spots.

Holly, I think you have a nice balanced view of it all.

To the OP, keep in mind one thing about clubs and activities. They may change over time. I was the principal of a middle school in Virginia, and we were one of the highest ranking such schools in the state (sometimes in the top 4). Our Mathcounts teams were well established. Some years we had robotics, but whether or not we had it depended on which, if any, teachers were willing to sponsor it. Same for debate club, science olympiad, etc.

The other thing I would suggest is not obsessing about getting in whatever is perceived as being the number 1 school. As I said, we were considered one of the very top schools in the state, but not all children flourished in our school. It wasn't the right match for everyone.

All I'm saying is, if I had to choose a school for my child, I'd look for the right match for him or her, and worry a little less about whether or not its the top school. How successful a child is in terms of education is a mix of how good the school is, and what the child (and parents) put into it.

Best of luck finding the right match!

heat seekers · 03-06-2011, 10:25 AM

Thank you all for your comments. I'm not too worried about wether the school is a "top" school as far as scores go. Mainly looking at what my son is interested in and I like the idea of him being able to get college credit for the Engineering programs and I am hoping he will find a group of kids to "fit" in with. Like I said before he has a harder time making friends (at least with ones that will treat him nicely). He loves Robotics though so that was a factor as well. I do know that clubs can change but from the research I did it looks like most of the schools have had Robotics for a long time, so I'm hoping that will still be an option later. If not he'll have to choice something else to do. I like everything I have read about Coronado and Air Academy and was hoping to just get a "feel" for them by people who have experience with those schools.
I also want to be in an area with some trees around the neighborhoods and would love to be able to have a small garden. That was why I was looking at the northwest and southwest side of the Springs. Just going by what I saw on the map though, I will have to check out the nieghborhoods. Hopefully I'll know more at the end of next week about making a visit.
Thanks again