My son is in 8th grade and is considering his choices for high school.  We live in OTR.  Our daughter attends SCPA which she loves, but our son is sports-oriented so SCPA is not a good fit for him.  He does not score high on standardized tests, so Walnut is not a good choice for him either. 

 

Because of our hectic family life, an important part of our decision is how he will get himself to and from school everyday.  He shadowed at Clark, Elder and Roger Bacon.  We also attended open house at Elder and Roger Bacon.  Elder is all-boys and made a great impression at the open house.  Bacon is coed, smaller and had a very welcoming atmosphere.  Both are easy to get to by Metro.  He might not make the cut for the Elder JV soccer team, but could run cross country instead.  At Bacon, he might be one of the star soccer players but the team might not win much.  He also does swimming, wrestling, track and tennis.

 

Clark would require getting on a waiting list and possibly not getting in.  It also is a long bus ride.  ...but it is free. 

 

I'd be interested if anyone on this board has kids at any of these schools, or if you know any of the teachers/coaches. 

I have heard nothing but very positive things about Clark.

 

I don't know as much about Bacon and Elder. Regarding athletics, do you think he would thrive more in a competitive atmosphere that forces him to really "bring it" to make the team or keep up, or in an environment that is less competitive but potentially more fun and confidence-building?

He does not need any confidence-building in sports.  The more competition the better in that arena.  Loves the competition.

 

However in academics, I am thinking the smaller setting of Bacon would be better.

I graduated from Elder in May.  It really is like one big family there and sports are held in a very high esteem.  I did not run track, but one of the coaches was my physiology teacher and he's a really cool guy.  The students love the other coach as well.  I also had two of the wrestling coaches as teachers.  One for algebra and again sophomore year for trig.  The other one I had for physics.  They are both great guys as well.  As you might imagine the sports scene is very competitive.  If you have anymore specific questions, feel free to ask or message me.  :-)

I graduated from Bacon several years back so I can weigh in there. I drove to school everyday all the way from Fairfield and I can honestly say I have no regrets. It is a small, extremely tight knit school. All of the students get plenty of indivual attention, the teachers are fantastic, there is a strong emphasis on community involvement, and the student body just feels like one big family.

 

The only downside I see in your situation is that Roger Bacon is not a particularly strong sports school outside of basketball and girls volleyball. There is a much stronger emphasis on academics, especially in recent years.

 

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

He does not need any confidence-building in sports.  The more competition the better in that arena.  Loves the competition.

 

However in academics I am thinking the smaller setting of Bacon would be better.

 

What sport does or could he excel in? If you are in OTR you are close to Cov Cath and Newport Cath.

Thanks for the comments, it helps a lot.  I may PM some of you.

 

I never played any sports so it is hard for me to understand the importance, ...but to my son it is very important. 

 

Does the school need to have a winning team for him to get a good experience out of it?  I'm not looking to develop a professional soccer player here.

 

On top of all this, he shadowed at Clark yesterday and he liked it quite a bit.  Argghh!  I have no idea what to decide.  Applications are going in for all 3.

 

It's interesting that I have met several people from the northern suburbs who for some reason attend(ed) Bacon.  Also a few Cliftonites.  Elder still draws mostly from the westside, but "westside" meaning all the way to Indiana...

Have you asked him where he wants to go?  And if sports is the most important thing I would go to Elder in all honesty. 

I grew up in Clifton and went to Bacon a while back.  I used to explain that Bacon's territory roughly followed Clifton Avenue and Winton Road.  It basically went from OTR to Forest Park and Fairfield.  Either school would be fine - maybe see which one is easier from a busing/commute standpoint - he will have to do it for 4 years.

Bacon is easier because the 78 bus runs so often up and down Vine and there is a bus stop a block from our house, and the practice field is part of the campus. Elder requires walking down to 8/9th street and taking the 32 and their practice fields are a mile away from the school on Quebec

Jskinner, what did your son end up going with? 

ROGER BACON!!!  And he loves it.  Practiced during the summer with the football and soccer teams and is now playing on the soccer team..  Seems like he is making lots of friends.  When I go to a game or to the school, everyone seems to know him and is calling out his name, including the girls.

 

I'm super impressed with the principal, Steve Schad, and have met some of the teachers.  140 students  max per class is a good size.  I'm glad we chose co-ed.  My daughter could maybe go there in a few years.

 

He gets on the 78 bus downtown at 7am and after school he goes to the library to get homework done, then he goes to DQ and then to the new weight room down the hill, then to soccer practice or to a game, and I won's see him until 7:30pm or later, and he loves the independence. 

^ Glad he likes it.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing the new auditorium when it's finished but will definitely miss the old one.

Yeah, I liked that old gym with the stage and second level.  My mom said it hadn't changed since she went to dances there in the 50's.  Same with the Bacevitch Stadium, that place is awesome.  The only improvements planned at the stadium is to pave the parking area instead of having people park in the grass.  https://goo.gl/maps/8KnrK