St. Michael's Catholic School-Cary (Durham, Apex: appointed, how much, catholic schools) - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary - North Carolina (NC) -The Triangle Area - City-Data Forum

kmhbt · 03-12-2007, 07:47 AM

Does anyone know, or know anyone who does know, anything about this school?

Thanks so much.

mcfamilyof4 · 03-12-2007, 09:02 AM

wee looked into it briefly online but only to get costs. we have our kids in catholic school herein chicago and looked into all the cath schools in raleigh for elementary ages. St michaels is costly so now we are looking at St catherine of siena in north raleigh. Its a bit cheaper. Both seem to be good schools.

movedtheredonethat · 03-19-2007, 07:12 AM

I used to be a teacher there and although it is a beautiful school, it is a wealthy pressure cooker. I taught 6-7-8 grade math and parents would come in all the time upset that their child had a 96 grade point average and why not a 99-100% average. The pressure for these wealthy parents children to perform to amazingly high standards was crazy. Kids would cry in class and were very stressed out. These same parents were the ones that would keep their children out due to their busy social calendars.
Unless you have lots of money and time, do your child a favor and look at another school. The school for the most part favors the wealthy families that donate thousands of dollars a year. They have a thing called "Time (the amount of volunteering you can do" "Talent (what you can do for the school" and "Treasure (how much money you can give the church/school"
People are judged based on this scale of Time/Talent/Treasure.
It is just a snobbery of people who believe that they are better than everyone else and that perfection is above anything else.
I left there to teach in Durham where the kids were needy and parents were thankful and real.
But, it is a pretty school with amazing resources, all that money can buy.

kmhbt · 03-20-2007, 07:38 PM

That surprises me a bit. The Catholic schools are generally so much cheaper than the other private schools so I'm not sure what they have to be so snobby about.

My daughter is in Catholic school now and we love it. I am not in a position to give a lot of money but I do give a lot of time. Our school is a very happy environment though and it sounds like maybe St. Michael's isn't.

Thanks for your input.

Desdemona123 · 03-20-2007, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmhbt

The Catholic schools are generally so much cheaper than the other private schools

They don't tend to be that way around here.

kmhbt · 03-21-2007, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Desdemona123

They don't tend to be that way around here.

After comparing St. Michael's to the other private schools in the area we found that there are a couple which are slightly less and a few comparable. However, most are more.

allaboutthekids · 06-01-2008, 07:30 PM

We sent our children here for five years. There is nothing good I can say about the experience. I actually had several good friends with children the same ages attending Wake schools. In every age group, the Wake schools were ahead of St. Michael's when it came to math. When we brought this to the attention of the administration, we were told if we didn't like it we could leave. We had a similar reaction when we brought the problem to the attention to the parish leadership. A letter to the diocese garnered no response at all. Imagine that!

Well, we did leave...and have never regretted the decision.

Be very careful and be sure you know what you are getting here.

I've heard from other parish families that St. Mary's in Apex is a much better environment.

Hope this helps.

cas965 · 06-02-2008, 08:09 PM

I have heard that it is a good school, my kids go to St. Catherine's in WF. We have lived in Oregon and Calif and they have always gone to catholic schools. Personally I think the most important factor is if your child needs a big or small school environment and then that might make your decision easier. I have had great experiences in every school that our children have been in, wish you luck!

Tracy_Santrock · 06-02-2008, 08:42 PM

This school and church are right around the corner from my home. It's most likely the most beloved church in all of Cary! The school, staff, and church are among the best in the area depending on your religion.

allaboutthekids · 06-04-2008, 04:21 PM

I guess it depends on what you are seeking for your children. We know many families who have left St. Michael's.

Maybe there have been some changes. I'm sure that we received such an unacceptable response, or lack of one, that even big changes would not have swayed us to stay there.

We were very disappointed that after so many years of supporting the parish, from the time it was across from Cary Towne Center to the beer warehouse to its current location, that the lack of concern was appalling. Years of being members of the St. Michael's community were brushed away with a "you can leave if you don't like it" response.

I would argue it is not the most beloved church in Cary. Again, caution is warranted.