Quote:
Originally Posted by DyHer
Since i hear so many bad reviews about short hills and its snobbish people we ruled out that area.
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With all due respect, I live in Short Hills and this is not a "snobbish" town that should merit automatic exclusion. Quite the contrary--this town is full of people who have moved to the area "for the schools"....meaning they value education highly and along with it, character education, leadership, etc.
This town is not perfect but you walk around town and you will see a town of mostly nice, confident, well spoken and very responsible young people. The various PTOs are extremely active in town, there is a charming theater (Paper Mill Playhouse), access to all kinds of resources for kids and the schools more than live up to the hype. The community is welcoming, warm and full of people moving in and the real estate market has stayed stronger than other for the past 6 years.
Is the place perfect? No---but if you are looking at Chatham, you might as well expand your horizons and look at Short Hills/Millburn.
The schools are FANTASTIC, though. When we moved here, I'd hear over and over again about the pressure but my sister lives here and between the two of us, we remain blown away by the curriculum, high expectations, and the creative way the teachers impart information. My creative, artsy kids have more than risen to the expectations and I am humbled by how they have been shaped by the schools. There is a very rich cultural program as well....and the special ed department is amazing. We have had nothing but amazing experiences here--and I came here full of misgivings and preconceived notions that are simply not true.
What red flags exist here? Well--the academic pressure piece. On the one hand, over half of Millburn High School graduates go to Top 100 colleges and the rest go to very solid schools. The school is a machine when it comes to college placements. But that comes with a price--lots of pressure and academic competition. There are tutors, etc here--but I think that's true throughout NJ anyway.
My advice for you is no matter where you live, get involved with the schools via the PTA/PTOs. Great way to make friends and great way to understand your new community. Wisconsin is very different from NJ so that kind of involvement will give you perspective.
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